Join our official World Social Summit Solutions session (side-event)

The Second World Summit for Social Development (World Social Summit) taking place on 4-6 November in Doha, Qatar, will convene Heads of State and Governments and senior stakeholders to renew political commitment to social development objectives such as poverty eradication, decent work and social inclusion.  Our dedicated side event titled ‘Catalysing Social Development through Care Reform for Children’ will take place in Doha on 3 November 2025 from 17.00 to 18.30 Qatar time (14.00-15.30 UK time). Convened by the United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and Hope and Homes for Children, the session will feature special guests, including celebrity Ambassador Natalie Pinkham, high-level FCDO and Hope and Homes for Children representatives, self-advocates with lived experience, national governments endorsing the Global Charter on Care Reform for Children, regional experts, and civil society stakeholders. Panels will showcase national commitments, practical progress and civil society recommendations. EN-FR live interpretation will be provided.

The World Social Summit as a Turning Point for Child Care Reform

At a moment when progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals is faltering and development budgets remain incredibly constrained, the Summit’s role in galvanising collective resolve and directing scarce resources to the most impactful interventions is especially critical. Without this renewed political leadership and coordination, the risk is that the most vulnerable will be further marginalised as development priorities are reprioritised or underfunded. The Summit has the potential to become a pivotal moment to renew international resolve on social development, and can accelerate care reform for children worldwide, offering Member States, policymakers, civil society and other stakeholders a concentrated platform to align commitments, mobilise resources and embed family-centred child welfare within the broader Sustainable Development Goals agenda.

At the Summit, Member States will formally adopt the Doha Declaration, a concise and action-oriented Political Declaration, which can serve as a robust platform to advance the rights and welfare of children without parental care and to catalyse comprehensive child care reform.  The Doha Political Declaration offers a rare, high-level opportunity to reframe child care from a series of isolated protection programs into a coherent, system-wide policy agenda. By explicitly recognising the family as central to social development and calling for child-sensitive social protection, universal child benefits, and investments in nutrition, early childhood development and school meal programmes, the Declaration gives governments concrete levers to prioritise children without parental care and to reduce the drivers of family separation.

Scaling up inclusive education, universal health (including mental health), safeguarding, and measures to eliminate child labour and homelessness creates an integrated framework that can secure stable family-based pathways, strengthen transition supports for older children, and embed prevention and rehabilitation  services. If translated into national strategies, finance commitments and cross‑sector cooperation, the Summit can accelerate care reform, improve long-term outcomes for vulnerable children, and ensure public resources deliver greater social inclusion and efficiency into the long-term.

For further information contact Marie Raverdeau, Advocacy Adviser, Hope and Homes for Children: Marie.Raverdeau@hopeandhomes.org

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Pauline is a Social Worker with Hope and Homes for Children in South Africa. Her work has been key to the inspiring story of Sima*, whom she helped rescue from an orphanage and return to the love and warmth of her family.

Eight-year-old Sima was born into a world of homelessness, violence and abuse. From the day of her birth, she lived with her mother among the makeshift communities under the vast concrete bridges of Johannesburg. Sima’s father was absent from her life, and finally, with her mother in crisis and unable to give her the care she needed, Sima was taken to an orphanage.

We don’t know what happened to her there. She won’t talk about the trauma she suffered. But it’s clear that Sima’s memories of that place terrify her, even today. Pauline has been visiting Sima for over a year, to make sure this new family gets all the support they need.

“It’s always the same. Whenever I come to the house, Sima runs away and hides. Her auntie – the only person Sima trusts – goes to find her, upstairs somewhere, in a corner, shaking with fear. Eventually, Sima comes into the room. She doesn’t speak. She stays close to the door, ready to run. She’s always ready to run. I smile, and try to speak with her, but she stays silent. And that’s okay, because I know how afraid she is. She’s afraid that I have come to take her away from this warm home that is filled with love. That I’ve come to take her back to the institution that has caused her such heartache and pain. God only knows what trauma she has suffered. But despite her fear, it’s so clear – Sima is happy here, maybe for the first time in her life.”

