“If the children are not enrolled in school and if your living conditions don’t improve, we have no other option but to put all children in a local placement centre,” said the representative from the Child Protection Department (CPD) upon meeting the Mihaescu family.

These are the words that rocked Ion* and Cristina’s* life. Loving parents of five children, they found out they were at risk of having each of their children taken away from them and placed in an orphanage.

Like millions of parents around the world – parents who are struggling, parents who need support – Ion and Cristina were faced with an unthinkable situation. Losing their children. Until people like you helped bring them bring strength back to family. This is their story.

How we help keep families together

Our team in Romania discovered the Mihaescu’s situation back in 2021.

Andreea, our social worker, remembers what it was like hearing the announcement from the authorities that the children would be taken away.

“It was a clear warning. I was there, I heard it first-hand. It made my heart skip a beat. Almost reflex-like, I covered Federica’s* ears when he said it. I knew the family’s situation needed rapid improvement.”

At the time, all five children and both parents were living in just one nine-square-meter room. Somehow, two tattered beds and a small table managed to fit in.

Ion used to work in construction as a day labourer, but, after lockdown and with construction sites being on and off, he couldn’t find work.

Cristina was taking care of the children. She used to work for a dry cleaner, but was now at home nursing baby Gabriela*, with minimum pay. Her low salary and the children’s social benefits – that’s all there was. And that was supposed to be enough for baby food, diapers, meds, food for the entire family, and clothes. It simply wasn’t.

The Mihăescus were living without electricity or access to any other utilities: no heat, no gas. They got water from a nearby well.

Stepping in to help

Thanks to your donations, Andreea was able to make a plan. She knew Ion and Cristina were great parents. They just needed help.

“I had to propose a plan to the Child Protection Department,” Andrea explains. “We’ll help with improving the living conditions and with enrolling the kids in school. ‘Will that work as a rapid intervention?’, I asked. Luckily, they were on board.”

The CPD and the local City Hall helped with enrolling all the children in school. Only Federica had ever gone to school, but she had dropped out. She wanted to go back. “What would I wear? I don’t have any shoes,” she said.

Our team started by getting the family basic staples: food, clothing, and hygiene items. With no electricity there was no fridge, so we focused on canned items, flour, oil, and cornflower. And then shoes and clothing for the kids.

We then focused on bringing electricity in. It took two months, but the family has electricity now. We bought a fridge, a washing machine, and a wood-burning stove. For the first time, there was heat inside the home.

“Ion did everything. He was a brick mason, a carpenter, a roofer, a concrete finisher, depending on what was needed,” says Andreea. He kept repeating, “Ma’am, I’ll do whatever it takes, just don’t let them take our kids away.”

“Ma’am, I’ll do whatever it takes, just don’t let them take our kids away.”

Ion

Together, at last

Thanks to your donations and the tireless work of our team, everything’s different for the Mihaescu’s now.

Their house is warm, safe and comfortable. Ion’s out working every day. Gabriel*, the oldest son, works alongside Ion on weekends, helping his dad support the family. Cristina will return to her job when Gina* turns two. But for now, she’s enjoying being together, at home, with her babies.

“We wouldn’t have made it without you. God bless you. I would never let go of my children.”

Cristina

Looking to the future, we want to ensure the children stay in school. They still need our support, especially around those moments when any family spends a bit more than usual. When schools started, for example, we helped with supplies, notebooks, pens, and backpacks. But no matter what, we want to stay by their side to make sure this family stays united.

As they deserve to.

If you’d like to hear more inspiring stories about families being helped to stay together, as well as more heartwarming examples of the impact of your donations, sign up to our Mailing List. We’ll keep you up-to-date as we bring strength and stability #BackToFamily.

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* Names changed to protect identity.

The post “I’ll do whatever it takes – just don’t let them take our kids away.” appeared first on Hope and Homes for Children.

When Ombi found out she was pregnant she was terrified. Still in secondary school, she dropped out of school and stayed at home.

Shamed for being young, pregnant and unmarried, Ombi was suffering. Until your donations helped her get back on her feet.

Finding support

The next few months were some of the darkest in Ombi’s life. She was unemployed, out of school and with a newborn baby to raise. Worse, she received no support from her family.

Thankfully, that’s when she found the Adolescent Mother Project.

What is the Adolescent Mother Project

The Adolescent Mother Project is our support network for young, vulnerable women in Kigali.

In Rwanda, adolescent pregnancy has become a major national topic. Facing unemployment, poverty or discrimination, young women are at risk of giving up their babies. That means more children pushed into institutionalised care. More homes being torn apart.

But every child deserves to grow up with the love of family. And every young mother deserves independence. By supporting adolescent mothers in Kigali, we’re tackling gender-based discrimination head on – keeping families together, and children out of orphanages.

And thanks to your donations, it’s working.

How does the Adolescent Mother Project work?

Our team works with community leaders to find and refer vulnerable young women in the community. Many have endured poverty, sexual abuse or food scarcity. Many have no support from their family members.

First, we provide financial support to ensure they have a roof over their heads, food on the table, and anything they need for their baby. Then, we invite them to our community hubs, where we provide counselling, family mediation, and whatever support they need to get back into school. Our team even provides grants to help adolescent mothers set up a small business.

