Hope and Homes for Children is a charity whose mission is to be the catalyst for the global elimination of institutional care for children, fighting for every child to feel the love and belonging of a safe family home. Working with teams and partners in ten countries, the charity works to eliminate orphanages by preventing the separation of children from their families in the first place, reuniting them where this is possible, and by developing alternative forms of family and community-based care arrangements when it isn't.
Hope and Homes for Children believes that orphanages cause harm to children. Institutional care can cause severe psychological and emotional damage to children, as well as higher levels of abuse, neglect and mortality. The shocking truth is that these are almost always children who have, or could have, a family to look after them. To love them. But today, over 5.4m children are trapped within institutions. It’s not right and it must stop.
Since 1994, Hope and Homes for Children has been inspiring organisations, including the UN, EU and governments around the world, to close the doors of orphanages forever. In Rwanda it has just twelve orphanages left to close and in Bulgaria just four. It has led the reduction of children confined in the orphanage system in Romania from over 100,000 to less than 4,000. It is making similar progress in Moldova, while helping to negotiate national commitments to reform in South Africa, Nepal, Ukraine, Kenya, and India.
Hope and Homes for Children believes it can achieve its mission in its lifetime by working through partnerships and leveraging funds through governments, NGOs and other international bodies involved in global childcare reform. The charity's range of transformative partnerships includes the multinational law firm Allen & Overy, British luxury jewellery brand Boodles, and YouTube. It has delivered two highly successful UK Aid Match campaigns, the most recent of which, End The Silence in partnership with YouTube, gained support from Ed Sheeran, Sir Paul McCartney and Sir Elton John, generated over 100 pieces of media coverage, raised £5.6m and went on to win an Institute of Fundraising Award. The organisation has just launched its new strategy and refreshed its brand and website.
Hope and Homes for Children is deeply concerned for the 100,000 children warehoused in Ukraine’s orphanage system. Please click here to know more about how the charity is working with partners to support the emergency relief effort.