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These photos by Matt Writtle, taken in Moldova, show the hardships and obstacles vulnerable children have to face, and how EveryChild is helping them find loving families.
A bleak future
Today there are 1.3 million children living in institutional care across Eastern and Central Europe - sadly just 5% are orphans.
Long-term institutional care has been found to be particularly damaging to children. As well as showing signs of developmental delays, young adults who have spent a large part of their childhood in large residential institutions are over-represented among the unemployed, the homeless, those who abuse substances, have been in jail, or have been sexually exploited.
Street children hope for a better life
Boys, rescued from a life on the streets, play football outside their temporary children's home in Chisinau in Moldova, which prepares them for reintegration into family life.
Without any adult care or protection, street children are particularly vulnerable to violence and abuse. Discrimination and stigmatisation is common, and this, combined with a loss of family identity, can lead to depression and other mental health problems.
EveryChild develops family-based solutions
EveryChild pioneers family-based solutions for many thousands of vulnerable children. Our vision is a world where every child has the right to grow up in a safe and secure family, free from poverty and exploitation. Our experience and evidence has shown that, in almost all cases, a family-type setting is far better than a childhood in even the best institution.
By providing emotional and practical support to vulnerable families, we help prevent children from being abandoned and work to reintegrate those already in institutions back into families. Where this is not possible, family-based solutions, like foster care, are a cheaper, more effective and wholly better alternative to institutional care.
Foster care helped Eugen and Viku find a loving family
Eugen (left) and Viku (right) are half brothers aged 6 and 4. They were found begging on the streets of Chisinau, Moldova with their mother and were taken into care. Their mother was later killed in a road traffic accident and the boys ended up in the care of their grandparents. Unfortunately the elderly couple could not cope and the boys were neglected.
Three months ago EveryChild managed to find them a foster family in a small rural village. Deeply traumatised, Eugen appeared unable to speak. Now though, both brothers are thriving in their new loving family and Eugen chats away to his foster mother and father and to his older brother.
Iosif is back with his family
Sixteen year old Iosif covered most of a 3,000 mile journey from the Kyrgyz Republic to Moldova on foot after running away from his mother who had taken him from the family home and was neglecting him. Reunited with his father, younger brother and grandmother, they are all now receiving support from EveryChild so they can stay together as a family.
Many children in Iosif's situation in Eastern and Central Europe end up either in a state run orphanage or living on the streets. Of the 1.3 million children in institutional care in the region, just 5% are orphans. Partly thanks to efforts by EveryChild, Moldova plans to phase out all its Soviet-era orphanages and replace them with family-based alternatives.
Elena back with her mother after a childhood in an orphanage
11 year old Elena has been reunited with her mother after spending most of her childhood in an orphanage. Her mother became pregnant with her after being raped and, unable to cope emotionally or financially, placed her daughter in an institution soon after she was born.
EveryChild has brought them back together, helped them find somewhere to live, given Elena's mother some financial support and provided them both with counselling.
A new life for Rada
Rada has recently been fostered into a loving family. An EveryChild trained Social worker (left) visits each week to check on them and make sure Rada is settled and happy.
Most children abandoned by their parents in Eastern and Central Europe end up either in a state run orphanage or living on the streets. Now things are beginning to change and the development of alternatives like foster care - by EveryChild - mean abandoned and orphaned children like Rada have the chance of growing up in a loving family environment.