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Tara Winkler: Why we need to end the era of orphanages
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Could it be wrong to help children in need by starting an orphanage? In this eye-opening talk about the bad consequences of good intentions, Tara Winkler speaks out against the spread of orphanages in developing countries, caused in part by foreign donors, and details the harm done to children when they are separated from their families and left to grow up in institutions.
Tara Winkler - Child protection leader, activist, author
Tara Winkler helps vulnerable children escape poverty and be cared for within their families. Full bio
Tara Winkler helps vulnerable children escape poverty and be cared for within their families. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:12
These are some photos of me
volunteering in a Cambodian orphanage
volunteering in a Cambodian orphanage
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in 2006.
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When these photos were taken,
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I thought I was doing a really good thing
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and that I was really helping those kids.
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I had a lot to learn.
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It all started for me
when I was 19 years old
when I was 19 years old
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and went backpacking
through Southeast Asia.
through Southeast Asia.
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When I reached Cambodia,
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I felt uncomfortable being on holiday
surrounded by so much poverty
surrounded by so much poverty
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and wanted to do something to give back.
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So I visited some orphanages
and donated some clothes and books
and donated some clothes and books
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and some money
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to help the kids that I met.
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But one of the orphanages I visited
was desperately poor.
was desperately poor.
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I had never encountered poverty
like that before in my life.
like that before in my life.
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They didn't have funds for enough food,
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clean water
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or medical treatment,
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and the sad little faces on those kids
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were heartbreaking.
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So I was compelled
to do something more to help.
to do something more to help.
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I fund-raised in Australia and returned
to Cambodia the following year
to Cambodia the following year
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to volunteer at the orphanage
for a few months.
for a few months.
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I taught English and bought
water filters and food
water filters and food
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and took all of the kids to the dentist
for the first time in their lives.
for the first time in their lives.
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But over the course of the next year,
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I came to discover that this orphanage
that I had been supporting
that I had been supporting
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was terribly corrupt.
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The director had been embezzling
every cent donated to the orphanage,
every cent donated to the orphanage,
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and in my absence, the children
were suffering such gross neglect
were suffering such gross neglect
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that they were forced to catch mice
to feed themselves.
to feed themselves.
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I also found out later
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that the director had been physically
and sexually abusing the kids.
and sexually abusing the kids.
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I couldn't bring myself
to turn my back on children
to turn my back on children
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who I had come to know and care about
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and return to my life in Australia.
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So I worked with a local team
and the local authorities
and the local authorities
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to set up a new orphanage
and rescue the kids
and rescue the kids
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to give them a safe new home.
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But this is where my story takes
another unexpected turn.
another unexpected turn.
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As I adjusted to my new life
running an orphanage in Cambodia,
running an orphanage in Cambodia,
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(Khmer) I learned
to speak Khmer fluently,
to speak Khmer fluently,
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which means that I learned
to speak the Khmer language fluently.
to speak the Khmer language fluently.
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And when I could communicate
properly with the kids,
properly with the kids,
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I began to uncover some strange things.
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Most of the children we had removed
from the orphanage
from the orphanage
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were not, in fact, orphans at all.
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They had parents,
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and the few that were orphaned
had other living relatives,
had other living relatives,
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like grandparents and aunties and uncles
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and other siblings.
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So why were these children
living in an orphanage
living in an orphanage
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when they weren't orphans?
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Since 2005, the number
of orphanages in Cambodia
of orphanages in Cambodia
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has risen by 75 percent,
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and the number of children
living in Cambodian orphanages
living in Cambodian orphanages
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has nearly doubled,
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despite the fact
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that the vast majority of children
living in these orphanages
living in these orphanages
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are not orphans in the traditional sense.
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They're children from poor families.
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So if the vast majority of children
living in orphanages
living in orphanages
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are not orphans,
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then the term "orphanage"
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is really just a euphemistic name
for a residential care institution.
for a residential care institution.
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These institutions go
by other names as well,
by other names as well,
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like "shelters," "safe houses,"
"children's homes," "children's villages,"
"children's homes," "children's villages,"
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even "boarding schools."
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And this problem is not just
confined to Cambodia.
confined to Cambodia.
