File:Berlin_Pankow_orphanage.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
orphanage
Sign in to saveAlso known as orphan house, orphanages
thumb|Former Jewish orphanage in Berlin-Pankow thumb|Sofianlehto Orphanage from 1930 in Helsinki, Finland
An orphanage is an institution that provides care and housing for children who have lost their parents or cannot be cared for by their families. Orphanages have existed for many decades across different countries and have historically served an important role in providing shelter, food, and basic care for vulnerable children.
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Article
89 sectionsContents
- History
- Foundling Hospitals
- Historical Development in the 18th and 19th century
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Deinstitutionalization
- Comparison to alternatives
- Foster care
- Group homes
- Kinship care
- Commercial orphanages
- Worldwide
- Europe
- Albania
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Bulgaria
- Estonia
- Hungary
- Lithuania
- Poland
- Moldova
- Romania
- Serbia
- Slovakia
- Sweden
- United Kingdom
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Ethiopia
- Ghana
- Kenya
- Malawi
- Rwanda
- Tanzania
- Nigeria
- South Africa
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
- Togo
- Sierra Leone
- Senegal
- South Asia
- Nepal
- Afghanistan
- Bangladesh
- Maldives
- India
- Pakistan
- East and Southeast Asia
- Taiwan
- Thailand
- Vietnam
- South Korea
- Japan
- Cambodia
- China
- Laos
- Middle East and North Africa
- Egypt
- Sudan
- South Sudan
- Bahrain
- Iraq
- Israel
- Former Soviet Union
- Russia
- Azerbaijan
- Belarus
- Kyrgyzstan
- Tajikistan
- Ukraine
- Oceania
- Australia
- Indonesia
- Fiji
- North America and Caribbean
- Haiti
- Jamaica
- Mexico
- United States
- Central and South America
- Guatemala
- Peru
- Significant charities that help orphans
- In popular culture
- See also
- References
- Works cited
- Further reading
- External links
thumb|Former Jewish orphanage in Berlin-Pankow thumb|Sofianlehto Orphanage from 1930 in Helsinki, Finland
An orphanage is a residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared for by their biological families. The parents may be deceased, absent, or abusive. There may be substance abuse or mental illness in the biological home, or the parent may simply be unwilling to care for the child. The legal responsibility for the support of abandoned children differs between, and within, countries. Government-run orphanages have been phased out in most developed countries during the latter half of the 20th century but continue to operate in many other regions internationally. It is now generally accepted that orphanages are detrimental to the emotional wellbeing of children, and government support goes instead towards supporting the family unit.