The most recent research estimates that there are currently 5.37 million children residing in orphanages around the world[1].This is a median estimate, and the true number may be even higher due to a lack of data in some parts of the world.

[1] ^{Desmond, Chris; Watt, Kathryn; Saha, Anamika; Huang, Jialin and Lu, Chunling. 2020. 'Prevalence and Number of Children Living in Institutional Care: Global, Regional, and Country Estimates.' The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, 4(5): 370-377.}

Studies show that 80% of children in residential care institutions globally have at least one living parent.[1] This means that most children in orphanages are not orphans.

[1] Lumos. 2017. Children in Institutions: The Global Picture. Available at: https://lumos.contentfiles.net/media/documents/document/2017/03/Global_Numbers.pdf

The term "orphan and vulnerable children" (OVC) is sometimes used in child protection, development, and humanitarian contexts to refer to children who face significant risks to their well-being, care, and protection due to factors such as the death of one or both parents, poverty, disability, marginalisation or other social or political factors.

The concept of OVC is often used in social protection programs, policies and interventions to ensure these children can access services that uphold their rights to family-based care, education, healthcare, and protection from exploitation.

The vast majority of orphaned and vulnerable children are cared by their families and families in their community. In Sub-Saharan Africa, it is estimated that over 90% of orphaned children are cared for by a surviving parent, grandmothers, aunts and uncles, older siblings, or neighbours and community members with pre-existing relationships with the child and biological family. Many of these families are living in extreme poverty, which is exacerbated as more children enter the home. Local groups are in the best position to directly minister to the needs of children and families in their own communities. Churches in Ireland also have a critical role to play. By learning about, praying for, giving to, and serving with these local family-based efforts, we can help to bring life-sustaining support to children and families in need

Family and community-based care programmes are any programmes that help to keep children within a family where they can best thrive – rather than in orphanages or in residential care institutions. They might provide medicine to prevent the death of biological parents, locate and support foster families, provide counselling and home visit services, drop in centres for street children, and daycare centres. Many programmes like these are started or run through the local church. Local solutions for orphans and vulnerable children ensure that every child has a family, while also protecting children from mistreatment and abuse. When the family and community are strengthened fewer children are neglected, abandoned, or placed into orphanages. Communities and local churches cannot provide for all of the needs of orphaned and vulnerable children alone. Governments have a responsibility to provide basic services, especially in areas such as public health, education, material assistance, and social protection. Community and faith-based organisations have an important role to play in advocating for – and helping families and children access – these critical services.

The most recent research estimates that there are currently 5.37 million children residing in orphanages around the world [1].This is a median estimate and the true number may be even higher due to a lack of data in some parts of the world.

[1] ^{Desmond, Chris; Watt, Kathryn; Saha, Anamika; Huang, Jialin and Lu, Chunling. 2020. 'Prevalence and Number of Children Living in Institutional Care: Global, Regional, and Country Estimates.' The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, 4(5): 370-377.}

Residential care is care provided in any non-family based group setting. It is an overarching term that encompasses all kinds of residential care facilities for children including orphanages, children’s villages, children’s homes, children’s centres, and institutions.

These terms are used interchangeably to refer to facilities that provide children with care in a non-family-based group setting, where care is provided by remunerated staff or volunteers without the involvement of parents or families. These facilities may be variously referred to as orphanages, childcare centres, residential care facilities, institutions, shelters, children’s homes, children’s villages, pagoda or faith-based care facilities, hostels and, in some instances, boarding schools. For ease of reference, we refer to all of these facilities as ‘residential childcare facilities’ and ‘orphanages’ interchangeably in this FAQ document.

Studies show that 80% of children growing up in orphanages or residential care institutions have at least one living parent.[1] This means that most children in orphanages are not orphans. Reports from Save the Children and the Better Care Network reveal that poverty is the main driver causing parents to relinquish their children to institutions.[2] Thus, orphanages often attract families struggling to feed, clothe or educate their children. Research consistently shows that most children in institutions are there for reasons other than loss of parental care[3]. Drivers such as poverty, labour migration, absence of community-based services, and child disability separate children from their families. The false assumption that institutions will ensure children receive adequate nutrition, rehabilitation, and education is a barrier to keeping children in families.[4]

The main priority therefore needs to be the strengthening of families and communities so that vulnerable children are not separated from their families due to drivers such as poverty.

