This article argues that visiting orphanages in Kenya during holidays or as part of voluntourism, while seemingly charitable, can actually harm children by perpetuating a system that values short‑term attention over stable, family‑based care and sustaining institutionalisation driven by poverty rather than genuine need. It notes that up to 80 % of children in orphanages have living relatives who could care for them with adequate support, and highlights research showing that orphanage environments and revolving visitors disrupt children’s ability to form secure attachments and can negatively affect their physical, emotional, and cognitive development, underscoring the importance of strengthening families and community support instead of promoting orphanage stays.