Global Childcare Experts Meet in Rwanda to Rethink Orphanages

Child protection specialists from over 30 countries have gathered in Rwanda this week. Their goal is to reform how the world cares for children who cannot live with their parents. The three-day workshop in Kigali, which began December 17, was organized by SOS Children’s Villages. Experts from Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America are attending. The meeting focuses on moving away from traditional orphanage-based care. Instead, the group is discussing family-like care and supporting vulnerable families to stay together. This approach is seen as better for a child’s development. Rwanda was chosen as the host due to its own recent reforms in childcare. The country has worked to place children from institutions into family-based care. The global experts are sharing strategies to accelerate this shift worldwide. They aim to create systems where every child can grow up in a caring, stable family environment.