Country profile: Germany

Total population: 83 million
Total children under the age of 18: 13.9 million

The situation of children in Germany

In 2022 over 207 000 children and teens were living in care in Germany. 121 000 of them lived in children's homes or institutions and 86 000 in foster families. Every second child in care came from a single parent family and many of the families lived with minimal wages. 27% of the children were below 10 years of age. The majority of the younger children lived in foster families while the children over 10 mostly lived in children's homes. There is a great need for more foster families in Germany.

Individuals and organisations from the DACH region also provide financial or voluntary support to residential care institutions in African, Asian, and Latin American countries. While this is often done with the best intentions, it provides an incentive for keeping children separated from families in those countries.

Towards Without Orphans network in Germany

In May 2024 a group of 30 people met for the first time in Germany to discuss the possibility of a Without Orphans network in Germany. Everyone present had the desire to see something happen in Germany and to join together for the sake of the vulnerable children.

Contact for Germany: Dorothea Kirschner

Other Information about Orphaned and Vulnerable Children and Family Care in Germany:
Better Care Network Information on Family-Based Care in Germany
More information for prayer at Operation World