Sima spent two years in this institution. In all that time, she had no possessions. The dormitory bed she slept in changed constantly. And the clothes she wore were not hers – she shared them with the other children.

One day, a woman came to the orphanage. The woman was nice to Sima and gave her lovely hugs. At first, Sima didn’t understand. But the woman kept coming back, and Sima soon realised that the woman didn’t do this with any other child. Just her. She realised she was special. That woman was her auntie.

She had found Sima’s mum on Facebook and had learned all about Sima. And this extraordinary woman refused to accept that a niece of hers should live like this, when she had a house, and space, and food. And so much love to give. Each time her auntie Nozi had to leave her, Sima burst into tears. She would cling onto her and beg her not to go. She was afraid her auntie would never come back. But her auntie did come back. Again and again.
 
A social worker contacted us about the case, and Pauline helped Nozi navigate the system required to release Sima from the orphanage. It wasn’t a simple process. Months of preparation, mountains of paperwork, child protection safeguards, and crucial support for her new family finally brought Sima Back to Family.

Now Pauline has noticed a change in Sima.

“Sima still doesn’t speak to me, but today, when I went to visit her, her auntie was telling me that Sima had started to draw pictures. As her auntie spoke, Sima crept towards me and shyly placed a piece of paper in my lap. It was a gift for me – a picture Sima had drawn of her and her new family. I don’t know if Sima will ever get over the terrible things she’s suffered, but every day she gets a little bit more confident, and a little bit happier in her world.”

Photo: Juliana Van Well Dias/Hope and Homes for Children

Sima’s story shows what a terrible toll orphanages can take on a child, and the healing power that family life can bring. Orphanages can be terrifying places for children to be confined, and can have a disastrous effect on their emotional wellbeing. Conversely, the love and support of a family can heal some of the deepest wounds, which is why we will continue to strive across the world to ensure that institutionalised children are given that chance to heal.

Together we can make orphanages history, and bring every child like Sima Back to Family.

• Read more about the work we do in South Africa

_{*To ensure the safety and privacy of the people we support, the names of the children and relatives featured in this story have been changed.}

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For three decades, we’ve worked to end the institutionalisation of children. We know beyond doubt that when children grow up in orphanages, the harm is profound and lifelong, robbing them of their childhood, and too often, their very safety: stunted physical, social, and cognitive development, devastating mental health impacts, and a sharply increased risk of abuse, trafficking, and exploitation that leaves scars for life.

And yet today, 5.4 million children remain locked away in institutions – children hidden from view and stripped of the love and protection every child deserves in places that should never exist in the 21^st century. Worse still, 80% of them are not orphans at all. A tragedy made all the more shocking because it is preventable. They have parents or relatives who could care for them, if only the right support was in place.

That’s why this Charter is not just important – it’s urgent.

“Yesterday at the UN General Assembly, world leaders – including our Deputy Prime Minister – backed the new Global Charter, marking what could be the beginning of the end of orphanages.

When children are out of sight, they’re too often out of mind – and in danger. A century of research proves this.

This Charter must spark the political will and resources to reunite the 5.4 million children confined to orphanages with families – whether their relatives or foster families.

Hope and Homes for Children have been closely advising on this campaign from the outset, from our very first meeting with David Lammy while he was still in the Shadow Cabinet. It is a special moment to see it come to life – to see the Deputy PM take his promise to make care reform a priority to the highest levels of leadership – with the profound hope that it begins to turn the tide on global care reform and gets children to where they belong – Back to Family.” — Our CEO, Mark Waddington.

When children are out of sight, they’re in danger

Decades of research prove a painful truth: when children are separated from their families and placed in institutions, they don’t just lose love – they lose their futures.

This Charter must now ignite the political will and unlock the resources needed to bring those 5.4 million children home – safely reunited with their families or welcomed into loving foster care.

Why this is urgent – and solvable

Children don’t end up in orphanages because they are unloved. They’re driven there by poverty, disability, discrimination, and conflict – pressures that tear families apart. But these pressures can be prevented and overcome.

