J.K. Rowling explains why volunteering at orphanages is often bad for kids.

In 2004, writer J.K. Rowling founded an organization called Lumos to prevent "poor, ethnic minority, or disabled" children from being unfairly placed in orphanages.  

On July 16, the foundation sent a tweet encouraging followers to think before contributing to institutions that house children en masse.

Donors funding orphanages unwittingly contribute to the continued abuse of children in orphanages - better ways to give. #100andchange

— Lumos (@lumos) July 16, 2017

In response, celebrity chef José Andrés proposed a solution: People should help out in person instead of (or in addition to) donating.

"What donors should do is visit the orphanage and volunteer at them, and if possible adopt," Andrés wrote. "We support one in Haiti and my family volunteers!"

Rowling replied to Andrés from her personal account, explaining how support from wealthy patrons frequently contributes to the abuse suffered by children in orphanages and why, despite good intentions, taking a more active role might not be the answer.

.@chefjoseandres Many, many kind and well-intentioned people think this is the way to help the world's most vulnerable children, José /1 https://t.co/vXI5Y9cVDR

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) July 17, 2017

We know that at least 80% of children in so-called 'orphanages' have at least one living parent. Sometimes the child was given up /3

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) July 17, 2017

they are excluded from mainstream education or denied healthcare in the community. There are ways to donate thar support children within /5

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) July 17, 2017

have vanished from the developed world - and for very good reason. We have 80 years of research to show that institutionalised children /7

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) July 17, 2017

kill themselves. These statistics are repeated even in 'well-run' institutions. Again: the overwhelming majority of people donating and /9

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) July 17, 2017

terrible abuse. We have testimony of children being kept hungry to appear even more needy and vulnerable in pictures designed to appeal /11

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) July 17, 2017

And we can always use more people with a profile like yours to spread the message that children need families, not orphanages! /13x

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) July 17, 2017

Disability rights advocates praised Rowling's advice.

I cannot express how much I admire @jk_rowling for choosing to champion disability rights & community living through @lumos.

— Ari Ne'eman (@aneeman) July 17, 2017

While not all children are able to live with their family, Rowling says there's a better solution than foisting them on frequently neglectful group homes.

The author believes that working to end the cycles of poverty that force parents into a choice to give their children away rather than supporting the institutions that provide an insufficient (and frequently detrimental) backstop is the best, albeit more complex, solution. In other words, orphanages address the symptom of a problem, not the problem itself.

An orphanage in Afghanistan. Photo by Noorullah Shirzada/Getty Images.

Several statistics back her up.

A January 2017 study by researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health found that 80% of children in Cambodian orphanages indeed have at least one living parent.

Additionally, a 2012 analysis concluded that children reared from a young age in substandard group living situations are at a higher risk for neurological, cognitive, and behavioral problems. While well-run institutions do exist, examples of gross abuse and neglect are sadly ordinary (warning: link contains graphic, upsetting images).

Lumos works to reunite children with their families and channel funds away from orphanages and into local community services that support parents, making it easier for them to raise their own children in the first place.

Photo by Rob Stothard/Getty Images.

For well-intentioned donors, Rowling believes giving money to institutions that provide little support for children beyond simple housing and a baseline education should be the last resort.

Helping prevent children from going there should be the first.

from Upworthy https://www.upworthy.com/jk-rowling-explains-why-volunteering-at-orphanages-is-often-bad-for-kids
via IFTTT