Research Reveals Children Fare Better in Orphanages
A new study by Duke University of approximately 3,000 orphans ages 6-12 in Africa and Asia suggests that institutional care for orphans produces no less happy and healthy children, and outcomes are in fact “generally better” for orphans and abandoned children raised in orphanages than with kin or in foster care. It is one of the most comprehensive studies of orphans ever conducted, and looks at the health, behavior, physical growth, intellectual functioning, and emotional state of orphans – 1,357 of whom grew up in small and large orphanages, and 1,480 in kinship and foster care programs.
“We are seeing children thriving in institutions…What people don’t understand is that, in many cases, the institutions are the community’s response to caring for orphaned and abandoned children,” says study leader Kathryn Whetten, director of the Center for Health Policy at the Duke Global Health Institute.
“These communities love kids and as parents die, children are left behind. So, the individuals who love children most and want to care for them build a building and that becomes an institution. These institutions do not look or feel like the images that many in this country have of eastern bloc orphanages, they are mostly places where kids are being loved and cared for and have stable environments.”
“This is not the time to be creating policies that shut down good options for kids. We need to have as many options as possible,” says Whetten. “Our research just says ‘slow down and let’s look at the facts.’ It’s assumed that the quality of care-giving is a function of being institutionalized, but you can change the care-giving without changing the physical building.”
“Let’s get beyond labeling an institution as good or bad,” she says. “What is the quality of care inside that building, and how can we help the community identify cost-feasible solutions that can be delivered in small group homes, large group homes, and family homes?”
The New York Times reviewed the Duke study: “One [orphanage] in Battambang, Cambodia had 252 children living in 27 traditional Khmer homes inside a ‘large, airy, well-maintained gated compound’ with gardens, a basketball court, a playground, and plenty of open space. The people caring for the children had been orphans themselves or were widows, and the orphanage tried to make sure each child had at least one ‘parent and sibling.’”
The Duke study also prompted a Wall Street Journal editorial by orphanage alumnus Dr. Richard McKenzie, who attests to the positive impact the experience had on his and other alumni’s lives. CORE encourages you to also join the conversation by following the link below to comment on his editorial and share your thoughts about giving destitute children the chance to grow up in a larger (compared to a traditional family) residential, education-focused setting!
- “A Comparison of the Wellbeing of Orphans and Abandoned Children Ages 6–12 in Institutional and Community-Based Care Settings in 5 Less Wealthy Nations” – Duke University 12/18/09
- “The Best Thing About Orphanages” – Richard McKenzie in The Wall Street Journal 1/14/10
- “Study Suggests Orphanages Are Not So Bad” – New York Times 12/17/09