CHILD experts feel that reintegrating children with their biological families or placing them with adoptive parents is a better option than leaving them in orphanages.
Children raised in a family will have love, care and security. They will develop physically, emotionally and intellectually in a family surrounded with love.
Children raised in a home or an orphanage may feel detached, isolated or abandoned by the community.
Research shows that children left in institutional care are deprived of love and are more likely to face social, emotional or psychological problems.
Though the idea of reintegrating children with families is good, there are some obstacles that need to be ironed out.
Firstly, families who want to adopt children would usually prefer to adopt babies and are unwilling to adopt children aged 2 to 16 or children with manageable physical disabilities.
Who is going to look after these children aged 2 to 16?
According to government statistics, about 13,700 children live in institutions and orphanages, and most are aged 3 and above.
If families adopt older children, there is fear of ill treatment or abuse. Adoptive parents need to be vetted before the adoption process, and this takes time and resources.
Reintegrating children with their biological families is not a viable option because these families may be poverty stricken and not able to look after the children.
Their children were sent to the homes because the families could not provide them with adequate food, accommodation and education.
At least in orphanages the children have basic amenities and some may get schooling.
The Budi Mas Orphanage in Seremban is an exemplary institution that houses poor children and provides them with food, accommodation and an education.
Some 20 to 30 Indian and Chinese children from the home, aged 7 to 16, are ferried in a van every Sunday to the St. Mark’s Church to attend Sunday School.
The home’s owner has instructed that the children learn English language at the Sunday School.
The children are well groomed and even refuse to eat food provided at the Sunday School because they are well fed in the home.
During Deepavali celebrations, the children were lavished with gifts and were sent home to celebrate with their parents.
The children in the home are feted with lots of activities and outings.
Good homes, like Budi Mas, are a godsend for children from single parents and poor families, who cannot look after the kids’ welfare.
It is without a doubt that a family for every orphan is an ideal option, but, sadly, with few takers from families, homes are a blessing in disguise for poor, homeless children.
SAMUEL YESUIAHSeremban, Negri Sembilan.