[1] Lumos. 2017. Children in Institutions: The Global Picture. Available at: https://lumos.contentfiles.net/media/documents/document/2017/03/Global_Numbers.pdf

[2] Csáky, Corinna. 2009. Keeping Children Out of Harmful Institutions: Why We Should be Investing in Family-based Care. London: Save the Children; Better Care Network Secretariat. 2009. Global Facts about Orphanages. Available at: http://handstohearts.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Global-Fact-Sheet-on-Orphanages_BetterCareNetwork.pdf

[3] Williamson J, Greenberg A. Families, not orphanages: working paper. September 2010. http://www.bettercarenetwork.org/sites/default/ files/Families%20Not%20Orphanages_0.pdf (accessed March 27, 2020). Better Care Network. Violence Against Children and Care in Africa: a Discussion Paper. 2017. https://bettercarenetwork.org/sites/default/ files/BCN_VAC_and_Care_Report_single_page_17102017_0.pdf (accessed March 27, 2020).

[4] de Sam Lazaro F. Why Cambodian orphanages house so many children whose parents are still alive. PBS News Hour. Oct 24, 2019. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/why-cambodian-orphanageshouse-so-many-children-whose-parents-are-still-alive (accessed Nov 19, 2019).

Alternative care is the care provided for children by caregivers; who are not their biological parents. This care may take the form of informal or formal care whereby a child is looked after at least overnight outside the parental home; either by decision of a judicial or administrative authority or duly accredited body, or at the initiative of the child, his/her parent(s) or primary caregivers, or spontaneously by a care provider in the absence of parents. Alternative care may be kinship care; foster care; other forms of family-based care; or supervised independent living arrangements for older children and youth.

Contrary to popular belief, most children who live in orphanages[1] are not actually ‘orphans’ and most have at least one living parent. They also have families, such as grandparents an aunts and uncles who are often willing and wanting to care for them. The reason that many of these children live in orphanages is poverty. Often parents living in extreme poverty are led to believe the only way for their children to get an education or access other basic services is to send them to a residential care institution – or, orphanages as they are more commonly referred to by westerners. However, decades of research has found that growing up in institutional care is harmful to a child’s development. For these reasons there is a global effort to help keep families together and prevent the unnecessary institutionalisation of children.

[1] 80% of children living in institutional care today have at least one living parent

Orphanages may sound like a quick fix solution to provide care for children living in poverty, but decades of research into child development shows that even the best run institutions cannot match the care provided by a family. The solution lies in supporting families so they can care for their own children. This can include the provision of local services to meet the economic, educational, psychological, and special needs of families to prevent family separation. This can also include employment skills and job training, day care and after-school programmes for children, and healthcare services.

The reason is three-fold. First, whilst all countries are committed to family-based care, change takes time, and many countries are still in the early stages of moving away from using residential care institutions as a response to poverty. Second, the continuing support – from well-meaning individuals, charities, churches, educational institutions, and companies – is weakening   efforts to move away from an institutional model of care and diverting resource away from programmes that can help to keep families together. Finally, in many countries, particularly tourist destinations, the growth of the volunteering industry has driven a rise in the number of orphanages, which have been established to attract support from well-meaning donors and volunteers. In many of these institutions, children are actively recruited – or trafficked - from poor communities to pose as ‘orphans’ in order to generate income for those operating the orphanage.

The Better Care Network has helpful information on The Problem with Visiting and Volunteering in Orphanages. You can find it here: https://bettercarenetwork.org/about-bcn/what-we-do/key-initiatives/rethink-orphanages/problem-with-visiting-and-volunteering-in-orphanages

Indeed. Countries that are reforming their child protection systems are developing laws and policies to prevent children being separated from their families and unnecessarily placed in institutions. For example: Kenya has launched a 10 year national strategy to transition from institutional care to family and community based care for all children in need of care and protection[1]. Australia has recognised orphanage trafficking as a form of modern slavery – with the Modern Slavery Act 2018[2]. The UK is also in the process of reviewing its own Modern Slavery Act, providing an opportunity for orphanage trafficking to be defined within this legislation.

