Op-ed by Martha Alemayehu
National Portfolio Manager – Alternative Care
For more than five decades, SOS Children’s Villages in Ethiopia has stood as a trusted provider of care for children who have lost or are at risk of losing parental care. Our family-like care model, where small groups of children grow up together in a home led by a dedicated caregiver was designed as a humane alternative to large institutional orphanages. It has provided stability, belonging, and lifelong bonds for thousands of children. And yet, experience has also taught us something difficult but necessary; even the best forms of alternative care cannot replace a family. This is why we have endorsed the Global Charter on Care Reform, a commitment to ensure that every child grows up in a safe, nurturing family environment. Care reform is not a rejection of the past; it is an evolution informed by evidence, experience, and, most importantly, the voices of children themselves.
Misunderstanding care reform
One of the greatest barriers to care reform in Ethiopia in addition to policy or capacity gaps, is misconception. Too often, care reform is misunderstood as the abrupt closure of institutions, leaving children and staff without alternatives. This has created fear, resistance, and hesitation, even among dedicated childcare professionals. But care reform is not merely about shutting down institutions; it is about shifting from a system that reacts to crises to one that prevents them. For many years, institutional care has been seen as the primary, sometimes the only solution for children without parental care. However, international frameworks such as the UN Guidelines for Alternative Care of Children are clear, residential care should be a last resort, used only when all family-based options have been exhausted and when it is in the best interest of the child.
In Ethiopia, awareness of alternatives such as kinship care and foster care remains limited. As a result, public discourse has focused disproportionately on “closing institutions” rather than strengthening families and expanding these alternatives.
What we have learned
Through our work, we have learned that many children in alternative care are not truly without family. Often, they have one or both parents, or extended relatives, who could care for them if given the right support. Poverty, illness, and social pressures, not absence of care are what drive separation. This is where stronger systems are needed. Weak gatekeeping mechanisms have allowed unnecessary separation to occur. Children are admitted into care when family-based solutions have not been fully explored, and they often remain there far longer than necessary. Over time, family bonds weaken or break entirely. If we strengthen gatekeeping, ensuring that placement decisions are carefully assessed and continuously reviewed, we can both prevent unnecessary separation and better understand the root causes families face. This allows us to address problems before they escalate.
Listening to care leavers
Care reform is not just theory; it is grounded in lived experience. When we listen to care leavers, we hear many describe settings where their basic needs were met, but where individual attention was limited and a deep sense of belonging was missing. After leaving care, this gap becomes even more pronounced. Emotional support systems are often weaker, and the sense of connection that naturally exists within families is difficult to replicate. These experiences are not just personal stories; they point to a broader truth. When we compare outcomes, children raised in family-based care consistently show stronger social skills, emotional resilience, and adaptability. They learn empathy, negotiation, and conflict resolution not through structured routines, but through everyday family life.
And yet, despite this evidence, our collective response often tells a different story. As a society, we tend to react to visible crises rather than the underlying causes. When a child is found alone or on the street, the immediate instinct is to place them in an institution, seen as the safest and fastest solution. But this “firefighting” approach overlooks the deeper question: what caused the separation in the first place? Family strengthening is less visible and requires time, sustained investment, and patience. But it is far more effective. If we act earlier, supporting families before they reach a breaking point, we can prevent separation altogether.
A shift already underway
At SOS Children’s Villages in Ethiopia, we have begun this transition. We are currently not admitting children into our traditional village programmes while expanding our work in foster care and kinship care. We are also integrating families from village settings into the wider community, enabling children to grow up with broader social connections and access to community services. This shift allows children to build real-world social connections, access public services, and grow up as active members of their communities rather than apart from them.
But care reform cannot succeed without prevention. That is why we are significantly expanding our family and community strengthening programmes, working directly with vulnerable families to address the root causes of separation before they escalate. Through a holistic approach, we support caregivers with parenting skills, strengthen household resilience through women’s economic empowerment, and provide access to mental health and counselling services. We also connect families to essential services such as healthcare, and education, ensuring that support is practical, sustained, and responsive to real needs. Beyond direct service delivery, we are investing in the systems that make care reform possible. This includes building a skilled and supported social care workforce and advocating for stronger child protection systems at national level.
Changing the way we think
For care reform to succeed in Ethiopia, and more importantly, for our duty of care to the children we serve to be truly realized, several critical shifts must take place. Community awareness needs to grow so that families and society at large understand and value family-based care options. At the same time, institutional capacity must be strengthened, particularly in gatekeeping, to ensure that alternative care is used only when appropriate and in the best interest of the child. Above all, greater investment in families is essential, so that prevention becomes the foundation of the system rather than an afterthought, enabling children to grow up in safe, stable, and nurturing environments.
The best place for a child is in a safe, supportive family, whether that is their own, their extended family, or a foster family. Institutions, no matter how well run, should be the last option, not the default. Care reform is ultimately about long-term wellbeing. It is about ensuring that children grow up not just safe, but connected, supported, and loved.