The Charter recognises that the solution is not to build more institutions, but to invest in families – solutions that are proven, cost-effective, and already transforming lives:

• Supporting parents and caregivers with inclusive, community-based services.
• Upholding children’s rights under international law.
• Ending harmful practices like orphanage tourism.
• Equipping care leavers with the tools to thrive as adults.

One of the countries who have signed the charter is Moldova, where we have been working in partnership with Child Community Family (CCF) for 20 years. In that time, we have succeeding in closing ten orphanages, reuniting over 500 children with their families, and prevented over 2000 children from suffering family separation. Proof that reform is not only possible, but achievable and lifesaving.

“The Global Charter on Child Care is highly important for Moldova’s childcare reform, as it reinforces the country’s commitment to completing the transition from institutional care to family- and community-based alternatives. By aligning with the Charter’s principles, Moldova strengthens its efforts to ensure every child’s right to grow up in a safe and nurturing family environment. At the same time, the Charter provides a shared framework for authorities, civil society, and donors to work together in advancing a child-centred protection system.” — Dr Liliana Rotaru – President of CCF Moldova.

Our call to action – before another generation is lost

We welcome the leadership shown by the UK Government and early adopter nations, but this is only the beginning. Without urgent action, millions more children will grow up without the family they need – with consequences that last a lifetime.

We’re calling on:

• World leaders to sign and implement the Charter without delay.
• Charities, businesses, and civil society to unite behind this global effort.
• Communities and individuals everywhere to demand a world where no child grows up in an orphanage.

Because the solutions exist. They are affordable. And they work.

A future without orphanages is within reach

This Charter shows that governments are finally listening – that change is not only possible but inevitable, if we choose it. But we cannot achieve it without you.

Together, we can consign orphanages to history and build a world where every child grows up in the safety and love of a family.

Read the Global Charter here and help us spread the word by sharing our posts on social media:

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This investigation by Lighthouse Reports with BBC Eye and The Observer and four other partners makes one thing very clear: the world must wake up to the dangers of orphanages and consign them to the history books.

The investigation uncovers how, under Assad’s regime, hundreds of children were separated from their families and placed in orphanages. It is a shocking account of children hidden, renamed and used as bargaining chips in a brutal conflict. But while the context is extreme, it scratches the surface of a wider, urgent, hidden crisis: right now, orphanages are robbing millions of children of their childhoods.

Worldwide, 5.4 million children are growing up in orphanages, even though 80% of them are not orphans at all. With the right support, their parents or relatives could care for them. More than a century of research shows the harm these institutions cause: children face higher risks of abuse, violence, trafficking and trauma that can last a lifetime.

The charity Hope and Homes for Children has proven that closing orphanages and reuniting children with families is possible in every context. In Romania, the number of children warehoused in institutions has fallen from 100,000 to under 1,500. In Rwanda, thirty years on from the genocide, the country is set to become Africa’s first orphanage-free nation.

The reality is brutal. Half of children in orphanages experience violence, rape, neglect or trafficking. For every three months they spend inside, they lose a month of healthy growth. As adults, they are 23% more likely to become homeless and 50% more likely to end up in conflict with the law.

But despite the evidence of the harms they inflict on children, orphanages continue to operate. Some, like those run by SOS Children’s Villages, are presented as “family-like villages”. But these villages are intrinsically institutional by their very nature, and it is the process of institutionalisation that is so de-humanising. It is a matter of record, and deeply worrying, that the number of appalling violations of children’s rights associated with SOS CV continues to grow, and even more so that the organisation has not committed to de-institutionalising its model. This has to change.

Today’s BBC documentary from Syria is just the latest in a litany of scandals linked to SOS Children’s Villages worldwide. We know institutions harm children. We know it is possible to redirect donations to get children back into families. And we now know we must do better. Since 1994, we have worked with governments worldwide to prove that it is possible to close the doors of orphanages forever. We fight to keep families together and to reunite those who have been separated. Where that isn’t possible, we help create new foster families. And we won’t stop until the very last orphanage is closed.