Every adolescent mother we support is different, as are their paths to independence. But thanks to your support, we’re helping them pave their own way.

Sharing, healing and comfort

After being referred to the Project, our team invited Ombi to her first group counselling session. When she walked into the room and saw other young women in a similar situation, she was shocked. She realised she wasn’t alone.

 “I was helped to overcome fear, shame, and the feeling of isolation from society,” she says. “In group therapy sessions with hundreds of peers, we talked, shared critical experiences, healed each other, and comforted each other. I began to see myself as a normal person, not a burden to my family or a source of shame. I started to develop confidence and self-love.”

“I started to develop confidence and self-love.

 “My mother was also invited to a meeting at the community hub, along with other adolescent mothers and their parents,” she continues. “We discussed issues like fighting, discrimination, positive communication in the family, and the importance of forgiveness and understanding.”

With help from our team, their relationship improved. “My mother began to take care of my son and started talking to me again. A good mood returned to our home, and now my mother looks after my son while I work.”

 Looking to the future

Thanks to your support, everything’s now changed for Ombi. Your donations helped her go back to school, get a qualification, and find a job in a local salon. Now, she’s saving money, supporting herself, and, most importantly, raising her son with pride.

“I love my son, and I want him to prosper,” she says. “I am confident that I will achieve greater success than I have today. And as I grow and accumulate wealth, I want to create my own project to support adolescent mothers. This is my grand aspiration.”

“I love my son, and I want him to prosper,”

Looking back on the Adolescent Mother Project

Thanks to your continued support, our team in Rwanda has supported 252 young women through the Adolescent Mother Project. That’s 252 women, just like Ombi, who got the chance to reclaim their future. And the impact speaks for itself.

“When we met them, none of the girls were in school or even getting two meals a day. Only 15% had family support and 60% didn’t have enough money to take care of their children,” says Innocent Habimfura, Director of Hope and Homes for Children Rwanda . “Now, everything’s different. 80% are back in school, 94% have support from their families, and 92% have jobs allowing them to support themselves and their babies.”

“80% are back in school, 94% have support from their families, and 92% have jobs allowing them to support themselves and their babies.”

Innocent Habimfura

Now, we’re looking at replicating the Adolescent Mother Project across Rwanda, empowering an entire generation of young women. Thanks to your donations, we’re building a better tomorrow. A tomorrow where young women can be, and will be, anything they want to be.

If you’d like to hear more about our stories about the Adolescent Mother Project, as well as more heartwarming examples of the impact of your donations, sign up to our Mailing List. We’ll keep you up-to-date as we bring strength and stability #BackToFamily.

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* Names changed to protect identity.

This blog was updated in May 2025 to reflect our shift in language from “teenage mothers” to “adolescent mothers”, in line with our commitment to more respectful and non-stigmatising terminology.

The post “I started to develop self-confidence and love” – Ombi’s story from the Adolescent Mother Project appeared first on Hope and Homes for Children.

For years, Galina was desperate to escape her abusive marriage. But she knew that if she left with nowhere to go, her son Ivan* would be at risk of being sent to an orphanage.

But thanks to the pioneering family support services we’ve developed in Ukraine, Galina and Ivan were given the temporary safe haven they needed to make a fresh start and specialist support to rebuild their life together.

Galina’s story

For years, Galina was trapped in an abusive marriage.

“I had violence in my home,” she told us, “I didn’t feel like a person. So, I wanted to save our family but we fought all the time, and I didn’t know what to do. I thought about taking my life”. She knew that if she left with nowhere to live, Ivan and her older son, Roman*, might both be taken from her and sent to live in an orphanage with no one to love or protect them.

“I had violence in my home. I didn’t feel like a person.”

Refusing to be separated from her boys, she stayed put.

Over time, Galina witnessed the impact the violence was having on her children.

“The boys were beginning to imitate their father’s behaviour. They treated me as if I wasn’t human.”

That was the final straw. Galina knew she needed out. But she had nowhere to go.

Reaching out

Eventually, Galina called social services and asked for help. Thankfully, they referred her to one of our Family Support Centres.

Our Family Support Centres were developed in partnership with the local authorities in Ukraine. They’re designed to be a net for families at risk of falling through the cracks – protecting any children from being sent to an orphanage.

Twenty-four hours after arriving at our centre, we brought Galina, Ivan and Roman to stay in the Centre’s Mother and Baby Unit. This was the lifeline Galina had been praying for. Now, she had somewhere safe to stay with her children while she worked out what to do next.

Healing

As well as a comfortable room of their own and access to a shared kitchen, bathroom and living facilities, Galina and the boys received counselling to help them overcome the trauma they’d experienced and improve their relationships with one another.

“Now they hug and kiss me. We can talk together and discuss problems. We have started to learn English together”

Galina says she was scared when her husband discovered where she was and tried to see her. But staff at the Centre reassured her that she was safe and helped her find the courage to stick by her decision. Now, she says she feels much stronger. She has divorced her husband, and he must pay maintenance for the boys.

Looking to the future

Now, Galina works long hours in a factory that makes train wheels. She wishes she had more time to spend with her sons, but her job means she has been able to take a loan to buy a small flat. Staff at the Family Centre have helped to raise funds to pay for the property to be refurbished. With that added support, Galina was able to build a new beginning for her boys.