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This map shows some of the countries
that have seen a dramatic increase
that have seen a dramatic increase
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in the numbers of residential
care institutions
care institutions
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and the numbers of children
being institutionalized.
being institutionalized.
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In Uganda, for example,
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the number of children
living in institutions
living in institutions
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has increased by more than
1,600 percent since 1992.
1,600 percent since 1992.
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And the problems posed
by putting kids into institutions
by putting kids into institutions
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don't just pertain to the corrupt
and abusive institutions
and abusive institutions
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like the one that I rescued the kids from.
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The problems are with all forms
of residential care.
of residential care.
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Over 60 years of international
research has shown us
research has shown us
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that children who grow up in institutions,
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even the very best institutions,
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are at serious risk
of developing mental illnesses,
of developing mental illnesses,
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attachment disorders,
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growth and speech delays,
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and many will struggle
with an inability to reintegrate
with an inability to reintegrate
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back into society later in life
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and form healthy relationships as adults.
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These kids grow up
without any model of family
without any model of family
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or of what good parenting looks like,
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so they then can struggle
to parent their own children.
to parent their own children.
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So if you institutionalize
large numbers of children,
large numbers of children,
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it will affect not only this generation,
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but also the generations to come.
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We've learned these lessons
before in Australia.
before in Australia.
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It's what happened
to our "Stolen Generations,"
to our "Stolen Generations,"
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the indigenous children
who were removed from their families
who were removed from their families
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with the belief
that we could do a better job
that we could do a better job
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of raising their children.
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Just imagine for a moment
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what residential care
would be like for a child.
would be like for a child.
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Firstly, you have a constant
rotation of caregivers,
rotation of caregivers,
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with somebody new coming on
to the shift every eight hours.
to the shift every eight hours.
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And then on top of that
you have a steady stream of visitors
you have a steady stream of visitors
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and volunteers coming in,
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showering you in the love
and affection you're craving
and affection you're craving
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and then leaving again,
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evoking all of those feelings
of abandonment,
of abandonment,
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and proving again and again
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that you are not worthy of being loved.
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We don't have orphanages
in Australia, the USA, the UK anymore,
in Australia, the USA, the UK anymore,
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and for a very good reason:
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one study has shown that young adults
raised in institutions
raised in institutions
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are 10 times more likely
to fall into sex work than their peers,
to fall into sex work than their peers,
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40 times more likely
to have a criminal record,
to have a criminal record,
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and 500 times more likely
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to take their own lives.
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There are an estimated
eight million children around the world
eight million children around the world
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living in institutions like orphanages,
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despite the fact that around
80 percent of them are not orphans.
80 percent of them are not orphans.
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Most have families
who could be caring for them
who could be caring for them
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if they had the right support.
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But for me,
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the most shocking thing of all to realize
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is what's contributing to this boom
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in the unnecessary institutionalization
of so many children:
of so many children:
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it's us --
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the tourists, the volunteers
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and the donors.
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It's the well-meaning support
from people like me back in 2006,
from people like me back in 2006,
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who visit these children
and volunteer and donate,
and volunteer and donate,
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who are unwittingly fueling an industry
that exploits children
that exploits children
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and tears families apart.
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It's really no coincidence
that these institutions are largely set up
that these institutions are largely set up
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in areas where tourists
can most easily be lured in
can most easily be lured in
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to visit and volunteer
in exchange for donations.
in exchange for donations.
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Of the 600 so-called orphanages in Nepal,
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over 90 percent of them are located
in the most popular tourist hotspots.
in the most popular tourist hotspots.
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The cold, hard truth is,
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the more money that floods in
in support of these institutions,
in support of these institutions,
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the more institutions open
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and the more children
are removed from their families
are removed from their families
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to fill their beds.
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It's just the laws of supply and demand.
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I had to learn all of these
lessons the hard way,
lessons the hard way,
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after I had already set up
an orphanage in Cambodia.
an orphanage in Cambodia.
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I had to eat a big piece
of humble pie to admit
of humble pie to admit
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that I had made a mistake
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and inadvertently become
a part of the problem.
a part of the problem.
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I had been an orphanage tourist,
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a voluntourist.
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I then set up my own orphanage
and facilitated orphanage tourism
and facilitated orphanage tourism
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in order to generate funds
for my orphanage,
for my orphanage,
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before I knew better.