Mark Waddington is CEO of Hope and Homes for Children.

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When Nicolae Ceausescu’s reign ended in Romania, the world was shocked by images of more than 100,000 children crammed into bleak institutions. Those pictures marked the beginning of our decades-long effort to end orphanages in Romania.

Today, thanks to your support, another dark chapter has closed. Ion Holban – Romania’s largest orphanage – has finally shut its doors.

Why Ion Holban mattered

Back in 2012, Iași County had the most children in institutions in Romania. The biggest was Ion Holban, housing over 215 children and young people at that time. Over the years, another 192 children passed through its gates – 403 in total who needed our help.

Closing Ion Holban became our priority. But it wasn’t easy. It took years of negotiation with local authorities, training staff, supporting families, and helping young adults transition to independence.

And now, after 11 years of hard work, every single child has been rehomed.

• 148 children are now safe with families (birth families, foster families, or kinship care).
• 158 young people are living independently or preparing to do so.
• The rest are thriving in family-style homes or community-based services.

The children behind the numbers

One of those young people is Flavia*. With our team’s support, and encouragement from her mentor Mălina, she has secured an apartment, a job, and a place at college to train as a nurse.

“Through the intervention and support of Hope and Homes for Children, I have become more determined and responsible, with the courage to move forward. Recently, my wings have been polished by Mrs. Mălina, who helps me continue in this new stage. Wings that fly thanks to these wonderful people.” – Flavia, former resident of Ion Holban

Flavia’s story is just one example of how children’s lives are transformed when they are freed from institutions and supported to grow in families or independent living.

Why this work is so important

It might surprise you to learn that 80% of children in orphanages worldwide are not orphans. Most have at least one living parent, but poverty, disability or discrimination forced them into institutions.

Orphanages can never replace the love and security of a family. Children raised in institutions can suffer developmental delays, trauma, and lifelong scars. That’s why closing orphanages is about more than shutting buildings – it’s about giving children back their childhoods.

With your help we can finish the job

The closure of Ion Holban is a huge milestone and brings us closer to the day when every child in Romania can grow up in the love of a family – but it’s not the end. There are still orphanages left in Romania, and the children inside them can’t wait.

At the start of 2025 we started to work on the closure of 12 institutions. So far, we have successfully closed five of them.

• We have helped 206 out of 331 children Back to Family.
• We have prevented 290 children out of 300 children from entering state care.
• We have helped 52 children and young adults out of 80 to transition out of state care.

Thanks to your support, and our Romania team’s tireless effort since 1998, there are now fewer that 1,000 children left in Romania’s institutions.

With your help, we can finish the job. You made the closure of Romania’s biggest orphanage possible. Now, will you help us close the last? Together, we can ensure that no child grows up without the love of a family.

• Read more about the amazing work of our team in Romania

_{*To ensure the safety and privacy of the people we support, the names of the children and relatives featured in this story have been changed.}

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When Cigy was born with disabilities, Mutoni did everything she could to support her daughter. She worked hard and took Cigy to nearby health facilities for care. But the pressure was immense, and her husband rejected Cigy completely. Mutoni’s marriage ended, and she moved in with her mother, who helped her with Cigy and her two other young children.

Tragedy struck when Mutoni’s mother died, and local people convinced Mutoni to send Cigy to a residential institution for children with disabilities. Mutoni was heartbroken to send her daughter away, but she believed it was the best possible thing for her child.

Life in the orphanage was grim. Cigy was severely neglected and lived in appalling conditions. Instead of playing with other children, she was bedbound and unable to move. “When I visited her,” Mutoni says, “the stink was so overwhelming that I couldn’t stay inside.”

Mutoni desperately wanted Cigy back with her family, but she feared she would be unable to provide the care her daughter needed. Our team stepped in to provide advice, emotional support, and practical help so the family felt confident in caring for Cigy once she returned.

To ensure the family had a stable foundation, we bought them a home, giving them security and dignity. We also helped Mutoni start her own business selling clothes, which increased the family’s income and financial independence.