These legislative changes will help to protect vulnerable children from exploitation. However, there still needs to be significant shift in how countries in the global north engage with overseas aid and development to avoid inadvertently fuelling the cycle of children needlessly separated from their families.

[1] https://bettercarenetwork.org/national-care-reform-strategy-for-children-in-kenya-2022-2032

[2] https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-46390627

Every effort should be made to place children currently living in orphanages into family-based alternative care. This can include kinship care (e.g. to live with grandparents or other relatives) or foster care. There is a global effort to develop family-based solutions for orphaned and vulnerable children. This is where support should be directed so these children can receive the care they need within a family environment. By continuing to directly support an orphanage, donors are simply propping up a system which is harmful to children.

The transient and superficial nature of volunteering can exacerbate a child’s sense of abandonment and loss as volunteers enter and then exit in quick succession from the children’s lives.

Children need to develop a secure and stable relationship with a primary caregiver so they can develop emotionally, cognitively and socially. Many of the children in orphanages have been separated from the vital relationships with their primary caregivers and, as a result of this disruption, are extremely vulnerable. The lack of individualised care and stable relationships inherent in institutions adds to the children’s confusion about relationships, self-worth and security. Children who greet volunteers with open arms, wanting to be picked up and hugged are most likely displaying symptoms of Attachment Disorder. These children desperately want to be loved but that love needs to come from someone who can offer a long-term and stable relationship. Not, we believe, from volunteers.

For these reasons we would not recommend visiting or volunteering in an institutional care or orphanage setting. The revolving door of volunteers who visit children in orphanages and then leave is extremely detrimental to children, and this stream of broken attachments further exacerbates already-existing trauma and attachment issues. Children need and deserve consistent love and attention, and these needs should be met by permanent caregivers, rather than volunteers who come and go.

Prospective volunteers and short-term missionaries should read through the Homecoming guide to Short-term Missions and Volunteering-Safeguarding Orphans and Vulnerable Children for best practice guidance and principles. Work that focuses on supporting and strengthening parents, caregivers, staff, and the local community is preferable to directly volunteering with children in orphanages.

Sadly no. First, these children are vulnerable, and they require specialist care, which should only ever be provided by suitably qualified and trained professionals. Consider this in the context of your own country – children with special needs would never be cared for by unqualified members of staff or volunteers. Secondly, children should be cared for by local people, not international volunteers. Where there is a skills gap, international volunteers who have been suitably trained may be able to provide training to local people – but this should be as a short term measure to help strengthen local capacity.

Some volunteer-sending operators are attempting to package their programmes as 'responsible orphanage volunteering' or refer to 'good orphanages'. Don't be fooled – even well-run orphanages are not good for children. (see response to question 6)

Volunteering overseas can provide an opportunity to experience a different culture whilst travelling and gain new skills for personal and professional development. However, the main purpose of volunteering is to contribute something meaningful to a community or project. To select the right placement, start by thinking about what skills you have and where these can be put to best use. Use the Rethink Orphanages’ Ethical Volunteering checklist[1] to help you choose an overseas volunteering placement where you will be making a difference. There are a number of Volunteer Sending Agencies in Ireland who are signatories to the Comhlámh Code of Good Practice. You can see the full list of Code Signatories in Comhlámh Directory of Agencies[2].

[1] https://bettercarenetwork.org/about-bcn/what-we-do/key-initiatives/rethink-orphanages/responsible-volunteering-making-ethical-choices

[2] https://comhlamh.org/code-of-good-practice/code-signatories/

Volunteering with children can be a very rewarding experience, but it’s not always in the best interests of children. Children need stable, individual – and often specialist – attention, which is why volunteers can cause more harm than good if working directly with children. As appealing as it may be to volunteer with children, unless properly qualified, you should never find yourself or other volunteers in a position where you are responsible for teaching or caring for children overseas. If you really want to make a difference to the lives of children, and their families, you can achieve so much more by engaging with volunteer programmes that will benefit and empower whole communities to support vulnerable families.

