There are over 600,000 children living on the streets in Bangladesh. Around 75% of them are in Dhaka. COVID 19 has left them with very few choices. Some children have returned home to avoid the virus, whilst some don’t have a home to return to. Even at home, the children aren’t completely safe, as some still have to wander around the streets, gathering supplies to help their family make enough money to survive. This is why orphanages are needed. They shelter children from exploitation by gangs, violence, and abuse. The older children can help the younger children learn, and everyone can help keep up each other’s morale. Some people do not believe in orphanages. They believe children belong in a safe loving home. But what is that is not an option? Some children do not live in a safe home, they do not have parents that want them or can afford them or keep them safe. Street children don’t have a proper childhood. At home, they were working or looking after siblings, and out on the streets they have to fight for their survival, but in an orphanage, children can be children. They can have a proper childhood where they don’t have too many responsibilities or pressure. They can play and have fun and be around other children just like them. They are protected. This is why we need orphanages.
In the UK, we are privileged enough to have replaced orphanages with foster homes. Unfortunately, in developing countries such as Bangladesh, isn’t it better to be alive, with food and shelter in an orphanage than risking their lives on the streets?
