Last week, we were invited to the premier of Finding Family, a film made by Oggi Tomic, former beneficiary of Hope and Homes for Children.

Oggi's story was humbling. Serbian born, abandoned at birth and brought up in institutional care in Bosnia during the conflict, his film documents the journey he took to find his family, 27 years on.

Hope and Homes for Children basically close down orphanages because they are so damaging for children.  'Surely it's a good thing orphanages exist, to care for children who are otherwise homeless', is what I said when I first heard about Hope and Homes. But did you know that a child growing up in institutional care has a brain size only 80% of that of a child who has grown up in a loving family environment?

Award-winning actress Kristin Scott-Thomas, patron of the charity, addressed the audience ahead of the film. A fundraising auction was held at the end, where some eye-watering bids were made!

All this will help Hope and Homes for Children continue their work across Africa and Eastern Europe, making sure children like Oggi get to grow up in a loving family, and making the world think twice about orphanges.