Prospective volunteers and short-term missionaries should read through the Homecoming guide to Short-term Missions and Volunteering-Safeguarding Orphans and Vulnerable Children for best practice guidance and principles. Work that focuses on supporting and strengthening parents, caregivers, staff, and the local community is preferable to directly volunteering with children in orphanages.

Travel and volunteering organisations are increasingly recognising the problems with orphanages and orphanage volunteering. Many have never run orphanage volunteering programmes, and, of the ones who have, a growing number are removing orphanage volunteering - or orphanage tourist trips - from their product offerings.. Find out more about how to find an ethical volunteering placementhere. You can support this by choosing to volunteer with an organisation which does not provide orphanage volunteering product options.

Unfortunately, some volunteer operators have recognised the growing shift away from orphanage volunteering, but rather than change their policies, they are just changing the description of their programmes. Watch out for terms such as children’s home, safe home, boarding school, or children’s centres – these are still orphanages under a different name. Also, look out for other words commonly being used instead of ‘orphans’ – such as ‘vulnerable’, ‘abused’, ‘neglected’ or ‘street children’. These are still vulnerable children requiring specialist care.

Prospective volunteers and short-term missionaries should read through the Homecoming guide to Short-term Missions and Volunteering-Safeguarding Orphans and Vulnerable Children for best practice guidance and principles. Work that focuses on supporting and strengthening parents, caregivers, staff, and the local community is preferable to directly volunteering with children in orphanages.

Read the Rethink Orphanages’ Volunteer Checklist for Responsible Volunteering Abroad to help you choose a responsible Volunteer Sending Agency and help you choose an overseas volunteering placement, where you will be making a difference[1].

Comhlámh has also developed an online self-study resource for people interested in volunteering overseas. These free to access resources are called, 'Where Do I Start?’[2].

[1] https://bettercarenetwork.org/about-bcn/what-we-do/key-initiatives/rethink-orphanages/responsible-volunteering-making-ethical-choices

[2] https://comhlamh.org/courses-for-individuals/where-do-i-start-courses-international-volunteering/

It is important to think about whether this type of project is supporting the orphanage industry. It may not involve working directly with children, but it is still helping to maintain the orphanage and therefore indirectly supporting this inappropriate model of care. There are many construction projects available that will support whole communities – choose one of these that matches your skills.

This response could benefit from a wider perspective of ‘transition planning’, etc. and then leave the volunteering support as a conclusion below.

Several travel and volunteer operators are currently going through this process. Having made the decision to stop supporting orphanages they have engaged with organisations working in countries to support orphanages to transition safely to family based care. This demonstrates it can be done, but it must be done responsibly.

Local authorities and NGOs work with orphanage operators and local authorities to find out why the children are there in the first place, and will work to reintegrate the children into the care of their families, or extended family, with appropriate supports. Not every child can be reunited with their immediate or wider family – in these circumstances, alternative family-based care such as foster care, will be identified. When this is not possible or in the best interests of the child, care may be in a small group homes where care can be organised around the individual needs of each child while a more appropriate alternative is sought.

Whilst your intentions may have been good, this is an example of how children are being used as a commodity and exploited to attract donations from tourists.

Children should never be used as tourist attractions – and such excursions should be regarded purely as money-making enterprises. Do not be tempted to visit an orphanage or attend a performance held at an orphanage by resident children – you will just be contributing to the problem, not the solution Take a strong stance and walk away.

Sometimes suitably qualified volunteers – for example a nurse, social worker or physiotherapist – may be needed to support local staff or volunteers. This may be because there is an existing skills-gap or a training need. Make sure that your volunteering placement doesn’t displace a local expertise but instead helps to strengthen the capacity of the local workforce for the long term.