Every child deserves the love and belonging of a safe family home–never the violence, abuse and neglect suffered in orphanages. Since 1994, we’ve inspired the UN, EU and local and national governments worldwide, from Ukraine to Rwanda, to close the doors of orphanages forever. In their place, we fight to keep families together, to reunite them, and to create new ones – always working with children, for children.
We keep families together
Where war, poverty, discrimination or broken child protection systems put pressure on parents to give up their children, we fight to keep families together. With care and compassion, free from judgement and prejudice, we support families. When they’re at their lowest, faced with the desperate decision to place their child into an orphanage because they can’t see any other way forward, we step in. We sit with them and listen. We learn their story, see their situation. We offer them hope and encouragement before supporting them to find ways to keep their child at home with them.
We reunite families
Too often, we meet parents left longing for their children, or a child who has family but is lost in the bureaucracy of an orphanage. This should never happen. When it does, we’re there to reunite them. With local teams made up of family tracing experts and specialist social workers, we reconnect mothers and sons, fathers and daughters. And we stay by their side, our child psychologists there supporting every reunited family. We make the transition as smooth as possible to help children and families adapt to their new life.
We create new families
For children whose birth families can’t look after them or keep them safe, or those who have no family at all, a new family is best. We work with local people and authorities to find, train and support foster or adoptive parents: adults who we know from experience will love, protect and give security to a child. Now and forever. With our social workers, psychologists and educationalists by their side, new parents give children a place to belong. They offer children the love they need to grow up and thrive in life. A child like Uwera. Help us to create new families.
Our work in Ukraine
Before the war, Ukraine had one of the largest orphanage systems in Europe, with almost 100,000 children living in 663 orphanages.
Our achievements in Ukraine since 1998 mean we’re uniquely positioned to respond to this crisis.
Since 24th February, we’ve directly helped 62,823 people in Ukraine (33,579 of which were children), 7,882 in Romania and 12,006 refugees in Moldova.
• We’ve successfully advocated for the protection of Ukraine’s 100,000 children in orphanages, ensuring these children are monitored, tracked and recognised by the humanitarian system.
• In Ukraine, we’ve provided practical, life-saving humanitarian support, including essential items like food, clothes and hygiene kits, school supplies like rucksacks, notebooks and pens and winter essentials like warm clothes, blankets, heaters, torches and power banks.
• We’ve also helped safely evacuate 199 children from orphanages or support centres in Ukraine to other countries, helped prevent 5,595 children from being separated from 3,192 families and supported 255 children who had been sent home from institutions with no support.
• In Moldova, we’ve supported over 12,000 refugees from Ukraine with essential needs, emotional support and referral services. We’ve supported many unaccompanied children into foster families, and provided additional financial support to 213 refugees (124 children and 89 adults) living in communities. We’ve also supported 14 Refugee Accommodation Centres.
• In Romania, we’ve supported over 7,000 refugee children and families arriving from Ukraine, including unaccompanied children, with vital essentials. And we’ve helped the authorities prepare centres for children and carers evacuated from Ukrainian orphanages.
and much more.
Registered Charity No. 1089490