No hugs, no one to talk to: how Ugandan orphanages are harming a generation | Helen Nianias

A boom in the orphanage industry is fuelling concern that many institutions are run for economic benefit, with scant regulation, and are damaging children

At a Catholic orphanage for children aged seven and under near Kampala, a noisy tangle of children moves around the complex. It takes a moment to notice that the children aren't actually speaking, or even attempting to form words.

Instead, they're shrieking and squawking; they scream at each other as they squabble over toys, cling like burrs to the legs of any passing adult and stare mutely when they're spoken to.