Where We Belong (2013)

Orphanages create orphans. This is a side of poverty not typically considered by well meaning individuals who want to use their wealth to "help" people in third world countries. There are 2.7 million orphans in Uganda. Approximately 1.3 million of these children have been orphaned by AIDS. Most of these children, however, live with their families. Most have one surviving parent and many of the rest live with extended family. These well meaning Western individuals create nice orphanages, and families struggling financially are pressured to give their children up in favor of the Westernized, higher standard of care they will receive in these institutions. In addition to this issue, the supply of children ready to adopt internationally often rises to meet the demand, promoting the coercion of families to sign their rights away if their child is in an orphanage. In Where We Belong, two Western-run non-profits struggle to find ways to help the orphan crisis without falling into these traps, and struggle to find their place within Ugandan culture.