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What I came to learn
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is that no matter how good
my orphanage was,
my orphanage was,
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it was never going to give those kids
what they really needed:
what they really needed:
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their families.
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I know that it can feel
incredibly depressing
incredibly depressing
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to learn that helping vulnerable children
and overcoming poverty
and overcoming poverty
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is not as simple as we've all
been led to believe it should be.
been led to believe it should be.
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But thankfully, there is a solution.
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These problems are reversible
and preventable,
and preventable,
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and when we know better,
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we can do better.
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The organization that I run today,
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the Cambodian Children's Trust,
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is no longer an orphanage.
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In 2012, we changed the model
in favor of family-based care.
in favor of family-based care.
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I now lead an amazing team
of Cambodian social workers,
of Cambodian social workers,
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nurses and teachers.
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Together, we work within communities
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to untangle a complex web of social issues
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and help Cambodian
families escape poverty.
families escape poverty.
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Our primary focus is on preventing
some of the most vulnerable families
some of the most vulnerable families
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in our community
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from being separated in the first place.
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But in cases where it's not possible
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for a child to live
with its biological family,
with its biological family,
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we support them in foster care.
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Family-based care is always better
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than placing a child in an institution.
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Do you remember that first photo
that I showed you before?
that I showed you before?
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See that girl who is just about
to catch the ball?
to catch the ball?
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Her name is Torn
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She's a strong, brave
and fiercely intelligent girl.
and fiercely intelligent girl.
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But in 2006, when I first met her
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living in that corrupt
and abusive orphanage,
and abusive orphanage,
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she had never been to school.
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She was suffering terrible neglect,
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and she yearned desperately
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for the warmth and love of her mother.
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But this is a photo of Torn today
with her family.
with her family.
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Her mother now has a secure job,
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her siblings are doing well in high school
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and she is just about to finish
her nursing degree at university.
her nursing degree at university.
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For Torn's family --
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(Applause)
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for Torn's family,
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the cycle of poverty has been broken.
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The family-based care model
that we have developed at CCT
that we have developed at CCT
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has been so successful,
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that it's now being put forward
by UNICEF Cambodia
by UNICEF Cambodia
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and the Cambodian government
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as a national solution
to keep children in families.
to keep children in families.
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And one of the best --
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(Applause)
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And one of the best ways
that you can help to solve this problem
that you can help to solve this problem
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is by giving these eight million
children a voice
children a voice
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and become an advocate
for family-based care.
for family-based care.
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If we work together to raise awareness,
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we can make sure the world knows
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that we need to put an end
to the unnecessary institutionalization
to the unnecessary institutionalization
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of vulnerable children.
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How do we achieve that?
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By redirecting our support
and our donations
and our donations
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away from orphanages
and residential care institutions
and residential care institutions
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towards organizations that are committed
to keeping children in families.
to keeping children in families.
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I believe we can make this happen
in our lifetime,
in our lifetime,
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and as a result, we will see
developing communities thrive
developing communities thrive
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and ensure that vulnerable
children everywhere
children everywhere
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have what all children need and deserve:
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a family.
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Thank you.
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(Applause)
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Tara Winkler - Child protection leader, activist, authorTara Winkler helps vulnerable children escape poverty and be cared for within their families.
Why you should listen
Tara Winkler is the co-founder and managing director of the Cambodian Children's Trust (CCT), established with Jedtha Pon in 2007 to rescue fourteen children from a corrupt and abusive orphanage.
Winkler has led CCT through a number of significant organizational changes, including the closure of the initial CCT orphanage in favor of a family-based care model of programs and services.
Winkler is the co-founder of Born to Belong Foundation, which provides a unified solution to the global orphanage crisis. Born to Belong Foundation runs innovative and ground-breaking programs in Cambodia, India, Nepal and Uganda to strengthen vulnerable families, reunite institutionalized children with their families, and provide kinship care and foster families for children in need of alternative care.
Winkler has been featured twice on ABC's "Australian Story" and once on "60 Minutes Australia." Her book How (Not) to Start an Orphanage, published by Allen & Unwin in April 2016, is currently being turned into a feature film.
Tara Winkler | Speaker | TED.com