To compliment the blog The Danger of Voluntourism (HERE) this podcast gives some real-life examples of practical things that may not have the intended result. Something to consider for everyone thinking about volunteering in an ‘orphanage’.
The next podcast will be posted in four weeks.
Please share this podcast to help spread awareness.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 19:11 — 16.6MB)
Subscribe: RSS
On hearing that Guatemala had put a moratorium on inter-country adoptions – meaning they would not allow any until further notice – a lady, who is herself a mother of adopted children, asked me in shock how the country could do such a thing: how could they leave all those poor children stuck there when there were families eager to adopt them? Like voluntourism, inter-country (or international) adoption is something that people tend to get involved in with the very best of intentions, but that has an unexpectedly large capacity for causing grief and trauma, and for damaging children.
Much like voluntourism, inter-country adoption started out as something done by a few people with a genuine wish to give a better life to children with no prospects, then turning into something that became popular, leading to the opening up of a market.
Continue reading “Illegal Adoption”In previous blogs, we have looked at children being pulled out of their families to fill ‘orphanages’ to cater to the voluntourism industry and the orphanage industry (HERE and HERE). We have looked at ways children are exploited both knowingly and unknowingly in institutions (HERE). And we have looked at how their growth, health and brain development, as well as their chances of successful independent adult lives is put on the line by not having their essential basic needs met for many years (HERE). That seems like too much to handle already, and it really is.
Unfortunately, there is more. When children live in institutions, they are much, much more vulnerable to abuse than children are in general.
Continue reading “Additional Risks of Institutionalisation”In previous blogs mention has already been made of gross forms of exploitation of children, it comes in the form of the orphanage-industry (as you can read HERE and HERE), illegal adoption and forced labour or begging. These things are relatively easy to recognise and condemn. However, children who live in ‘orphanages’ and other institutions tend to be exploited in more ways. And the scary thing is that those who exploit them, do not always know that that is what they are doing.
Continue reading “Exploiting Children”Recently, Lumos has held a major event in the US. Lumos is a London-based organisation that for the past 13 years has worked very hard and gained increasing momentum to achieve global deinstitutionalisation. And now they have released a video that was taken at that event.
In the summer of 2017, I had the privilege of attending Lumos’ ‘Introduction to Deinstitutionalisation’. For four days I was able to exchange experiences and have discussions with a variety of representatives of major international organisations involved in child protection and of several government bodies from across the world. As well as increasing my knowledge and understanding of various details of how to make sure deinstitutionalisation is done responsibly.
Continue reading “Don’t Take My Word for It”It seems like such a good idea, like such a kind and generous thing to do, to go to a different country to spend time in an ‘orphanage’ giving your time and love to underprivileged children. It is almost always done with the best intentions and from a real desire to make a difference, to improve these children’s lives.
When you arrive, it really looks like you were the person they were waiting for all this time. A swarm of children runs to you, surrounds you, tries to hug you, or sit on your lap. The second-hand clothes that you brought look better than what the children are wearing. The extra food and treats you buy are accepted as manna from heaven. And when you leave there are many tears, on both sides. As you leave, while you are sad to leave the children behind, you are comforted by the thought that you clearly did make a real, positive, difference in these children’s lives. Unfortunately, all is not what it seems.
Continue reading “The Danger of Voluntourism”Let’s start with a little introduction, a little more personal than the ‘About’ page. Who am I and how did I get here?
That’s a really good question and I will fight the impulse to become too philosophical or existentialist in answering it. So I’ll start with the first part. I am Florence Koenderink, a Dutch woman who has lived in Scotland for the past several years and who works all over the world, wherever I’m asked to go. The more formal details on that you can look up on the ‘About’ page.
