Our thesis

We have gained invaluable insights throughout this 12-month project. As a result, we have newfound ideas of what an idealistic model of an orphanage/foster-care home might look like if we were to set up one ourselves in the future.

Our main theses for an ideal orphanage are:

The orphanage is a permanent family not an institution.
It should provide unwavering support and love for the children, a warm place to call home.
The organizers and organization should integrate into the country as a local with respect for its language and culture.
“Success” means orphans have a family whether that be within the orphanage or elsewhere with foster parents and that non-orphans where possible and safe to do so would be reintegrated back into their families. The end goal for the orphanage should be that it is no longer needed.
Child-facing staff should be hired with the intention of providing long-term service to minimize attachment issues.
The children should be provided with the maximum as opposed to a minimum, including top-of-the-tier education and extracurricular activities beyond the home so that they know what else is out there and what they could be capable of. We want to this so that children can find their dreams and natural talents.
All activity must be transparent (especially finances) and auditable.
Founders/organizers and board members should be financially independent rather than deriving their income from the operations of the orphanage.

The anti-thesis

We’ve outlined what we believe are the virtues of an ideal orphanage or shelter for neglected children. But it’s equally important to invert our thinking to figure out what we want to avoid. If what we have presented above is our thesis, then this is the anti-thesis – a set of unacceptable conditions we refuse to tolerate.

Do not use children as a marketing commodity or ‘product’ to secure donations.
No voluntourism. This form of support can disrupt a child’s emotional stability and lacks professionalism.
Do not generalize a solution/blueprint designed for one country to another.
Do not impose our ways or perspectives onto the local culture (especially as we carry Western ideals).
Do not create an environment where the children would be dependent long-term into adulthood. This risks creating an institution, not a home.
Do not view other orphanages as competition. We ought to be sharing our acquired knowledge and resources. If we have abundant resources and are self-sufficient, we should offer excursions (for new experiences) to children from under-resourced orphanages, even if the values of these orphanages differ.

Our proposed operational blueprint

Based on the above sections, we mapped our proposed operational blueprint below for our future selves:

Step 1. Research (1-12 months)

We are more likely to succeed by understanding the landscape of our field. Perform literature searches and gather on-the-ground material. Gather information about visa and trust set up timeframes and plan timeline accordingly.

Step 2. Understand scope and mission of your organization

Identify key areas we would like to be involved in and decide on the mission of the organization and core values (i.e. the thesis/anti-thesis).

Step 3. Ensure all debts are cleared

The founder(s) must be debt-free before starting an orphanage/foster-care center (e.g. mortgages, student loans) to reduce unnecessary barriers and stress for running the organization in the long run. Naturally, founders should not use debt intended for the financing of orphanage’s operations.

Step 4. Obtain independent source of funding

Children should never be used as a marketing commodity (e.g. orphanages in Bangalore leverage children’s birthdays and celebrations to attract funding or voluntourism packages). Business entity that generates funding must be separate from orphanage operations i.e. the orphanage itself should not operate as a business. The founder should not be reliant on donations to the organization for living costs, to ensure no conflict of interest in the intention of obtaining donations.

Solutions include:

Run and own a for-profit business or social enterprise to direct some funds into orphanage e.g. operate a thrift shop to sustain operation costs (such as Thomas, St. Isidore Centre, Salvation Army Op Shops).
Earn-to-give – obtain a job that pays high salaries.
Invest large sums of money to earn dividends or use yearly gains as perpetual fund.

Our plan: We aim to run multiple businesses in the field of biotechnology, sustainability or multi-media education to generate profits. A fixed proportion of the profits could be fed into the charitable trust – monthly during early years and yearly after 2-3 years of the running the orphanage. With the remaining profit (less personal expenses and re-investments back into the businesses), we will invest into a low-risk, diversified portfolio (expected returns ~4-8%). The profits gained from this method may be used as restricted funds for the orphanage, e.g. education or contingencies.

Step 5. Gain relevant visa for permanent stay in organization country

The founder(s) should be able to live permanently in the country or long periods of time to ensure continued smooth operation of the organization. We recommend running the organization in your home country or countries with dual-residency agreements (e.g. New Zealand and Australia). Relevant visas will be required, which can include; entrepreneur or startup visas, investor visas, work or employment visas, nonprofit or volunteer visas, specialized visas for social impact.

