Orphans into loving families in Vietnam

Dear Friend,

We’re so grateful for your support of our work to bring vulnerable children out of institutions and into safe, loving families. Thanks to you, we’ve been able to build the key relationships we need to break ground in Hue, a key city in Vietnam.

Much of our energy has gone into building the right foundations for long-term success. This past quarter, we’ve been working closely with government officials in Hue, a region where a high percentage of children in institutions live with disabilities. We are encouraged by the strong level of government interest in partnering with us to pilot family-based care.

This government buy-in is key in Hue, as we need strong support to begin to reshape Vietnam’s alternative care system away from institutional care. Decades of research show that institutions, no matter how well-run, cannot provide the stable, loving relationships children need for healthy development. Children raised in these settings often face delays in emotional, social, and cognitive development, and they are more likely to struggle with attachment and independence later in life.

Hue has been chosen as the focus of our pilot because it has one of the highest proportions of children with disabilities living in institutions in Vietnam. These children are among the most vulnerable and at risk of being overlooked by society. By piloting family-based care here, we can demonstrate that with the right training and support, local families can provide the nurturing environment every child needs to thrive.

“This collaboration is rooted in transparency and trust, where we openly address challenges and work together to find solutions at every phase of the project.”

Chau Nguyen, Vietnam Project Manager

Our team has been drawing on over two decades of experience across Cambodia, Thailand, and China, where more than a million children have already grown up in families instead of institutions. The lessons from these countries are directly informing how we shape our work in Vietnam, especially when it comes to more complicated placement cases like children with disabilities.

In the coming months, we hope to:

• Finalise our partnership agreement with the Vietnamese government for the next stage of this project.
• Finish converting training materials to the local context.
• Begin training staff and local families for the first family placements in Hue.

Every step we take brings us closer to ensuring that vulnerable children in Vietnam can grow up in the safety and love of a family. Thank you for walking with us on this journey.

At Care for Children, we believe every child deserves the love, stability, and support of a family. Decades of research, alongside our own experience across Asia, clearly show that children are happier, healthier, and can develop to their fullest potential when they grow up in families rather than in institutional care.

Institutional care, even when well-meaning, often leaves children vulnerable to emotional, developmental, and psychological harm. Studies consistently demonstrate that children raised in institutions face developmental delays, attachment difficulties, and challenges in forming healthy relationships later in life. In contrast, family-based care offers children the vital foundations of stability, emotional security, and a sense of belonging - all essential for them to thrive.

The Hue Pilot Project: Focusing on Disabled Children

Our work in Hue, Vietnam, represents one of our most important pilot projects to date. Hue was chosen deliberately because of its particularly high percentage of children with disabilities living in institutions. These children are among the most vulnerable and are often the least likely to be placed into families without targeted, dedicated efforts.

Children with disabilities benefit massively from the nurturing environment a family provides. Within a family, a disabled child receives individualised attention, tailored emotional support, and opportunities to engage meaningfully with their community - advantages that are difficult, if not impossible, to replicate in an institutional setting. Foster carers, trained through Care for Children's specialised programmes, learn to meet these children’s specific physical, emotional, and developmental needs, helping them build confidence and independence.

The Impact of Family-Based Care

In family placements, children:

• Achieve better physical and intellectual development outcomes.

• Form stronger attachments, vital for long-term emotional health.

• Develop the social skills needed to succeed in adulthood.

• Experience significant improvements in self-esteem and identity formation.

• Are better prepared for future education, employment, and relationships.

Family-based care is not only better for children - it is more sustainable for governments too. Once a robust family placement system is in place, it reduces financial strain on public systems while delivering far better life outcomes for children.

Looking Ahead

Our Hue project is laying the foundation for a larger systemic change across Vietnam. By piloting best practices with a focus on children with disabilities, we are creating a replicable model for other regions. The relationships we are building with local authorities, communities, and families will be critical in creating a sustainable, nationwide shift toward family-based care.

Care for Children is committed to seeing every child, regardless of ability, grow up in a loving home. Thank you for your continued support in seeing this project come to fruition. Together, we are working towards seeing a world of children in families.