Volunteer tourism, or voluntourism, is an emerging trend of travel linked to “doing good”. Volunteering programs are expanding rapidly as it has been estimated that every year 1.6 million people volunteer overseas, with voluntourism being considered the fastest growing ‘trend’ in travel, a trend worth an estimated $2.6 billion per year.

In the right circumstances, volunteer tourism provides significant benefits for both the volunteers and the communities that receive them. But we need to be absolutely clear: volunteering in an orphanage abroad is a bad idea. 

We know that volunteers and tourists generally have great intentions when travelling. So when you are abroad, it’s worth considering how you tell your story on social media, to make sure you use language and images to make a positive impact and break stereotypes, not reinforce them.

Dignity and respect for people in your insta feed

Within our Safeguarding Policy we have a chapter on the use of images (both photographs and video) and stories. Our overriding principle is to maintain the safety, privacy and dignity of children, families and communities portrayed.

When you’re volunteering or travelling abroad, you too can ensure that the images you use and messages you write enforce:

• Respect for the dignity of the people you meet
• Belief in the equality of all people
• Acceptance of the need to promote fairness, solidarity and justice

Some concepts from our “Guidelines for publishing images and stories” that could be useful to consider when you’re documenting your travels and experiences:

Informed consent

We must obtain informed written consent from any person we wish to photograph, video or interview, regardless of whether or not they are identifiable in the image. The written consent should as a rule be acquired PRIOR to capturing their image or filming them and contributors should be given sufficient information and time to reflect between consent being requested and pictures/interviews being taken

Children and adults in the care system

Children in the care system, and especially those in institutional care, are particularly vulnerable and therefore need a higher level of protection. Being institutionalised has a negative impact on their lives and this can be exacerbated by being discriminated against because of their early life in care.

Highlight positive and transformative effect

We should endeavour to show the positive and transformative effect of our work. Wherever possible, images and stories of institutions, or images/stories that illustrate the need, should not be used in isolation, but balanced with positive images and stories, showing how we are transforming lives.

Portraying diversity

As in all our communication publications, videos and website, we should ensure there is a balanced representation of the wide range of people we work with.

The social media guide for volunteers and travellers

Radi-Aid is an annual awareness campaign created by the Norwegian Students’ and Academics’ Assistance Fund (SAIH). Emerging from the satirical campaign and music video ‘Radi-Aid: Africa for Norway’, the campaign has focused on arranging the Radi-Aid Awards (2013-2017), celebrating the best – and the worst – of development fundraising videos. Along with this, they have produced several satirical, awareness-raising videos. In 2017, they have also developed the below Social Media Guide for Volunteers and Travelers.

“An increasing number of people spend their holidays or gap years traveling, while at the same time doing something meaningful and different. Language and images can either divide and make stereotypical descriptions – or unify, clarify and create nuanced descriptions of the complex world we live in. It can be difficult to present other people and the surroundings accurately in a brief social media post. Even though harm is not intended, many volunteers and travelers end up sharing images and text that portray local residents as passive, helpless and pitiful – feeding the stereotypical imagery instead of breaking them down. This is your go-to guide before and during your trip. Use these four guiding principles to ensure that you avoid the erosion of dignity and respect the right to privacy while documenting your experiences abroad.”

PRINCIPLE 1: PROMOTE DIGNITY

Promoting dignity is often ignored once you set foot in another country, particularly developing countries. This often comes from sweeping generalizations of entire people groups, cultures, and countries. Avoid using words that demoralize or further propagate stereotypes. You have the responsibility and power to make sure that what you write and post does not deprive the dignity of the people you interact with. Always keep in mind that people are not tourist attractions.

PRINCIPLE 2: GAIN INFORMED CONSENT

Informed consent is a key element in responsible portrayal of others on social media. Respect other people’s privacy and ask for permission if you want to take photos and share them on social media or elsewhere. Avoid taking pictures of people in vulnerable or degrading positions, including hospitals and other health care facilities. Specific care is needed when taking and sharing photographs of and with children, involving the consent of their parents, caretakers or guardians, while also listening to and respecting the child’s voice and right to be heard.

PRINCIPLE 3: QUESTION YOUR INTENTIONS

Why do you travel and volunteer? Is it for yourself or do you really want to make a difference? Your intentions might affect how you present your experiences and surroundings on social media, for instance by representing the context you are in as more “exotic” and foreign than it might be. Ask yourself why you are sharing what you are sharing. Are you the most relevant person in this setting? Good intentions, such as raising awareness of the issues you are seeing, or raising funds for the organization you are volunteering with, is no excuse to disregard people’s privacy or dignity.

