Supporting the Homecoming Project: A Movement for Family-Based Care
About Home for Good
Home for Good is a UK charity with a bold vision: to find a home for every child who needs one. By inspiring individuals and families to foster, adopt, or provide supported lodgings, Home for Good equips the Church to play a vital role in caring for vulnerable children. Guided by its faith-rooted and child-focused values, Home for Good strives for justice and change, ensuring every child can thrive in a safe and nurturing family environment.
The Homecoming Project
Globally, there are at least 5.4 million children living in orphanages, and an estimated 80% of these children have at least one living parent or other family members. Poverty, rather than a lack of family, is often the primary driver for institutionalisation. The Homecoming Project, a coalition of organisations, seeks to address these challenges by encouraging UK churches and Christians to play a transformative role in supporting vulnerable families and creating opportunities for children to thrive in family-based care rather than in orphanages.
A growing global movement is working to ensure that children don’t grow up in orphanages when they could be in families. Recently, the UK Foreign Secretary launched a global campaign advocating for family-based care as the best alternative to orphanages. This initiative provides an opportunity for countries to share knowledge and reform childcare policies to keep children with their families.
Our Partnership with Home for Good
The Martin James Foundation is proud to support the Homecoming Project as it builds on its momentum to engage the UK Church and inspire change. In 2024, this work included the formation of the Homecoming Leadership Council, a coalition of 13 organisations dedicated to championing family-based care globally. The Council also published the Homecoming Report 2024, which provided critical insights into the UK Church’s involvement in supporting orphanages overseas. The report revealed that UK churches donate an estimated £500 million to overseas orphanages each year, and that regular churchgoers are three times more likely to have donated to an orphanage than the general British public. It also identified key opportunities to redirect this support toward family-based care solutions, ensuring children can grow up in safe and loving families rather than institutions.
As we move into 2025, the Homecoming campaign has relaunched with a renewed focus on engaging UK Christians and churches to share the family-care message and raise awareness about the global orphanage crisis. This year’s plans include expanding the Leadership Council, deepening engagement with faith communities, and equipping stakeholders with updated resources and learning materials. Through campaigns, events, and outreach, the project aims to empower churches and individuals to contribute to a movement that helps children transition from institutions to families where they can thrive.
Conclusion
The Homecoming Project is uniquely positioned to work alongside UK churches and Christians, drawing on their generosity and compassion to support children and families around the world. By collaborating with this powerful network, the project seeks to inspire collective action and transformative change, equipping individuals and communities to champion family-based care as the best solution for vulnerable children. The Martin James Foundation is grateful to continue supporting these efforts, to ensure that every child can thrive in the love and commitment of a family.
To learn more about the Homecoming Project, visit the Homecoming website and sign up for the Learning Journey. Together, we can help create lasting change and ensure every child has their own homecoming story.
Quotes
“We at the Homecoming Project are thrilled to partner with the Martin James Foundation. Their unwavering commitment to family-based care perfectly aligns with our shared vision of ensuring every child grows up in the safety and love of a family. Together, we look forward to driving meaningful, lasting change for vulnerable children worldwide.”
“Creating lasting change takes all of us— organisations, faith communities, governments, and individuals—working together to ensure children grow up in safe, loving families. The UK Foreign Secretary’s commitment to this cause reflects the growing momentum behind family-based care, and it’s encouraging to see this shift taking place. While change doesn’t happen overnight, each step forward makes a real difference. That’s why we’re so grateful to partner with the Homecoming Project, whose leadership is equipping churches and communities to be part of this movement.”
