The Problem With Orphanage Tourism
Giving back on your travels to the local community is a beautiful way to support the regions we fall in love with, but how we do it is crucial.
Volunteering at a local orphanage has pros and cons, with much of the negative impact going unrecognised and misunderstood.
While volunteering as an English teacher, childcare worker, or support worker for disadvantaged children might be with good intentions, a bigger picture must be discussed.
What Is Voluntourism?
Voluntourism is when travellers volunteer to help communities or the environment in the places they visit.
What Is Orphanage Tourism?
Orphanage tourism describes tourists volunteering their time at a local orphanage to work with children.
The problem is that many of these orphanages are unregulated and corrupt, and the work that takes place is very misleading to the public.
Children are often at risk of exploitation in organisational settings. Tourists who visit these centres can have no relevant experience with children or young people with trauma backgrounds, and it’s not uncommon for children to become attached to volunteers who will leave at the end of their project.
Quick Facts
Most centres have children labelled as “orphans” who have living parents or one living parent at home with extended family.
The owners focus on 'building a business' instead of looking for ways to support the families at home in the village through community development.
Many don't require volunteers to book in advance or make an appointment to visit the children, accepting anyone who walks in off the street.
Volunteers are not always required to have set skills or prior experience working with children or teaching English.
Volunteers don’t work with the local staff, often take work away from locals’ and are not creating long-term solutions to societal problems.
Fees are charged to the volunteer with no clear direction for the allocation of these funds, and are often encouraged to sponsor a child from home with no awareness of where this monthly donation of money is going.
Even worse, criminal history checks are rarely completed, exposing vulnerable children to strangers who could present a severe risk.
What Impact Does This Have On A Child
Orphanages are commonly overcrowded, loud and chaotic.
They can be unstructured and lack a daily routine.
Young children are housed with older children with little privacy.
Children in care miss their families.
Elevated toxins and poor sanitation/hygiene levels are common in unregulated centres.
Owners prefer the centre to look 'poor' and under-resourced to gain sympathy and donations from tourists.
Research has shown this sort of environment presents a child with many problems, including physical and psychological stress, which impacts their development.
Children in orphanages where tourists interact with them for short periods of time often show early signs of reactive attachment disorders and display trauma-based behaviours.
Children viewed as commodities risk being trafficked and exploited, and families might lose contact with their children.
Short-term volunteer projects or day visits to an orphanage are not sustainable and often benefit the ones volunteering over the ones who require the support.
Final Thoughts
Please remember that children are not tourist attractions and need nurturing and consistency to foster healthy relationships. Aim to find ethical or responsible volunteer options that support the welfare of everyone involved.
Research your chosen location, talk to other tourists or business owners in the area and learn as much as you can about the social needs of the area and how your good intentions can best be used as you travel.
Volunteers play an essential role in the community, and part of this role is where we choose to offer our help.
Choosing from an informed point of view will allow you to make decisions that significantly impact the welfare of children and their families.