500 000 Russian children live in orphanages and other institutions. Similar situations abound in all former Soviet states and these numbers are increasing. Most of these children have parents but have been institutionalized after suffering abuse at home. Many parents are alcoholics, criminals or just too poor or sick to provide for their own children.

Children raised in institutions are ill-prepared for an independent life when they leave at age 16-18. Having no experience of a family life, these children are often unable to perform every day tasks such as shopping or cooking. They have no support network and often no steady job or place to live.

Statistics from Unicef show a frightening picture for these children: one third become homeless, one fifth become criminals and one tenth commit suicide.

What does Childhood do for children in institutions?
A key issue for Childhood is to stress the problems with large orphanages and institutions. Children often leave institutions socially or emotionally handicapped without the requisite knowledge of how to care for themselves, or without basic lifeskills. In China, Russia, Latvia, and Lithuania, Childhood supports projects that aim to give institutionalized children a good childhood and a safe future. In China, Childhood continues implementation of Half the Sky’s model across all provinces in the country. The effort receives support from Childhood in collaboration with the Chinese government, changing the future for a vast number of children.