“I feel more positive now,” Galina says with a big smile, adding “I will be grateful all my life for the help I’ve been given. Here help is not just words. It’s real”.

Want to hear more incredible stories about the impact of your donations? Sign up to our Mailing List and receive more heartwarming and inspiring examples of children finding their way #BackToFamily.

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* Names changed to protect identities.

The post “Here, help is not just words. It’s real” – Galina’s story appeared first on Hope and Homes for Children.

Stoyan* will never forget the night Ivan*, his three-year-old son, was taken from him. 

“A policeman came to the door and entered my home without asking and just took him. No warning, no support”, he remembers. “It was terrible.” 

Ivan had cerebral palsy, and the authorities decided Stoyan, a single dad on low income, wasn’t fit to care for him. As a result, Ivan spent two years inside an orphanage. Lonely. Afraid. Until people like you brought him safely back to family. 

The pain of separation 

Overnight, Stoyan’s life changed forever. After his wife left, he’d worked night and day to care for their son. But now, everything was ripped away. 
 
“It was horrible”, Stoyan remembers. “I’m a labourer and I was working 12 to 15 hours a day because I couldn’t sleep. My friend told me, ‘If you carry on like this, you’ll kill yourself.’ I was waking up in the night and crying because Ivan wasn’t with me.” 

“I was waking up in the night and crying because Ivan wasn’t with me.” 

Sadly, Ivan was suffering too.

Inside the orphanage 

Ivan spent the next two years heavily medicated. Confined to a cot in a darkened room on the top floor of the orphanage, he’d wait for his dad to visit. 

“The institution would allow me to visit only once a week for 15 minutes, between 1030 and 1130 when Ivan was tired and hungry”, Stoyan remembers. And worse, every time he came, he saw his boy’s condition getting worse. 

“How was the care? Total zero care,” he recalls. “They tied him into a wheelchair. Before then, Ivan was beginning to stand and walk with support and he had started to speak. He could say mummy and daddy.” 

“They tied him to a wheelchair.” 

For two years, Stoyan fought a lonely battle against red-tape, prejudice and indifference. The odds were stacked against him.

“First, if I take my boy home, the institution loses income”, he explains. “Then, even when I went to court and won full custody of my son, the institution just ignored it.” 

Ivan was stuck.  

Family first 

Ivan’s experience is all too common. Around the world, 80% of the 5.4 million children in orphanages have living parents. And one in three children in orphanages have disabilities. 

One in three children in orphanages have disabilities. 

European Disability Forum

The one-size-fits-all model of institutional care doesn’t help children. It harms them. Above all, children need love, care and personal attention. Something even the “best” orphanages can’t provide. 

Stoyan knew he had to get his boy home. And thanks to your generosity, he found the help he needed. 

The fight begins for Stoyan

Since 2011, our team in Bulgaria has been working to close orphanages and bring children living inside back to family. Children like Ivan.

Elitsa Ivanova, one of our support workers, discovered Ivan’s case, and immediately started working to help Stoyan. 

“The local child protection department lied to him,” Elitsa remembers. “They kept setting him tasks and challenges but when he met them, each time the authorities let him down again. Because he is a man on his own, people could not see him as the parent for a child with a disability.” 

“Because he is a man on his own, people could not see him as the parent for a child with a disability. 

Elitsa knew that Stoyan was a loving father. She knew all he needed was some help. And thanks to your support, that’s what he finally received. Help. 

Helping Stoyan change the tide

Your donations helped Stoyan convince the authorities he was the best option for Ivan. They helped him find a better place to live, as well as all the essentials he needed to support Ivan and his disabilities.

With your help, and Elitsa’s team by his side, Stoyan brought Ivan back to family. 

“It was the happiest day of my life, when I took my boy back,” Stoyan remembers. “Now, we like to do everything together. He is very affectionate, he hugs and kisses me. He likes my stubbly chin so I don’t shave for him!”

Read more about how your donations help parents bring their children back to family.

Looking to the future

Today, Ivan’s doing much better. Stoyan says he has seen a rapid improvement since Ivan stopped taking the drugs that were prescribed by the institution. Now, he can stand and walk by himself, and is slowly learning to speak again. 

When we asked Stoyan about the challenges he faces, he told us simply, “There are no challenges now. I just love my boy and I am not interested in anything else.” 

“There are no challenges now. I just love my boy and I am not interested in anything else.” 

Thank you

Thanks to your continued support, our team was able to support more children like Ivan – standing up for their right to a loving, family home. Today, the orphanage has been shut down. And that’s all thanks to your help.

Want to hear more incredible stories about the impact of your donations? Sign up to our Mailing List and receive more heartwarming and inspiring examples of children finding their way back to family.

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The post “It was the happiest day of my life, when I took my boy back” – Ivan* and Stoyan’s* story appeared first on Hope and Homes for Children.

Russia’s war on Ukraine has created one of the largest humanitarian disasters Europe has seen since World War II. But through the chaos of war, we’re hearing stories of support, warmth and solidarity. Stories of people bringing strength back to family.

Your continued generosity has helped thousands of children throughout the war. Often, it’s been the lifeline that’s helped families on their road to recovery. Families like Olga’s.