PRINCIPLE 4: USE YOUR CHANCE – BRING DOWN STEREOTYPES

When you travel you have two choices: 1. Tell your friends and family a stereotypical story, confirming their assumptions instead of challenging them. 2. Give them nuanced information, talk about complexities, or tell something different than the one-sided story about poverty and pity. Use your chance to tell your friends and stalkers on social media the stories that are yet to be told. Portray people in ways that can enhance the feeling of solidarity and connection. A good way forward is to ask the local experts what kind of stories from their life, hometown, or country they would like to share with the world.

Here’s the social media checklist for volunteers and travellers from Radi-Aid, Africa for Norway:

You can download the guide at this link.

How to choose the right volunteering opportunity

If you’re thinking about volunteering abroad, here’s what to look for to make sure your time overseas is genuinely spent making a difference: check out this 10-point checklist to make sure you know what to look out for when you select your volunteering program abroad.

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Something didn’t feel right after a few days of arriving to volunteer at an orphanage in Malawi. But even whilst I was there, aged 19, I didn’t realise that my seemingly good intentions were feeding an industry that was and is harming vulnerable children.

Volunteering in orphanages is such a common experience that it’s sold through gap year and tourism companies. I paid the company to go and “help” but how did I actually help?

I wasn’t qualified in any way to work with vulnerable children, nor did I understand the culture or context in which they lived.

I don’t think a background check was done on me at any point. This is common in this type of voluntary work. So when people with sinister intentions want to target vulnerable children, they can and they do, by paying as consumers for the experience to go and “help”.

At the time, I thought the orphanage Director was corrupt as the children were malnourished. I never got to the bottom of it, but I do now know that children are trafficked into orphanages, sometimes for child labour, sometimes for commercial sexual exploitation and sometimes for tourists who want to do good. Orphanages can be a money-making venture.

My friend and I played games with the children and tried to repaint one of the rooms. These children, who have been separated from their families, grow up to have significant issues with developing healthy relationships- and volunteers who come and go, only make the problem worse.

This isn’t about criticising voluntary work or the work of charities. Charities play a vital role. This form of voluntary work though, is causing more harm than good.

We don’t think large-scale orphanages are an acceptable way of caring for children in the UK, so why do we think it’s acceptable to support them in other countries? Orphanages are a remnant of colonialism, as was the idea that I as a white British teenager, would be helpful to children in need of special care and protection in an African country I knew nothing about.

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Most people who volunteer overseas genuinely want to do something meaningful and experience a new culture. However, some of the companies that arrange this type of travel may be more concerned with creating a ‘life-changing’ experience for their customers, rather than responding appropriately to the needs of the host communities.   

This is a particular problem when volunteers are offered the chance to work with vulnerable children living in orphanages and other institutions.  Hope and Homes for Children, as part of the coalition, Rethink Orphanages, is working to raise awareness about the negative impact on children of volunteers and tourists visiting orphanages – read more about this campaign.

In short, our message is that it’s good to volunteer, but not in orphanages. There are other, better ways to make a real difference to children’s lives and learn about different cultures. 

VOLUNTEERING 10–POINT CHECKLIST

If you’re thinking about volunteering abroad, here’s what to look for to make sure your time overseas is genuinely spent making a difference:  

About the volunteering opportunity

– The needs have been set out by the local community.

Find out why the volunteer project has been set up and why volunteers are needed. As much as possible, the project should be directed and run by local people.  

– It’s sustainable

Projects shouldn’t create a long-term dependency on volunteers. Ask what happens to the project when the volunteers go home. 

– There’s no local alternative

Sometimes, volunteering can have a negative impact on local employment opportunities. Always look for projects where volunteers are brought in to enhance local capacity, e.g. to provide training or meet a short-term skills gap working with local people. 

– It doesn’t involve ‘orphans’ or vulnerable children

Despite the best intentions of volunteers who want to care for children, it can do more harm than good. Children who live in orphanages are quick to form relationships with volunteers as they arrive, only to feel abandoned once again when they leave. What’s more, an estimated 80% are not actually orphans and have at least one living parent.  

About you

– There’s a skills match

Think about what skills you have to offer that will be of use to the local community. Skills often in high demand include digital (websites, coding, social media), monitoring and evaluation skills, photography, fundraising (writing and submitting funding applications) language and computer skills. Don’t be tempted by volunteering placements for which you are not skilled or qualified – e.g. teaching or caring for children or providing medical care. 

– It adds value

Look for opportunities where you will learn. When you return home, use what you have learned to engage in your own community or apply it to your career. Employers will be interested in evidence of impact, not just the fact that you have volunteered overseas.  

About the volunteering-sending company 

– There’s evidence of impact

Look to see if the company you will be travelling with has a proven track record. Find out what’s been achieved in the past by staff and volunteers and how projects are monitored and evaluated.  

– You’ll be safe

Some volunteer-sending companies simply recruit volunteers for third parties, whereas others recruit volunteers for projects they manage themselves. Make sure you know who will be responsible for your safety, and who will be the point of contact for you and your family should anything go wrong.  

