Today I want to discuss with you the issue of volunteering with children and more specifically in orphanages. Although the debate around orphanage tourism is not new, it has lately reached new heights with orphanages being linked to cases of sexual abuse, modern slavery and human trafficking (see here). The bigger audience is thus becoming aware of its practices. The entire industry is based on what Leigh Mathews calls the ‘orphan myth’, which ‘is designed to ensure that there is a ready-made source of people, money and resources to support these children. However, the orphan myth is exactly that – a myth’ (Mathews, 2019, p. 46). It is estimated that over 80% of the children in orphanages have living parents.
“The volunteer tourism industry is valued at $173 Billion annually”
The love you give, documentary
“We see how an industry has been built, with the most vulnerable members of society being used as currency”
Leigh Matthews, 2019, p. 48
This cycle can be reduced to the economic principle of supply and demand: volunteers come to orphanages, bring in money and create a higher demand for children. This type of commodification of good intentions is problematic; it has reduced children to tourist attractions and has created a chain of modern slavery where people often send their children to orphanages out of poverty. Leigh Mathews, co-author and host of the podcast ‘the good problem’ also discusses the issue with Pippa Biddle, in the episode ‘little white girls and voluntourism’. You can listen to the episode below:
She talks about voluntourism as “doing good in a package”. I believe this is a great way to describe how generation Z wants to volunteer and how volunteering in orphanages fits well within their lifestyle: they have the idea of doing something good and it’s easily accessible with one click. They also receive approval from their family and peers since the volunteering justifies their travels by doing something ‘selfless’. However, now we know that they are actually doing more harm than good. In the podcast episode, they also emphasize the issues that come with volunteering with children and the dis-attachment disorder that children experience when they are in the care system. Although volunteering with children is popular for some reasons, ‘harm is manifesting in a way that is truly irreversible’. Volunteers come and go as they please, but the children are left alone at the end of the day.
It is great that people are advocating against orphanage tourism. The campaign ‘the love you give’ is a prime example of a well thought-out campaign and is developed by the better care network. They are trying to end orphanage tourism and volunteering by spreading awareness among future volunteers. You can see the documentary below
Besides a short fragment where a former volunteer has the word, the documentary only gives a voice to those that haven’t been heard before: the people that were actually in the care system. They also follow some professionals that are trying to reform the care system. I believe these are the two most positive things about the documentary: the voice being giving to those that were previously unheard, and the emphasis on positive social change with a focus on sustainable ways to keep families together. Children are not supposed to be brought up in institutions but in families. What is astounding to hear is that most of these orphanages are funded by the west, through donations and volunteers, while these types of institutions no longer exist in the west.
“We are part of a colonizing force, that has a different name.”
Pippa Biddle, The good problem podcast
To me, one of the most staggering comments brought up in the documentary is the young man that describes how he felt when the volunteers came to visit. He says: “At least now I have a mother, a mother who is white” (4’25”). It is clear that the visit to orphanages is more beneficial to the volunteer, than it is for the children. Coming to do good is an expression of white privilege and dominance. I’m happy we get to see the young man reunited with his father at the end of the documentary. I believe that this is ultimately what the documentary wants to demonstrate: that there is no need for white saviors.
Although the short documentary is the foundation of the campaign, in order to reach a young audience, it is necessary to expand the campaign through other social media channels. Besides the main documentary, partners of the better care network share the campaign through their social media channels. There is also a coalition through the blog rethinking orphanages, which serves as a guide for young volunteers and discusses the issues of voluntourism and orphanage tourism in a way that is comprehensive for young people. I believe ‘the love you give’-campaign is a great way to expose the practices in orphanages and give way to the future. Do not forget to check out both the ReThink orphanages blog and their social media channels in order to stay up-to-date about the current debate around voluntourism and orphanages.
For more information on voluntourism in orphanages see:
- The book: Modern day slavery and orphanage tourism
- Rethink Orphanages
- The good problem podcast
- The love you give – the untold stories of orphanages
- Helping not helping campaign
- The blogpost: Travel companies that do not support orphanage tourism
Follow these hashtags on twitter:
- #Familiesnotinstitutions
- #Helpingnothelping
- #Voluntourism
- #Orphanagetourism
- #Rethinkorphanages
Literature:
Mathews, L. (2019). People, money and resources: the drivers of institutionalization. In: Joseph, M. C., Mathews, L., Van Doore, K. & Flanagan, K. (Eds.). Modern day slavery and orphanage tourism (pp. 45-62). Wallingford, Oxfordshire: CABI.
Very interesting read and documentary. You have chosen an important issue to write about, one that many still seem unaware of. I agree that it is very positive that the documentary gives voice but it also provides some good representations of local development work and social change in the making. If I was a young person reading this, becoming aware that volunteering isn’t a great idea but still wanting to ‘make a positive impact’, what would you recommend I do instead?
Hi Ebba,
Thank you for your comment. I think one way to make a positive impact while volunteering would be to use your actual skills, rather than doing it for ‘the experience’. Many volunteers work with children or build houses, while they have no skills in either teaching or construction. Starting locally is also a good option. I’m glad that you liked the blogpost!
Shana, I reckon that your brilliant post has helped me understand how guilt is present in so many humanitarian actions. We, middle-class and wealthy Westerners, are enjoying all the comforts that the resources of the Global South provide, the work of many families whose children are trapped in textile sweatshops, or the landfills that receive the most dangerous waste we generate. And we need to do something to make ourselves feel better, to make up for our undeserved lifestyle, but without missing the opportunity to show our photos and tell the story of our free giving experience. Perhaps we should all reconsider whether we can help more from our homes, without participating in actions that contribute to perpetuating the orphanage business or others that are only developed to capture our lucrative charity.
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