Note if remote registration is possible, set up the trust first and then apply for the visa. If in-person presence is required, obtain the visa and then set up the trust.

Step 6. Set up charitable trust in home country first then in country of organization

Although we assume that we will be self-funded (as per Step 4), we should set up a trust first in our home country for emergencies and for reducing administrative stresses later in the journey. The process is likely to take a few months and much longer (i.e. years) in the organization country, so make sure to research this time period and account for this in the plan.

Step 7. Draft a detailed organizational structure and 5-year plan

Prepare plan for personnel, budget estimates, board of trustees, accounting. Connect with other organizations in the area and prepare list of candidate children or families to serve.

Step 8. Hire relevant personnel

Hire team members locally as much as possible to leverage their cultural and language expertise and empower local talent who can also hold leadership positions at the organization. Hiring should tend towards long-term service.

Our Plan: Educate and empower widows who require support and pair with orphans by providing education in childcare. This is a skillset they can utilize for life and will hopefully help with employment as well in the future. Widows and orphans can help each other heal and form their own unique little families, on the same vein as children with no access to grandparents forming bonds with the elderly in aged care – we envision they will give each other so much love and joy.

Step 9. Prepare to move to organization country

View properties for organization (either residential or commercial), understand tax obligations in home country, set up website/social media.

Our plan: We expect our orphanage to represent a home with a lot of space and greenery for the children to roam in. We imagine a private complex close to the big city but away from the hustle and bustle, with a campus-like feel, with multiple buildings serving different purposes and space to expand and build if necessary (e.g. one main building for the children, and another for the widows). For the buildings, we envision a house-like structure rather than a dormitory style, aiming to create a more homely and welcoming atmosphere.

Step 10. Operate the organization

Bring in the children or families to the properties and operate as intended.

Our plan: We will enable children to explore various types of extracurricular activities (e.g. sport, the arts, debating, etc.). at least 3 times a week. Excursions may involve hiking, international travel, attending performances. After each experience, the children will have time to reflect and review whether they are interested in a particular field. We will guide the children to understand more in-depth about the field via reading suggestions and facilitating connections with experts. Educational material and programs will be developed to guide families for re-integration.

Step 11. Review the impact of organization regularly

Perform regular audits and checks with board members regarding aspects like financials and discuss points of improvement. Conduct surveys to gain feedback on the service and rate of engagement. Make financial reporting impeccably transparent that is easily accessible by the public (e.g. via a dedicated website).

The unknowns

This is a blueprint based on our current reflection of what we know now. There are still many unknowns that we’re sure will learn as we gain more experience in philanthropy and orphan care. We’ve added questions below that we’re still exploring. Our blueprint will be updated as we acquire more experience.

How do we ensure that growth does not come at the cost of individualized care, even with independent funding? How do we discourage the natural urge to take in more children?
What is the end-state of orphanages? Will orphanages always be necessary? Is there a better model or solution than orphanages?
How do you retain staff carers for the long-term in the interest of the stability of the children’s wellbeing?
If we’re able to support other orphanages, how will we know that the financial support was truly needed? In other words, what was our counterfactual impact?
Given that voluntourism is harmful and we reject it, how can we offer meaningful, respectful volunteer opportunities for those that genuinely want to help?
What are the correct metrics to measure our impact to ensure that we are doing the right thing for the children?
What would be the estimated costs for operating an orphanage and how much would we have to earn per year to be sustainable? What would be the ideal child to income ratio?
Would we create more impact by starting our own orphanage than investing in existing orphanages and if the former, where would be the best location to position the orphanage to maximize impact?

Final reflections

Our learnings over this 12-month project have culminated in this blueprint of what we believe is the optimal orphanage. We hope this will be useful for accelerating the planning timeframe for those thinking of pursuing the same path. If you’re ahead of us, please do reach out and let us know how we could refine this blueprint. Regardless, we will pursue greater learnings and upskill our capacity to cover our unknowns and further strengthen our model. This is all to serve neglected children.

Proposed blueprint of an ideal orphanage.