Olga’s story

Olga, 41, lives in Fastiv, Kyiv Oblast. Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Olga has been doing everything she can to protect her four young children, including five-year-old Nikita*.

“The war has scared my children a lot. My eldest two know what a war is. They’ve felt it since 2014.”  

Olga, a mother and former police officer.

Like countless families across Ukraine, Olga’s has endured Russian aggression for nearly a decade. In 2016, tragedy struck when her two eldest daughters lost their dad to the fighting. Years later, Olga re-married and gave birth to two sons, Nikita and Natan*.

But then, in March 2022, everything changed when Russian aggression escalated into an all-out invasion. 

How Olga escaped the Russian invasion

When Russia invaded Olga’s hometown, the family was forced to flee. Overnight, Olga became a refugee.

“When the full-scale war started last year, to protect my children, I went to Poland with all four of them,” says Olga. “My younger children were very frightened by all the explosions and all the chaos that followed, and having to hide in air raid shelters just to save their lives.”

Her husband, Matvii*, stayed behind in Fastiv, volunteering psychological support for the Ukrainian military. Alone in a new country with four children, Olga bravely held her family together.

A refugee crisis

According to UNHCR, one in three people in Ukraine have been forced to flee their homes. 6.3 million became refugees, like Olga. And 14.6 million still need urgent humanitarian support.

Thankfully, because of the generosity of people like you, we’ve been there. On the ground. Day in, day out. Helping families in crisis.

Head to our Ukraine: Two Years On report to see how your donations have been helping children and families through the war.

The psychological impact of war

Sadly, the exposure to violence and war took its toll on all of Olga’s children. Over time, Olga noticed how much it was impacting Nikita.

“He was very scared, his psychological state was not okay,” remembers Olga. “When we returned to Ukraine, I could see his speech development was delayed. He couldn’t speak like other children.”

The trauma of war can permanently damage a child’s development, even their ability to speak. In Ukraine, this poses an even greater threat because authorities frequently place children needing specialist education in orphanages, even if they have living parents.

The Children’s Spot

To support children like Nikita, our team opened a Children’s Spot in Fastiv – a community centre on the grounds of Fastiv Hospital where parents can access free psychological support for their children.

Without this, our community would have a mental health crisis. Hundreds of children would face the risk of being placed in an orphanage.

Iryna Pustovii, Head of the Children’s Spot, Fastiv.

Learn more about the Children’s Spot and how your donations are helping children through the war.

Nikita’s road to recovery

Olga started taking Nikita to the Children’s Spot once a week, where he saw a psychologist and attended sensory therapy and speech therapy. Soon after, he’d improved drastically.

“As a result of our visits to the Children’s Spot, I noticed Nikita started to get better. He can even sleep well at night now. He’s not afraid of the air sirens and attacks.”

Olga, Nikita’s mother.

Thanks to his speech therapy sessions, Nikita was able to develop his communication skills. “He can completely understand me now, and can give me a meaningful answer,” says Olga. “He can tell me a story. This means I can better understand his behaviour and know how to react.” 

A brighter future for Ukrainian children

Thanks to the Children’s Spot, 383 other children like Nikita have received the support they needed to recover from their traumas. In this way, we’re helping to secure a brighter future for the youngest generation of Ukrainians.

“The Children’s Spot is so important because every child’s mental health has been impacted by the war,” explains Olga. “I want my child, my Niki, to go to school and have good knowledge. But my first and foremost dream is what all Ukrainians dream of. Our victory.”

Thank you

Inspired by Olga’s journey of resilience and hope? Be part of a movement that transforms lives and supports families in their toughest times.

By signing up for our mailing list, you’ll receive powerful stories, urgent updates, and exclusive opportunities to get involved. Together, we can create a world where no family has to face hardship alone.

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The post “Being a mum is difficult even when everything’s normal. It’s even more difficult during a war” – Olga’s* story appeared first on Hope and Homes for Children.

“There is no love there. Children have food, clothes and maybe even toys, but they lack affection and care.” 

These are the words of Kseniia, a nurse turned whistleblower. For five years, she saw children in an orphanage in Ukraine endure violence, abuse and neglect, before being evacuated to safety in the Russian invasion.

Two years on, Kseniia wants to get these children back to family, as 80% have parents who could care for them at home. And she wants the doors to her old orphanage to remain closed forever.

Because in times of war, there’s nothing more important than family. 

Will you help us bring separated children back to family? Donate today. 

Orphanages exposed 

Kseniia started working as a nurse in an orphanage ten years ago. The living conditions shocked her immediately. “The children were not treated well there,’ Kseniia remembers. “They were hit on their hands, legs and backside with rods.”

Understaffed and overcrowded, Kseniia’s orphanage often had just one carer to fifteen children. The results were often violent. 

“When they were shouting or crying too much, the children were put under cold water. Or, they would turn the kids upside down, hold them by their feet and shake them.” 

The orphanage was also known as a ‘baby home.’ All children living inside were aged between zero and four. 

Abuse inside orphanages

For the next five years, Kseniia tried to protect the children under her care. But whenever she spoke out, she was silenced.

“Some colleagues didn’t like how I treated the children kindly and softly,” she says. “They said I was spoiling them. As a result, I was treated cruelly, and surely the kids were too.” 

