My brother went to Hondurus years ago to help at an orphanage, ended up going back for many years. He mentioned off-hand how they had put a new coat of paint in the dining hall for when the parents would visit in the fall.
“Huh? The parents? I thought they were orphans?”
“No - many of them have parents, and siblings that still are at home. These are the kids they can’t/won’t take care of.”
Unbelievable. Can you imagine living in an orphanage, and once a year get to see your brothers and sisters that still live at home!?
My brother ended up supporting one of the kids they met - even paid for him to go to secondary school so he could get a decent job down there. And of course the dollar goes a lot farther down there - so helping them out down there is a lot better than bringing them up here to help. Plus the kid stayed down there and is now helping their economy.
A local church here sponsors an orphanage/home in Central America.
There was a story of a boy joining his older sister at the home. They cited abuse and opportunity. The family had more kids than they could feed.
Going to the orphanage that sent kids to school through middle school with a few scholarships for high school meant they’d end up with an 8th grade versus 5th grade education and maybe more.
Note - there are a lot of Central American and Mexican immigrants with a 5th-8th education.