Poverty

While Myanmar's economy has improved in recent years, around one third of families have been left well below the poverty line. With little support, or knowledge of how harmful institutional care can be, families often see no other option but to send their children away in the hope that they will be better-provided for.

Poor Education and a lack of schools

Many families from remote ethnic minority communities believe that by sending their children to children’s homes in the cities, they will be able to access better education. However, the opposite is true, with many children either dropping out from school early, or failing to gain the necessary grades in order to access higher education.

Family Breakdown

Children are often sent away to live in children’s homes following family breakdown. The death of a parent, divorce and separation means that children are unlikely to remain in parental care or even that of a close relative because of numerous factors. Subsequent remarriages often result in existing children being rejected by the new partner.

Emotional Harm

Numerous studies have shown that growing up in a children’s home, even that of a higher standard, can be detrimental to a child’s health and development. Institutionalised children often show physiological dysfunctions such as bonding abnormalities and hyperactivity. These problems reach beyond childhood into adulthood and effect their future relational and family lives.

Loss of Language and Culture

Myanmar is very diverse country with over 100 distinct ethnic groups. When they are sent to large cities like Yangon, children lose their sense of cultural identity by being unable to comunicate in their native dialects. This severely limits their ability to return to their home communities in the future.

Lack of Life Skills

When they are old enough to leave care, many institutionalised children lack the skills needed for everyday life that they would normally have been taught by their families, and as a consequence, many struggle to assimilate normally into society.

Physical Harm

Unfortunately, there are also many cases where children are kept in poor conditions where their basic needs are not met, and where they are often subject to neglect, abuse and exploitation.

HARM TO A CHILD’S DEVELOPMENT

Volunteers who are involved in a child’s life for a short time period can cause attachment anxiety and emotional disorders in children when they leave. The constant flow of volunteers in an orphanage can cause serious trauma to a child’s emotional and mental well-being.

EXPOSURE TO ABUSE

Orphanage volunteerism normalises access to exposed and vulnerable children. In developed countries, prospective visitors have to undergo criminal records checks in order to work with children, and have the relevant experience. Orphanages often allow anyone to spend time with the children, putting children at risk of all kinds of abuse.

Corruption

While some orphanages try their best to meet the physical needs of children in their care, it is also common in Myanmar to find orphanage directors exploiting children’s situations in order to make money. Faith-based orphanages are no different. Status among local Christian pastors is strongly linked to achieving the trifecta of running a church, Bible school and orphanage. Many pastors recruit children from families in impoverished ethnic minority communities into their orphanages for the sole purpose of soliciting overseas donations. Others believe that placing children in their orphanages guarantees the best outcomes for their education, future livelihood, spirituality and character, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.