My new book: Best Intentions, Yet Still Causing Harm. Why volunteering in orphanages does not have the effect you hoped for, is now available (after some delays, mostly pandemic related). After having witnessed the effects of volunteering in ‘orphanages’ on children for over a decade, I decided it was time to make other people aware of the unintended, but serious, consequences of this kind of volunteering.
Continue reading “Best Intentions, Yet Still Causing Harm”Tag: #orphanageindustry
Orphanage Industry in Myanmar Under the Coup
The news of the military coup in Myanmar and the turmoil there is very worrying in itself. However, when I heard about it, the first thing I thought about was the children. Particularly the children who have been recruited into the orphanage industry – ‘orphanages’ run for profit, something that has boomed in the country, over the past decade. What is going to happen to them?
Continue reading “Orphanage Industry in Myanmar Under the Coup”Proof That Funding Determines Where Children Go
I have repeatedly written about the ‘orphanage industry’ and how funding and/or volunteering in ‘orphanages’ causes children to be separated from their parents and to end up living in institutions. You can read about that HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE. I have made the following claim many times:
Continue reading “Proof That Funding Determines Where Children Go”Secondary Corona Danger to ‘Orphans’
On Monday, I posted a blog explaining how the Coronavirus is much more dangerous to institutionalised children than to other children, because of their weakened immune system (you can read the blog HERE). Since then I have been struck by another threat that faces a portion of institutionalised children because of Coronavirus, and I want to share that with you.
Continue reading “Secondary Corona Danger to ‘Orphans’”World Tourism Day
World Tourism Day, dedicated to an industry that helps people expand their horizons, and brings much needed money to areas that might not have many other means of getting it. However, there is also a dark side to the tourism industry. It has caused much harm, despite never intending to. Voluntourism is a perfect example of this.
Continue reading “World Tourism Day”World Day Against Trafficking in Persons
Unfortunately trafficking in people, and in children, is still big business, all around the world. There are practically no countries that are not a source, destination or transit country for child trafficking. This is something that needs to be tackled, and in order to be able to tackle it, we need to be aware of the problem. As well as of the fact that child trafficking is closely related to institutionalisation of children.
Continue reading “World Day Against Trafficking in Persons”Comparing Outcomes
When you propose a move from institutionalisation to family-based care, you usually get inundated with arguments against it. The belief that institutional care is cheaper is one of the arguments (one that was already refuted HERE), but not the only one. There is usually also a fear of trusting another family, strangers, to care for a child. The feeling is that the child will be alright in the institution, because that is all organised and more or less official, but it seems dangerous to just trust ‘random strangers’ with a child, anything could happen.
Continue reading “Comparing Outcomes”Podcast Orphanage Industry
In today’s podcast some real-life examples of the realities of the orphanage industry. Giving an insight into the mentality of the people running ‘orphanages’ in order to get money from donors and into the impact on the children.
The next podcast will be posted in four weeks.
Please share this to help spread awareness.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 20:56 — 18.3MB)
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Why Would An Institution Choose DI?
When you suggest deinstitutionalisation to the management of a residential childcare institution, you usually have an uphill battle. This is not surprising, because why would they want to put themselves out of existence?
Still, despite it starting out as an uphill battle, it is not a fight lost before it was started. There are actually a lot of good reasons for people running an ‘orphanage’ to choose DI, even if you disregard the ‘it is less harmful to the children’-one.
Continue reading “Why Would An Institution Choose DI?”State-Run vs Private-Run Institutions
In previous blogs a lot of mention is made of the orphanage industry: private individuals opening an ‘orphanage’, recruiting children and pocketing the money given by donors. This is a heinous practice and it must be stopped. However, the focus on this may have given the impression that privately-run institutions are the worst form of institutions around. If only that were true…
Continue reading “State-Run vs Private-Run Institutions”