In Chuvashia, They Are Increasing the Birth Rate by Closing the “Baby” Orphanage

This is an orphanage in the city of Ulatăr, where orphans and children whose parents have been deprived of parental rights are raised (source). All the children will be redistributed to other orphanages.

At the end of December, the main “Baby” orphanage (Shupashkar) was visited by a “random” labor conditions assessment commission. Officially, they found nothing to criticize—and didn’t try to. Together with the staff of the capital’s “Baby” branch, the commission discussed which orphanage could be sacrificed. The choice fell on the orphanage in Ulatăr (source).

Amid propaganda promoting a higher birth rate and coercive measures to achieve it, it is expected that the number of children will increase to some extent. Consequently, the number of homeless children who need to be housed, fed, clothed, and raised will also rise. However, Chuvashia continues to close orphanages, citing the current decline in birth rates, increased parental responsibility, and the “unprofitability” of maintaining so many institutions.

The real reason is much more mundane: Chuvashia is consolidating orphanages to maintain fewer of them and redirect the saved funds to finance the war. As a result, if the birth rate rises and the number of children without parents increases accordingly, there will be no place for these children—the existing orphanages will already be insufficient. And even if the birth rate continues to fall, the orphanages will still not be enough. This is because the occupying authorities in Chuvashia are participating in a nationwide Russian project to abduct Ukrainian children and “re-educate” them. These children occupy places in Chuvashia’s orphanages and foster families that could have gone to local children.