The Sad Truth about Orphanages

Last semester in my International Development class, we had a great guest speaker come and talk to us about the importance of family. She explained it from the perspective of orphanages and adoption. I have to admit, I've always been that person who would love to go to another country and just play with kids in orphanages, really, who wouldn't?
The problem with orphanages in many developing countries is that these "orphans" have families.They are in orphanages because their parents can't support them, and they think their children will have a better life if they are put into an orphanage. The sad thing is that they most likely won't. By taking children away from families, you are taking away their emotional growth and community social skills. Every time a new volunteer comes to an orphanage a child goes through a rotation of attachment and abandonment.
Don't get me a wrong, I still think orphanages do great things- especially for those children who really don't have families. What I'm saying is that these "orphans" who have families would be much better off if their family could support them and bring them home.

This is one of our goals. I had a meeting with that same guest speaker yesterday, and she really helped us get on the right track.
We want to bring those families back together so they can live and grow together.