Orphanages not best refuge for children

Fredrick Mutinda - The Standard

In this opinion piece for the Standard, Fredrick Mutinda of Changing the Way We Care describes the negative impacts that institutionalization has on children and the efforts to reform the care system in Kenya. "Many governments, including Kenya, are making important strides in reforming national child protection and care systems," says Mutinda. "In 2017, Kenya passed a moratorium on the registration of any new orphanages. With the support of multiple partners, the government has set new policy directions for reducing reliance on orphanages, reunifying children with their families, training more social workers, and expanding services to strengthen families and prevent more children from going into residential care or orphanages in the first place."