We arranged regular physiotherapy sessions for Cigy, which began an incredible transformation. Within just three months of leaving the orphanage, she had gained 10 kilograms, regained the use of her hands and upper body, and had begun to dance and respond to signals and sounds again.

“You not only brought my daughter back to me – you gave us a home, a way to survive, and the strength to live again as a family.”

Mutoni, Cigy’s mum

Today, Cigy is thriving with the protection and care only a loving family can provide. “She looks like the child I remember before she was placed in the institution,” Mutoni says. Richard Munyaneza, Safeguarding Coordinator at Hope and Homes for Children Rwanda, recalls, “When I first met Mutoni, she was very sad and unsure if she could care for Cigy. Now, seeing her happy and Cigy enjoying life with her family is amazing. It shows how much can change with the right support.”

• Read more about the work we do in Rwanda

Photo credit: Richard Munyaneza/Hope and Homes for Children

_{*To ensure the safety and privacy of the people we support, the names of the children and relatives featured in this story have been changed.}

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This September, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) will adopt a critical Resolution on Early Childhood Development (ECD), and we, together with our partners and allies are leading the charge to ensure it paves the way towards strong commitments for the end of child institutionalisation and the prioritisation of family-based care systems worldwide.  

Hope and Homes for Children, alongside 13 partner NGOs, has launched a new report, The Right to a Good Start in Life, highlighting the vital link between Early Childhood Development (ECD) and family care. The report stresses that nurturing family environments are essential for children’s emotional security, cognitive growth, and overall well-being. It exposes the harm caused by institutionalisation and calls for urgent reforms towards family-based care systems such as foster and kinship care. 

Three key points from the report:

1. Family life is fundamental for safe and healthy early childhood development and emotional security.
2. Institutionalisation causes significant harm to young children and must be eradicated in favour of family-based care.
3. Strengthening families through social protection, mental health support, and inclusive services prevents separation and promotes child well-being.

Why Early Childhood Development Matters

The first 8 years shape a child’s future – and their brain development, emotional health, and lifelong opportunities depend on nurturing family care. Yet:  

• 5.4 million children live in institutions globally, often suffering developmental delays, trauma, and isolation. 
• Children deprived of family care during this critical period miss out on the foundational support that nurturing family environments provide
• Institutionalisation in the early years often results in developmental harm, as it lacks the secure emotional attachments and personalised care essential for healthy cognitive, social, and emotional growth. 
• This can have lasting negative effects throughout childhood and beyond, including increased vulnerability to stigma, discrimination, and poor mental health outcomes.

The 2025 UN ECD Resolution is a turning point. 

We are fighting to ensure it:  

• Recognises institutionalisation as a violation of children’s rights.  
• Commits governments to reforming child care systems 
• Supports sustained investment in family support measures to keep families together.  

Our Advocacy: From Grassroots to the UN  

1. Influencing Global Policy  

We work with UN Treaty Bodies like the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) to advance the care reform agenda, and hold governments accountable. Recent wins include: 

• 2024 HRC Resolution on Inclusive Social Protection.  
• 2019 UNGA Resolution on Children Without Parental Care.  

2. Amplifying Lived Experiences  

At the March 2024 Human Rights Council Annual Day on the Right of the Child side-event we co-hosted with partners, young people who grew up in institutions shared how family separation impacted them, powering our call for care reform.  

3. Launching the Evidence: The Right to a Good Start in Life  

Key findings from our new report (endorsed by 14 organisations):  

• Family bonds build resilience, learning, and emotional security.  
• Institutions harm children, even those with “good or quality” conditions. 
• Solutions exist: Foster care, kinship care, and parent support programs work. 