Several children had disabilities and needed specialist support. But without the proper equipment or enough resources, the staff would strap them down. 

“We’d get visits from children living in other orphanages,” Kseniia remembers. “They told us that older children were being sexually violent with smaller ones.”

“Seeing some members of staff abusing children, and knowing about the physical, sexual or psychological violence, I felt very bad because I knew I couldn’t prevent it. All I could do was leave my job.” 

A broken system

Sadly, Kseniia orphanage was just one of 700 state-run institutions operating in Ukraine before the war.

Over 100,000 children lived inside them, an estimated 90% of whom had living parents who could take care of them. Instead of supporting families to overcome poverty or other challenges, a broken system separates children from their parents. Parents like Olena*.

Olena’s children were taken away from her and placed in an orphanage in Ukraine for two years, all because she couldn’t afford child care. “They didn’t even ask me if I wanted to send my children to an orphanage,” she says. “I grew up in one myself. I know how hard it really is.”

Olena, 41, holding her youngest daughter, Zlata*, one.
Halyna Kravets / Hope and Homes for Children

Read more about why children end up in orphanages on our website.

The importance of family

Unable to change the system from within, since quitting Kseniia is committed to raising awareness of the harms of orphanages.

“As a mother, I can’t even imagine how it’d feel if my children were taken away and placed in an orphanage,” she says. “They’d be mistreated, and there’d be nothing I could do about it.” 

“In orphanages, children feel like they’re in a prison,” Kseniia continues. “They’re fed, taken care of and put to bed, but it’s all on a very strict schedule. There were people there who treat children well, who love them and come to work for the sake of children, but you also have those who think it’s only a job.”

Even the best orphanages can’t provide what children need more than anything. Individual love and care. 

“It doesn’t matter how many toys there are, how clean it is, or how well the children are fed. In an orphanage, they’ll still lack the support that exists in any family where children are loved.” 

How the war impacts children inside orphanages

“During the war, making sure children get into families and receive psychological protection is more important than ever,” Kseniia says. “These children were already suffering because they weren’t with their parents.”

“When the war started, most of the orphanages closed in one day,” explains Yana Polishko, one of our case workers in Ukraine. “Some children were evacuated abroad, or to safe spaces in Ukraine. And some were evacuated home to their families. Where possible, we want these children to stay home. From violence to abandonment, children should not be subjected to the horrible impacts of institutions.” 

“Institutions are full of defenceless children who are lonely and scared. In wartime, it’s not safe to have children in large groups at one place. It’s much better for children to be with parents who can always take care of them.” 

How can you help support children from orphanages? 

As of February 2024, our team in Ukraine has prevented the separation of 12,958 children from 6,474 families due to the war in Ukraine. But as countless families still endure violence, displacement, and the loss of loved ones, there’s still a need for urgent support to help keep families together.

“It’s very difficult for some families to manage,” explains Yana. “They lost their jobs, there’s problems with electricity, and the prices for food and utilities almost doubled. Some and children have had to flee war.” 

That’s why we’re providing war-torn families with urgent financial, humanitarian and psychological support – whatever they need to stay together in times of crisis.

Will you help us protect children from being separated from their families? Donate today. 

Your help is helping keep families together. Thank you. 

“I dream that children will grow up in families with love, understanding and good treatment and that those loving families will help children change it all, bounce back, and grow up healthily.” 

The post Exposed: Former orphanage employee reveals rampant abuse inside baby home in Ukraine appeared first on Hope and Homes for Children.

“The first time I went to the orphanage and left the children, I was crying so hard I almost couldn’t see the way back. I missed them every day.” 

Gabriela, 64, is the grandmother of Mihaela* and Iulian*. For nine years, they were locked away inside the largest orphanage in Romania. All because they had learning disabilities. 

Thanks to your donations, our team helped Gabriela bring Mihaela and Iulian back to family. Read on to find out how.

Will you help children with learning disabilities living in orphanages get back to family? Donate today. 

Sent to an orphanage in Romania

Gabriela lives with her husband in rural Iași County, northeast Romania. 

In 2012, she took in her four young grandchildren. Her daughter was struggling with addiction and could no longer support Mihaela, 11, Iulian, 8, or their two younger siblings, Valeria and Mihai. 

They’d been neglected, and were already years behind in school.

Gabriela loved her grandchildren more than anything. But soon after they moved in, she realised Mihaela and Iulian needed specialised support for their learning disabilities. But with no money and no suitable school nearby, Gabriela was worried. 

She reached out to social services, asking for help. But instead of supporting her to keep her grandchildren at home, they recommended Mihaela and Iulian be sent to an orphanage. 

Believing it was their only chance, Gabriela agreed. 

Why are children with disabilities placed in orphanages? 

Around the world, children with disabilities are much more likely to struggle to find inclusive education in their communities. For families living in poverty like Gabriela’s, accessing the right support can be near impossible. 

That puts children with disabilities at a much higher risk of being placed in orphanages.  

How do orphanages harm children with disabilities? 

Even the best orphanages can’t provide the one thing children need more than anything. Love. Shockingly, the majority of children in orphanages experience violence, abuse and neglect. And 80% have family they could be living with.

For children with like Mihaela and Iulian, it’s even tougher. Research has shown that young people with disabilities are at an ever greater risk of abuse. Girls are more likely to experience physical and sexual violence.

