Thousands of children affected by the tsunami are languishing in orphanages in Indonesia despite having at least one parent
alive, according to new research by Save the Children. More than 85 per cent of the 2,589 children who were placed into institutions after the tsunami still have at least one parent alive, and 42%
still have both parents. Produced jointly by Save the Children and the Indonesian Department of Social Services, a new report states that the reason many families have been forced
to place their children in homes is because they were unable to give them the right standard of care, shelter or education. Half of the children in the institutions were placed there some time after
the disaster, indicating that their families found they were unable to care for the children rather than that the child's parents had died. The report found that being placed in institutions is
not a short-term solution until families get back on their feet - most children had not been returned to their families more than one year later. The charity is also concerned that some
orphanages are 'recruiting' children from the tsunami-affected area of Aceh in order to access more money. Tsunami relief funding is being directed to children's homes rather
than being used to provide families with the support they need to care for their children. In addition, most funding for institutions is linked to the number of children living there so they have an
incentive to go out and recruit children and keep them at the home for as long as possible. A total of 17 children's homes were built in Banda Aceh after the tsunami and there is
evidence that some organisations proposed building larger institutions on the basis that they could fill them. Save the Children UK argues that this way of allocating funding is damaging as no
assessments on the needs of the children were carried out. Kevin Byrne, director of Save the Children UK in Indonesia, said: "These children lost a great deal in the tsunami but are now
missing out on the care and protection of their parents. Indonesia is at a crossroad in terms of how it responds to the challenge of caring for its most vulnerable children - support must be given to
benefit families rather than the institutions that keep them apart." Save the Children UK is calling for: * Priority to be given to interventions that directly target
families facing challenges in the care of their children, with particular focus on single parents and extended families caring for tsunami- affected children. * Funding to be shifted away
from supporting institutions and instead support family and community based interventions that are sustainable, including ensuring families can afford full education costs for their children * No new children's homes to be built in Aceh without prior assessment that shows a clear need for such an institution. * Regular contact between children and their parents, families and
relatives should be encouraged and facilitated including frequent home visits.
Notes for editors.
For 30 years, Save the Children has worked in Aceh to improve the lives of
children and their families. When the earthquake and tsunami hit, leaving 500,000 people displaced and millions more vulnerable to disease and exploitation, Save the Children was well positioned to
respond rapidly. We have assisted at least 276,000 children and family members with food, shelter, health, education, emergency economic assistance and child protection services. Our tsunami
response programmes will continue to help the government and people of Aceh to restore livelihoods, health and education services and rebuild homes until 2010. ___________________________ For more information please contact: Save the Children press office: +44 (0)207 012 6841 Email address: media@savethechildren.org.uk
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
