Georgette Mulheir, Lumos CEO, spoke at the One Young World Summit 2017. At least 8 million children are living in orphanages around the world, with at least 80% with one living parent. Children that live in an institution are at risk of abuse, trafficking, sexual exploitation and are exposed to harmful living conditions. Georgette describes the problem, progress and where we must go from here.

“I was 25-years-old in 1993. I walked into my first orphanage in Bucharest, Romania. It was just three years after the revolution, when unbelievable horrific images of Romania’s orphanages had been beamed around the world. But nothing could prepare me for the reality.”

This session took place during the Leadership & Government Plenary Session at the 2017 One Young World Summit, the world's premier forum for young leaders, in Bogotá, Colombia. The Summit brought together 1,300 delegates from more than 190 countries, empowering them to make lasting connections to create positive change.