No matter what, every child deserves a place in their community. And no child should ever have to choose between education and their family. 

The pain of separation 

For the next nine years, Gabriela visited Mihaela and Iulian in the orphanage whenever she could.  

“I missed them every day,” she remembers tearfully. “I couldn’t see them around the table, eating, learning and playing with their siblings, Valeria and Mihai. But I wanted them to learn how to write and how to count money, so that they can do something when I’m no longer around.” 

Gabriela tried to bring Mihaela and Iulian home to their siblings, but with only two rooms, social services wouldn’t allow it. Her state allowances barely covered day-to-day living, let alone two more children. They spent everything they had. Her son even started working abroad to send money home, but it still wasn’t enough. 

Then, Gabriela heard the worst news yet. Unless she found some money fast, Valeria and Mihai would be taken away as well. 

How we support families like Gabriela’s 

Since 1998, our team in Romania has been working with the Romanian government to shut down orphanages and bring children back to family. Families like Gabriela’s. 

Radu Tohatan, our Social Work Manager, met Gabriela and listened to her situation. Our team worked with the local authorities to help Gabriela get back on her feet – anything she needed to bring Mihaela and Iulian home. 

Thanks to your donations, Gabriela was able to build a whole new extension of her house. That was the first step in Mihaela and Iulian’s journey home. 

Next, we connected the family to a nearby vocational school, so Mihaela and Iulian could continue their specialised studies. 

Then, we ensured Gabriela was financially strong. We offered her counselling and tailor-made support – the kind of support she needed nine years ago when she was separated from her grandchildren.  

Thanks to our team, everything changed. Gabriela, a strong grandmother of four, was reunited with Mihaela and Iulian. At last, they were back to family. 

Thank you

Today, Gabriela’s family is doing great. Mihaela and Iulian are living with their siblings and their grandparents and feeling much better. No longer shut away. Finally safe. 

 “Whatever I can provide, I provide,” Gabriela says. “I cook for them; I wash for them. The best thing is that now they’re back home with me. I love them very much, with all my heart.” And then she adds, with a smile, “though I wish they’d listen to me from time to time!” 

Gabriela’s family is just one of thousands we’ve supported since starting our work in Romania. Now, we’re on the cusp of closing every last orphanage in Romania.

Will you support our life-changing work in Romania? Donate today and help bring children out of an orphanage and back to family.

The post How Gabriela rescued her grandkids from an orphanage – “I missed them everyday” appeared first on Hope and Homes for Children.

April 7th marks the 30th Commemoration of the Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda. On this day, we’re honouring the efforts of the Rwandan people in rebuilding their lives, communities, and nation.

We’ve worked in Rwanda since 2002. Now, there are only nine orphanages still in operation. Most children living inside them have disabilities, like Uwase. Our work is proving that it’s not only possible, but better for these children to be brought back to family.

Will you help our team bring children in orphanages in Rwanda back to family? Donate today.

Uwase’s story 

Uwase, pictured above, was abandoned as a baby. She was born with a disability in her leg, and then left in the streets of Rwanda’s capital, Kigali, at ten months old. 

The authorities couldn’t find her parents, so they took her to an orphanage. She lived there for three long years. 

Why children with disabilities end up inside orphanages

Around the world, families struggling with poverty, disability and discrimination sometimes make the desperate decision to abandon their children, believing they’ll be better cared for in an orphanage.  

Unfortunately, this isn’t the case. Instead of helping children, orphanages put them in harm’s way.

During her time in the institution, Uwase was miserable. The staff didn’t help her with her disability, let alone teach her to walk. Unable to move around, she couldn’t interact or join in any games. Instead, she was left alone and ignored. Just existing. Day in, day out. 

How we can bring children back to family

Like Uwase, most children still in Rwandan orphanages have disabilities.

“There are many misconceptions surrounding disabilities, like that children with disabilities are in some way burdens on their families,” explains Richard Munyaneza, Advocacy, Communication and Safeguarding Coordinator of Hope and Homes for Children Rwanda. “These false beliefs have permeated policy and decision-making processes.”

As a result, there’s a lack of support for parents of children with disabilities in Rwanda. All too often, they’re told their children will be better off in orphanages. But there’s always a better way.

Alongside the Rwandan Government, we’re standing up for the rights of every child to grow up in a safe and loving community. And we’re supporting families to bring their children home from orphanages, as at least 80% have living parents. And, for children who don’t, we’re recruiting loving adoptive parents. Just like we did for Uwase. 

Finding family for Uwase 

Unfortunately, no one could trace Uwase’s birth parents, so we started searching for a new family. 

Gatete* and Uwimana*, a local couple with children of their own, heard about our work and quickly reached out. 

As Uwimana explains:  

“When I see my children growing up together with me and their father, with someone to call mum and dad, and compare that to seeing a child in an orphanage being cared for by different paid staff without a mother or father, it’s very sad. That’s why I made the decision to invite Uwase to join our family. So she can have someone to call her mum and dad.” 

Creating a new family 

 After Uwase turned three, our team provided Gatete and Uwimana with specialist training to become adoptive parents. 

