Time to take stock again, as Family-Based Solutions enters its fourth year, as a registered consultancy business this time. Some major changes have taken place in my personal life, which resonate through to Family-Based Solutions. Here I will give you an update on the changes and accomplishments.
Continue reading “Three Years Family-Based Solutions, in a New Place”Tag: #Voluntourism
Best Intentions, Yet Still Causing Harm
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”No Post-Pandemic Volunteering in Orphanages
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.
Continue reading “No Post-Pandemic Volunteering in Orphanages”Corona Virus and Institutionalised Children
News about the Coronavirus, or Covid-19, has been hard to escape for the past couple of months. A lot of people are very worried and various media and industries seem to be whipping up the worry into a panic. It can be hard to keep a level head and to know how to take necessary, sensible precautions, without losing yourself in panic. What can also be hard, is to be aware of what the various groups at greatest risk are. Until you are reminded of it inescapably, as I was while I was in India.
Continue reading “Corona Virus and Institutionalised Children”End of Year
Another year is about to end, and with it we leave the teens of the 21st century behind us. So, some more musings from me on time passing, things developing and life in general. This time last year, I wrote a blog about the increasing momentum of deinstitutionalisation all across the work (you can find it HERE). Over the past year, other promising movements have gathered pace.
Continue reading “End of Year”A Push Against Volunteering in ‘Orphanages’
On 24 October, Lumos launched a big campaign against volunteering in ‘orphanages’. They held a big event where JK Rowling explained why volunteering in institutions is not a good idea, however well-intentioned it is. The campaign aims to raise awareness, to get businesses and universities to commit to stop encouraging young people to volunteer in ‘orphanages’, and to spread knowledge about more responsible ways of volunteering. This is a wonderful and necessary undertaking. You can find more information about it on their website HERE.
Continue reading “A Push Against Volunteering in ‘Orphanages’”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”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?”