大象传媒

About 80 per cent of the 8 million children confined to orphanages worldwide聽 today are not orphans. They鈥檝e been separated from parents because of poverty, disabilities or discrimination.聽 Children locked away in orphanages are subject to high levels of neglect and abuse. The impact of this can last a lifetime. Some don鈥檛 survive at all. Hope and Homes for Children shows governments how to close orphanages by tackling the root causes of family breakdown, reuniting children with their birth families, finding foster families or supporting children to live independently.聽

Uwera spent the earliest years of her life in a crowded orphanage. Hungry and neglected, she was punished for making a noise. Hope and Homes for Children closed the orphanage and helped Atete to foster Uwera. Now she can run, play and make as much noise as she likes.

Joseph was born with cerebral palsy and abandoned to an orphanage as a baby.聽 He spent the first nine years of his life, lying in a cot unable to move. When Hope and Homes for Children closed the orphanage, we found Joseph a wonderful foster family. We provided his new parents, Faith and Albert, with training, and invested in their home to make it suitable for Joseph.

When a baby in an orphanage cries and nobody comforts them, they learn not to cry and internalise their pain - causing life-long mental damage.聽聽 Every pound donated to Hope and Homes for Children鈥檚 End the Silence campaign between 27th September and 27th December 2017 will be matched by the UK government. Together, we can help thousands of children leave behind silent orphanages to grow up with the love and protection of a family.