Orphans into loving families in Vietnam

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.