“The training from Hope and Homes for Children really helped me to care for Uwase,” Uwimana says. “Even though I was already a parent, it helped me a lot. I was advised to love Uwase even more than I love my own children, to protect her from anything that might traumatise her any further.” 

Before long, we were taking Uwase to her new home. At last, she was out of the orphanage and back to family. 

Happy and loved

“Since living with us, Uwase is much happier,” Uwimana says. “She plays with other children and spends time outside. That means she’s much more aware of what’s happening in the community. She learns and gains so much more than other children shut away inside orphanages.” 

Our team continued to support the family and ensure they had everything they needed. We provided money to cover  Uwase’s medical treatment and physiotherapy each month, for a year and a half. We also gave them counselling sessions and referred them to local leaders and health services for additional support. 

And most importantly, thanks to life in her family, Uwase finally learned to walk. 

“If she’d stayed in the institution, maybe she never would’ve learned to walk,” says Uwimana. “She was always alone in the dormitory, with noone to take care of her. But now things are different. It’s such a joy to see Uwase so happy and loved in my family.” 

Closing the remaining orphanages in Rwanda

Uwase’s orphanage once had 26 children living inside. 

Of those 26 children, we reunited four children with their families, found foster families for thirteen of them, and supported nine young adults to adjust to living independently. The orphanage is now closed. 

Now, Rwanda is on the cusp of being orphanage-free by 2026. As of March 2024, there are only nine orphanages still operating. Our team is working with the local government to close them and bring every child in Rwanda back to family. 

Will you help us get every child living in orphanages in Rwanda back to family? Donate today.

* Names changed to protect identity.

The post Uwase’s story, from orphanage to adoptive family – “Someone to call mum and dad” appeared first on Hope and Homes for Children.

“We lived together. I was pregnant with his child. And then the next moment, he was gone. Just dead.”  

In 2022, Tina’s* home near Borodianka, Kyiv, was violently occupied in the early days of the Russian war on Ukraine. Her entire family hid while bombs destroyed their village.

“I saw my husband cry for the first time in my life,” remembers Lilia*, Tina’s mum. “We were afraid that at any moment, one of us could be killed.” 

Two years on, Tina’s story of loss and recovery sheds light on the devastating impacts of war, the power of support, and the essential work our Ukraine team is doing to support families on the frontline.  

Will you help us support children and families living through war in Ukraine? Donate today.

Loss of loved ones 

Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion, countless Ukrainian families have been torn apart.

Young people are facing violence, displacement, and in Tina’s case, the tragic loss of loved ones. 

 “They entered our village on March 5^th,” Tina remembers. “The Russians went around our village stealing things, killing people. My fiancé, Serhii*, went outside and there was a Russian ambush. He was killed.”  

“We lived together. I was pregnant with his child. And then the next moment, he was gone. Just dead.” 

As a result, Tina’s family hid inside for two weeks before evacuating to a nearby village.

Tina had lost her home, her partner, and her hope for the future. She was deeply traumatised.

Five weeks in hiding 

Since the war began, an estimated one in three people in Ukraine have been forced to flee their homes.

Even today, children continue to endure nightly air raids and bombings. Lilia, Tina’s mum, remembers trying to shield her children from the violence outside. 

“Each night was torture,” she says. “When aeroplanes fly overhead and your child presses your hand and asks if there’ll be an explosion, it’s very scary. Our children know more about war than adults.” 

Following this, the whole family spent five weeks in hiding before it was safe enough to go home. When they did, they discovered it’d been looted by soldiers. Food, supplies, livestock, everything gone.  

A family of six, who’d lost everything, on the frontline. 

A lifeline from the Mobile Team during the Ukraine war

For the last two years, our team in Ukraine has been working to support children and families living through the war. Families like Tina’s.

After the Russian troops left Borodianka, we sent in one of our Mobile Teams – emergency support units that provide humanitarian and psychological support. 

“We respond directly to what’s needed for each individual family,” says Liudmyla Boiko, leader of the Mobile Team in Borodianka. “Without our support, the families we work with could lose their core and fall apart.” And when families fall apart, children are at risk of institutionalisation.

Tina’s family received everything they needed to get by – including food, blankets, clothing and pregnancy supplies for Tina. “We were so grateful,” says Lilia. The Mobile Team was a lifeline in their toughest hour.  

Psychological support during war in Ukraine

Next, after providing all the essentials, our Mobile Teams set up safe spaces for psychological support. Often the only people providing this service, our therapists work with children and families to help them overcome the traumas of war. 

In Borodianka, Tina, Lilia and the whole family received free counselling and therapy.

Thanks to our team, Tina was able to slowly reclaim her strength – dealing with the trauma of losing her fiancé. A few months later, Tina gave birth to her son, baby Serhii. Named after his dad. 

“After all I’d been through, giving birth to my baby was the happiest moment of my life. He’s my hope, my future. Without the Mobile Team, this would have been so much harder.” 

Looking ahead 

Now, Serhii’s healthy and growing fast and thanks to our Mobile Team, Tina’s doing much better. She has everything she needs to raise her baby boy, and we’re sticking by her side to make sure she feels safe and supported on the road ahead. 

“Our work makes children, families and communities stronger,” says Liudmyla. “Together, this helps keep families together and prevents children from being institutionalised.” 

