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  • There are eight million children living in orphanages worldwide

  • That we know of! - That we know of

  • See, I think what's staggering - what was amazing to me when I first began finding out about these issues -

  • You think: "How could eight million children be going through this and we not know?"

  • But a very small amount of thought shows you - they are, as you just said, so voiceless.

  • They are literally hidden from sight.

  • So in fact eight million may be a conservative estimate - there may be more children

  • who have been taken from families, that we don't know about.

  • And they are in institutions that we are saying are harmful to children.

  • We know that children who are raised in institutions suffer developmental delays,

  • they tend to be physically stunted, they normally have psychological trauma -

  • it is just not what nature intended for children to be herded together and not given individual love and care.

  • What's happening across the developed world is, disaster hits and families are immediately pulled apart.

  • "We'll take those children from you" - now imagine that, in the wake of a disaster,

  • that people come to you and say "That child will get fed - only if you give me that child."

  • So since 2010 there has been a 700% increase in children in institutions in Haiti.

  • So we now know that there are 30,000 children institutionalised.

  • And the same statistic I keep quoting still applies: the overwhelming majority of those children have at least one parent.

  • And these are families whose livelihoods have been swept away.

  • These are families who are so desperate that they thought that was the only way that they were going to keep that child alive.

  • Obviously, this is a massive issue - and as you would imagine, the solution is complex.

  • But - I bring you hope! This is an entirely solvable issue.

  • This is entirely solvable.

  • Lumos' ambition - and we believe it's achievable - is that by 2050 we will have ended institutionalisation globally.

  • What can we do? Tell us what we can - ! - What can you do?

  • So, 50% of what you can do, if you want to fundraise for us I will be forever in your debt.

  • The other half though as I say is, the other thing you can do is

  • if everyone who's here tonight walked out of here and said:

  • "I get the issue, I know that institutionalisation is wrong," and in future when I donate -

  • or when I hear of a friend donating, saying they want to give some money away at Christmas -

  • do a little bit of research and make sure that you are supporting families to stay together.

  • We will spread the word. - Spread the word!

  • We will spread the word, that is our job, to spread the word and,

  • I've got to say, having known so little about it before, it's an extraordinary thing, and it's a complicated thing.

  • But, as you say, it's solvable, and you must be incredibly proud of the work that Lumos are doing.

  • I am - it's probably the thing of which I am most proud.

There are eight million children living in orphanages worldwide

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