Unplanned pregnancies happen all over the world due to a lack of information, socioeconomic factors and sometimes rape.
Often, single mothers face the difficult choice of giving up their child to an orphanage or finding suitable couples for adoption.
Orphanages may offer a safe haven for children who have lost their parents or whose parents have left them due to financial difficulties. They also provide shelter for children of unwed mothers who are unable to provide for their newborns.
But orphanages have shortcomings too. Research shows that young adults raised in institutions are 40 times more likely to have criminal records and 500 times more likely to take their own lives compared to youths raised in family environments.
This backdrop helped inspire the creation of OrphanCare to find loving homes for children.
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The late Adnan Mohd Tahir, together with a group of friends, founded OrphanCare in 2008 with him as its first president. Adnan and his wife Elya were encouraged by the positive responses from many people to provide good homes in Malaysia for children in need.
From its humble beginnings in 2008, with only four staff, OrphanCare has grown into a non-profit foundation employing 17 staff across three branches – in Petaling Jaya, Johor Bahru and Sungai Petani.
Malaysia’s first baby hatch opened in May 2010 in Petaling Jaya. It offered a sanctuary for babies who might otherwise have been abandoned in dangerous environments, with little chance of survival.
The organisation’s Baby Hatch Services offers a safe environment and anonymous spaces for mothers to leave their babies, preventing abandonment in unsafe conditions.
How OrphanCare works
Since its establishment, OrphanCare has focused on reintegration programmes to bring together children in institutions with their biological or extended families, wherever possible.
The NGO also advocates family-based care instead of long-term institutionalisation of children. This is done through adoption facilitation procedures by assisting in the adoption process. This ensures that prospective parents meet legal and emotional requirements.
On a daily basis, OrphanCare works with government agencies, NGOs and social workers on reintegration programmes to facilitate adoption.
OrphanCare operates three baby hatches in Malaysia, at its headquarters in Petaling Jaya and in Johor Bahru and Sungai Petani. These provide safe spaces for women unable to care for their babies. The organisation offers counselling to unwed mothers and families, exploring safe and supportive solutions.
Working with an established private sector medical group, OrphanCare ensures all babies receive proper medical care and attention.
After each adoption, OrphanCare monitors families to ensure the child’s wellbeing and safety.
The organisation also runs campaigns to inform people about the importance of family-based care and child welfare.
Achievements since 2008
- OrphanCare helped shape national policies through discussions on child welfare, particularly in advocating alternatives to institutionalisation. This led to the 2016 amendment of the Child Act 2001, which introduced the concept of “family-based care”, making institutional care a last resort option
- The organisation has reunited 82 institutionalised children with their biological or extended families
- It has successfully arranged 430 adoptions of babies and older children into loving families
- Through its baby hatch programme, 644 babies have been safely surrendered and placed in caring families.
- OrphanCare partners with other NGOs and the corporate sector to support ‘deinstitutionalisation’
How you can help
- Support family-based care: Help raise awareness about the importance of providing children with a family environment instead of long-term institutional care
- Consider adoption or fostering: You can provide a child with a stable and nurturing home
- Educate and counsel: Help communities understand family planning, support for unwed mothers, and child welfare to prevent child abandonment
- Volunteer: Share your time and expertise to support awareness campaigns, administrative tasks or community outreach
- Become a monthly donor: Regular financial support helps sustain essential services such as baby hatches, counselling and reintegration programmes
Financial challenges
Despite its notable achievements since its launch, OrphanCare has faced hurdles over the years, primarily in securing the financial support it needs to implement and sustain its activities.
The organisation relies on public donations and the corporate sector for funding. Corporate sponsorships come through corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes.
Government grants provide additional financial support for child welfare initiatives through collaboration with government agencies.
OrphanCare organises various fundraising events, including campaigns, charity events and donation drives, to raise funds and awareness.
Following Adnan’s passing in 2011, OrphanCare became a foundation championing deinstitutionalisation. This programme helps children move from institutions back to the care of parents, extended families and society-at-large.
OrphanCare’s vision is of a world where every child has a loving family. Its mission is to lessen anguish and be a beacon of hope to children through loving families.
Despite the challenges, OrphanCare remains optimistic that its continuous efforts provide a ray of sunshine and new beginnings for these newborn babies.
If you would like to support Orphancare, here are their bank details:
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