Volunteering in ‘orphanages’ has come to a standstill during the pandemic. With lockdowns and travel restrictions in place, non-essential global travel has come to a halt. Volunteering in ‘orphanages’ is definitely non-essential. However, there is a concern that once the restrictions are lifted and daily life goes back to something approaching normal, people who are able to still afford it may rush out to ‘help’ the ‘poor orphans’ by volunteering in institutions again in great numbers. Just like with the preparation for recovery in child protection that needs to start now, the same is true for raising awareness that volunteering in ‘orphanages’ is not as beneficial as many people think.
I have written blogs before about the harmful effects and drawbacks of volunteering in ‘orphanages’ before (you can find them HERE and HERE, and a podcast HERE), and I am currently writing a book to give a more complete overview of this and of alternative ways of volunteering that are beneficial to those you set out to help. It is important to be aware of these things before you make your decision about whether and where to volunteer. Because although volunteering is always done with the best of intentions, it can – and does – still cause significant and long-term harm if it is not done in a responsible way.
So, now is the time to help people orient themselves on responsible and ethical volunteering, to avoid the pitfalls. Now people have time to read up on these things and educate themselves, while they are not allowed to travel anywhere yet.
One of the things many well-meaning volunteers are not conscious of when they travel halfway across the world to ‘help improve things’, is that this is a notion that is tied in with the ‘white saviour complex.’ The idea that as someone with little or no knowledge of the local culture, circumstances or even language – and very often as someone with no qualifications, let alone expertise, for the work that will be done – is well-placed to solve complicated problems and improve the lives of (‘helpless’) local people is quite frankly pretty racist. If you think you can put an end to children living in the street in Cape Town, why don’t you put an end to homelessness in New York or London, where you live? Far away problems seem simpler because you are less aware of the complexities involved. That does not mean that they are simpler.
There is good news as well though. For a long time organisations in countries from where many people travelled abroad to do volunteering work, were struggling to find volunteers locally. During the pandemic, there has been an amazing surge in people volunteering in their own communities. It is my hope that this has given them the insight that while it might be less exotic, it is at least as worthwhile. Not least because you are working in a situation where you are familiar with the culture and the language of the people you are helping, which gives you a much greater potential for making a real, positive difference.
And I hope that with this insight, people will continue to volunteer in their own communities even after they have more options open to them again. This is part of responsible volunteering. Make sure you are informed on how to distinguish between ethical and unethical volunteering and how you can make sure you end up on the right side of this divide.
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