The term orphanage refers to an institution aimed at caring for disadvantaged children. As for the term, it comes from the Greek orphanos, which literally means deprived of parents. In this sense, this institution provides shelter and takes special care of orphaned children, but also of those whose parents have lost legal custody of their child for some reason.
In some cases, orphanages, also known as orphanages or shelters, minors are cared for while waiting for a possible adoption by a family. In any case, when the minors reach the age of majority, they can already leave the institution in which they reside.
As a general rule, orphanages are usually public entities, although in some cases there may be a participation of private entities or religious institutions.
An approach to the situation of orphaned children
The situation of orphanhood is a handicap for any minor. It must be taken into account that the paternal and maternal figure and the family environment are essential elements in the personal growth and education of any child.
With respect to the causes that originate this situation, they are of a different nature: parental abandonment, situations of extreme poverty, family breakups, armed conflicts, diseases, etc.
The stay in an orphanage can be temporary or for a long time. If the orphaned child has parents, attempts are made to keep the child and her parents in touch. If the child has been abandoned by her parents, it is called a foundling. In any case, the care of minors in these residences is oriented towards their comprehensive care, which means that these centers not only welcome children but also try to offer them all kinds of services and care (education, medical assistance, a family environment, etc.).
Orphaned children in fiction
The term orphanage has some logical negative connotations. In fact, the fact that an orphan child ends up in this type of institution is the consequence of some unfortunate situation. However, the bad image of orphanages is given by literature and cinema. There are many stories that focus on the lives of children in these centers.
In the novel “Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Brontë, the protagonist lives a period of her childhood in a gloomy center for orphans. The story of the novel “Oliver Twist” by Charles Dickens also tells the sordid and dehumanized environment of orphanages. On the other hand, in universal literature and in history itself, the theme of the abandoned child who finally becomes a hero has been extensively discussed, as has happened with characters such as Moses, Hercules or Romulus and Remus.
Photos: Fotolia – Yakobchuk Olena / ondrooo
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