Read the full report here

2025: A Pivotal Year for Care Reform 

At a time when ODA cuts and de-prioritisation of child rights, development and cooperation risk putting the lives of millions of children at risk, we must redouble our efforts to progress and advance our cause. Despite the complex international landscape, there are promising opportunities: 

September 2025 – UNGA Resolution  

We are advocating with partners for the ECD Resolution to:  

• Link ECD and family care explicitly.  
• Support the Global Charter on Care Reform, set to be launched at UNGA

November 2025 – World Social Summit   

We will advocate for: 

• Care reform in the SDGs.  
• Funding shifts from institutions to family support.  

November 2025 – South Africa’s Leadership & G20

With the G20 hosted in South Africa—a country advancing ECD policies—we’re seizing this moment to drive global action.  

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When Chadia was young her parents discovered that she couldn’t sit or stand, and suffered from epileptic seizures. The couple’s relationship fell apart, and Chadia’s mother Bwiza was suddenly left all alone to raise seven children with very little money.

“I was overwhelmed and heartbroken,” Bwiza says, “people whispered about me, saying I must have done something wrong to deserve a child like Chadia.”

Life for the family was extremely hard. There was no money for Chadia’s medicine, no decent mattress to sleep on, and not enough food. Bwiza felt lonely and exhausted, but she never stopped caring for her daughter. “There were days I cried quietly while feeding her porridge,” she said. “But I never gave up. I knew she deserved love and care.”

“Someone finally saw us”

Chadia and Bwiza were at serious risk of being separated from each other, with Chadia being sent to an institution – but everything changed for them when a community volunteer and a staff member from our partners at Ubumwe Community Centre visited their family.

The pair listened to Bwiza to understand more about the exact challenges she was facing, and put together a plan to provide the help the family needed. They enrolled the family in an EU-funded project that helps families of children with disabilities and Chadia began free physiotherapy sessions at a local support centre, where gentle exercises strengthened her muscles. The family also received a mattress, chairs, cups, cooking pots, and health insurance to clear old hospital bills and cover future care.

“It felt like someone finally saw us,” the mother explained. “The day we received the mattress, I cried tears of joy. I never thought we’d sleep comfortably again.”

A simple difference

Another thing the family were provided with was a pair of goats. Although they may only sound like a small gift, the goats made a big impact on the family, and played a vital role in their financial recovery. Thanks to the goats, Bwiza now had manure to use for her farming, enabling her to double the yield from the crops she was growing.  

The family also had goats milk to drink, and of course because the goats eventually bred, Bwiza was soon able to sell her livestock to pay school fees on time and buy medicine for Chadia and her other children.

A change beyond imagination

With time and regular physiotherapy, Chadia learned to sit and steady herself on her knees. Then she managed to stand up. Now, aged six , Chadia can walk short distances with a little support. She communicates with simple hand signs; tapping her chest for “me” and waving for “come”, and her brothers and sisters happily translate for her during family chats.

“I never imagined she would one day stand up and wave,”  Bwiza says, “now she smiles more, and so do I.”

Each morning, the family now wakes up with confidence. They have a mattress to sleep on, pots to cook with, goats in the yard and a daughter who stands proudly on her own feet. Bwiza has even joined a local support group to help other parents of children with disabilities. “If I could survive this journey, I know other mothers can too,” she says.

Chadia’s story shows just how a family’s life can truly be transformed by love, community help, and the types of simple, practical support that your kindness provides.

And if you’d like to support more families like Chadia’s to stay together – in Rwanda and in eight other countries around the world – you can donate to support our work here.

*Names have been changed to protect identities

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Following the meeting, the young people produced The Sofia Declaration – which you can read below – and which offers advice and recommendations for adults and organisations involved in the care of children.

Whatever your interactions with children and young people – from parental to professional – we’d highly recommend giving The Sofia Declaration a read, as it provides valuable insights into how young people wish to be treated, and what steps all of us can take to ensure that their voices are heard and their quality of life is improved.

Later this month, we’ll also be holding another Our Voices Matter Summit in Kigali, where children from the African countries we work in will come together to create a similar declaration – we’ll be sure to share it with you once it’s complete.

If you’d like to find out more about the Our Voices Matter summit in Sofia, you can read this blog – and you can get more information about the Our Voices Programme and it’s impact for young people here.

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