This was the cry of six year old Magdalena when she saw Grace, a local Social Welfare Officer, approaching her family’s home.

Magdalena and her two siblings had recently been reunited with their biological parents after spending over a year in one of the orphanages in Dar es Salaam. 

Now you might be asking yourself, ‘if Magdalena had living parents, why were they separated in the first place?’ It’s an important question. Like many children across Tanzania, Magdalena had been placed in an orphanage by a Social Welfare Officer because her parents were struggling to make ends meet.

Magdalena’s family had met Grace through the free healthcare services offered by the government. As life became more difficult, Magdalena's mother felt desperate and finally sought out help.

Grace thought it would be helpful to “lessen the mother’s burden” by taking her three youngest children to an orphanage.

Unfortunately this is a common belief that has separated countless families around the globe. In fact, 80% of children in orphanages have a living parent or relative who could care for them, but when support is lacking, parents often feel forced to surrender their children. This is why GCA is working hard to help our partners understand the threats within institutional care and a child’s critical need for a safe family.

Fast forward one year later…

Magdalena and her two younger siblings were still living in the orphanage and the GCA Tanzania team had just provided training for Grace and other officials at the same hospital where Magdalena’s mother had originally sought out help. 

At the training, Grace learned that institutional care is not as safe as she had thought. She quickly decided to contact Magdalena’s parents about reunification and found they were very ready to receive their children back home despite their challenges.

GCA and Grace connected the family to a local church for livelihood support. Then, together we reunified the children with their parents while working with the family on long-term plans. The joy of their reunion was still being felt weeks later when GCA made the first of many follow-up visits to the family for monitoring.

When we arrived, Magdalena was outside of her home, playing with her siblings. At the sight of Grace, she burst into tears. Then begged,

“Please don’t take us back there, we don’t want to go there.”

Magdalena thought Grace’s presence signaled that she would be taken back to the orphanage, and be separated from her family once again. We quickly reassured her that we were only there to follow up, encourage her parents, and to cheer them on.

Nonetheless, Magdalena’s fear and emotional response speaks volumes. It underscores the fact that nothing can replace the love a child receives from their parents.  

For Magdalena and so many other children like her, reunification is like having their parents raised from the grave. The celebration and joy is indescribable, and the thought of losing them again is unbearable. 

So many children are waiting in orphanages and longing for the day they get to see and be with their families again. Others long to be part of their first permanent family - a family where they truly feel “at home” and who is there for them even after they become adults.

Make family a reality for every child.