“The help from the Mobile Team was so important to me, and to my family,” explains Lilia. “Psychological support means a lot to people. It helps you find the strength to go on, to somehow continue living because you need to support your kids. This service is absolutely essential for people in Ukraine. 

Tina’s is just one of thousands of families supported by our Mobile Teams since the war in Ukraine began, helping them stay together in times of crisis.

Thank you to all of you who’ve already donated and helped make the work of our Mobile Teams possible. If you’d like to help our team continue reaching more families with urgent practical and emotional support, please give whatever you can. Thank you.

Donate today and help bring hope back to family.  

The post Trauma, grief and recovery: bringing hope to war-torn families in Ukraine  appeared first on Hope and Homes for Children.

“If one of us made a mistake, all of us would get beaten – with pipes, sticks and bamboo strips. In my heart, all I felt was fear.” 

These are the words of Moti, a young man who spent the majority of his childhood confined inside an orphanage. “They took me at such a young age,” Moti, now 20, says, sitting outside his family home in Nepal. “I stayed there for 12 years. I didn’t even know I had a family.” 

Moti’s dad died young, leaving his mum, Kumari*, scrambling to raise her six children alone. Grieving her husband and unable to pay for Moti’s school fees, a local priest advised her to send him to an orphanage. Believing it was her only chance to get an education for her youngest child, Kumari agreed. Moti was only four.

“I felt bad living there,” Moti explains. “The orphanage was meant to educate, but that’s not what it did. I suffered.” Instead of receiving the care his mum was promised, Moti was exposed to violence, abuse and neglect for twelve long years. Now, he’s sharing his story to shed light on the realities of orphanages, and the importance of family for every child around the world.

Behind closed doors 

“We were beaten all the time,” Moti remembers. “They didn’t feed us well either. We still felt hungry after every meal.” Moti grew up alongside 300 other children. He received little care, love, or freedom. Even sleeping was controlled. 

“I slept in a dorm with 30 other children,” he explains. “Three rows of ten, like sardines, forced to sleep completely straight. The slightest movement and we were beaten. Was that them trying to educate us? We couldn’t even sleep how we wanted to.” 

Right now, over 10,000 children are growing up in orphanages in Nepal. Like Moti, 85% of them have living families, but were sent to an orphanage under the promise of receiving an education. In many cases, that promise was a lie. 

“We had to wake up at 4 a.m. for prayers and chores, every day. The orphanage was Christian, so Hindu children were forced to convert,” he remembers. 

“We never got to go outside. We felt like the world was only as big as the orphanage.”  

Moti’s mum, Kumari, just wanted the best for her son. What she didn’t know was that orphanages don’t help children. They harm them. Behind closed doors, children like Moti suffer.

Reuniting Moti with his family 

In 2018, our local partners The Himalayan Innovative Society (THIS) and Forget Me Not (FMN) started working inside Moti’s orphanage.  

In partnership with the Nepali government, they began the long process of closing the orphanage by reuniting the children inside with their families. Sajit Sapkota, a Reintegration Officer with THIS, began by tracing Moti’s family, counselling his mum, Kumari, and ensuring she had everything she needed to bring Moti home. Once she was ready, Sajit began preparing Moti. 

“There was talk of everyone in the orphanage finally being allowed to go home,” Moti remembers. “They asked me if I wanted to leave. Delighted, I said yes.” 

With help from Sajit, Moti was soon ready. After twelve long years, he left the orphanage and went home to his mum. 

The world outside the orphanage 

Four years later, Moti has settled in to life back at home. But after twelve years effectively confined to a prison, adjusting to life outside the orphanage was still very challenging for him, which is why our team’s ongoing support is so crucial.

“When I left the orphanage for the first time, I felt very strange. I couldn’t make sense of where I was or the world around me. So, I kept silent. Sometimes, I thought about dropping out of school.” 

But Sajit stuck by Moti’s side every step of the way. He visited regularly, offering counselling and financial support to pay for school fees, books and one-to-one tuition to help him finish school and pass his final exams.

“Sajit encouraged me to study and move ahead in life,” says Moti. “He goes to the shops with me, gets the tailor to take my measurements, and gets me school supplies to last the year. He’s helped me in ways a family usually supports a person.”  

“Gradually, after a year passed, I started talking to my family, friends and teachers and got along well with them. Now, if I see a new person, I want to talk to them and be their friend. And if any of my friends are struggling, I help them.” 

Now, Moti’s dream is to finish school, learn to drive, and move abroad. He’s settling in, adapting to life at home, and learning to love his new-found freedom. 
 

“To me, family means to live together, to love each other, to share our sorrows, and to belong,” he says.

“Because we got beaten a lot in the orphanage, I had a lot of fear. Thanks to the love I’ve received from everyone here at home, my fear has gradually gone away.” 

“Here, with my own bed, I am free. I can move and sleep on my own free will. And nobody can say anything about it.” 

Moti is just one of hundreds of children in Nepal who we’ve helped reunite with their families. But there are still 10,000 more. We urgently need your help bringing them home. To prevent other children from suffering the agonising hardship Moti endured for twelve years, please donate what you can today, and help keep children #SafeFromHarm and free from fear.  Thank you.

The post From fear to freedom: 12 years confined in an orphanage in Nepal appeared first on Hope and Homes for Children.