K A N D H KOT- There are approximately 150 million orphaned children worldwide, thus Russia, Iran, Colombia, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa, and Peru have the highest orphan rates. According to report from UNICEF more than 4.5 million orphaned children are in pakistan. Various reports said that there are millions of children especially orphans are found homeless while sleeping in the streets, under the bridges while have been deprived human needs such as food, shelter, pour water, clothing and other facilities.
Since orphanage play a vital role for the accommodation grooming and educating the orphans by making them use the responsible and useful citizens of country but unfortunately the non existing of orphan homes have created great vacuum and the orphans are left at the mercy of the close relatives and considered as burden upon them .
Orphanages also known as children’s homes care facilities, provide shelters and support to children who have lost their parents, abandoned or also neglected in the society.
Some children become orphans at time of their birth whereas others become orphans during some phase of their lives.
Orphan children are also part of our society, on other hands was the children grow up without parents are being neglected unloved as well as uncared from our society. The life of those children is not easy who lose their parents at early while no any support is being provided from close relatives, neighbours, however they spend their life so difficult. Since the orphans are forced to work for livelihood since there poor economic and social condition restrain them from getting education and care. The policies of government or not intact to tackle this issue which creates a sense of deprivation for poor orphanage who don’t have any other option them working as child labour to feed their bellies.
Though few welfare trusts and orgnizations especially SOS children’s villages have been working since 1949 for the support and wellfare of the orphans in the different parts of the globe. However the most of these organizations are limited to the urban areas whereas the rular orphans are deprived of such support and the protection. There are total number 15 SOS Children’s Villages in Pakistan. The first SOS Children’s Village was established in Lahore in 1977.
Although the organization also runs four SOS Children’s Homes, 13 SOS Youth Homes, 22 Herman Gmeiner Schools, and four Technical Training Centres. Though the people have sympathy with orphan families but nobody come forward for educating them and working them useful citizens and trun the dreams of their mother and father into reality. It is pertinent to mention here that despite having heavy budget for relief and welfare departments , there is no any proper mechanism or policy to establish orphanages and orphan hostels or orphan support programs so that the orphans may lead a normal life and don’t depend on charitable trusts or organizations .
It is the need of hour to establish orphan homes at district level to collect the data about orphan children and support them in getting education from Primary to higher education level to make them self dependent and self reliant and make them useful citizens for country.