– You’re not being ‘sold to’

Some companies use emotive language to entice volunteers to sign up with them. Avoid companies that talk about volunteers ‘saving the world’, ‘giving children the love they need’ or focus heavily on the travel and tourism elements of the trip. Instead, look for emphasis on partnerships and sustainability.  

– You must apply to volunteer

The role of the volunteer-sending operator is to match your skills with the right project. You should expect to go through an application process and be vetted, as you would if you were applying for a job or university. You should also receive pre-departure support, including a briefing and possibly training and a job description about your volunteer placement. 

Find out more about voluntourism here

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In Kenya, over 40,000 children are living in orphanages. The sad thing about this statistic is that it is approximate, because the true number is unknown. There are untold numbers of children who the government can’t account for. They are invisible. Even those children who are visible in the statistics, remain invisible in reality; all society sees of them are the walls of the orphanages or children’s homes that confine them.

To an unsuspecting person, these walls can represent protection and care but recent revelations, not one, not two, but many revelations, show that these walls are a façade, hiding despicable acts of violence against children.

Recently, even in addition to the many other harmful effects of institutional care, acts of sexual violence against children in orphanages have been making headlines in Kenya.

Most recently, in February, 2019, a man who had been convicted of sexually abusing children in the Netherlands was charged with committing similar offences against girls in an orphanage he had set-up in Kenya, after his release from prison in Europe.

Sadly, this case is nothing new. In 2012, the British Airway’s pilot, Simon Wood was accused of using his position to abuse vulnerable children in Kenyan and Ugandan schools and orphanages. The allegations came to light when Wood was charged with sexually abusing a child in the UK. He committed suicide before his case could be tried.

In 2017, a teenage missionary from the USA who volunteered in an orphanage in Kenya, was sentenced to 40 years in prison for sexually assaulting three girls and a boy while working at the institution.

It is not only tourists and visitors who have been found guilty or charged with sexually abusing children in orphanages in Africa. In March 2019, a cook at a children’s institution in Kenya, appeared in court, accused of sexually assaulting children living there.

Voluntourism in orphanages

These cases show how orphanages offer sexual predators an easy avenue to perpetrate violence against children in the name of charity and how volunteers and visitors may subject children who are already vulnerable to further risks.

Poor child protection oversight is also to blame. Perpetrators, some with criminal histories, disguised as volunteers and well-wishers, easily find their way into these orphanages; often you only need to carry a bag of goodies to be let in to interact with the children.

Some unscrupulous orphanages have gone further to subject children to violence by cashing in on the lucrative business of voluntourism in orphanages, at the expense of children. Some have built paid accommodation centres for volunteers within the orphanage walls and even allowed volunteers to sleep in the same accommodation as the children.

It is not that we did not see this coming. The World Report on Violence Against Children published by the UN in 2006 raised the alarm on the state of children’s homes and orphanages. The report includes research that shows that violence in residential institutions is six times higher than violence in foster care, and that children in group care are almost four times more likely to experience sexual abuse than children in family based care.

This research was not published to gather dust on the shelves. It was published to be read and primarily to guide policy and practice in the child protection sector by governments and civil society organizations.  Unfortunately, Kenya is an example of a country that has not acted on the report, and by so doing, is not listening to, but failing thousands of children who are in these institutions.

Holding children in often isolated places, away from the eyes of the community, only reinforces the vulnerability of children to violence and other forms of abuse.

The trauma that these experiences inflict on children is almost irreparable. With their confidence shattered and shame inflicted by the people who purport to be their primary carers, many of these children and young people are left to endure the violence in silence, too ashamed to seek the protection and psychological support they need.

The clarion call to end the era of orphanages can no longer be ignored

The rampant abuses so far revealed show that every day that passes risks being another grievous day of acts of violence against children. These children are tomorrow’s citizens and beside the subjective trauma they will live with, our society will forever be accountable for perpetuating their suffering, for sitting on the fence when we knew better, when we knew we could do better.

Over eight decades of research now exists to show that orphanages and similar institutions do not protect children; they harm them. And we know that by strengthening families and communities we can eliminate orphanages.

For all those children who have suffered so terribly as a result of this unacceptable system, who are suffering now, we must say loud and clear that the answer to protecting vulnerable children is always family, never orphanages. Now is the time to make this ideal the reality for children everywhere.

To know more

To know more about the harm of orphanages read our part 2 blog of this series: “The harm of orphanages (part 2): weakening family and community structures in Africa“.

Follow this link to know more on the topic of Orphanage Voluntourism, and check out our Volunteering Checklist to choose the right volunteering program and to make sure your time overseas is spent making a genuine difference.

If you want to get involved and help Hope and Homes for Children in our mission to be the catalyst for the global elimination of institutional care follow this link.

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Volunteer tourism, or ‘voluntourism’, is travel trend linked to ‘having fun / doing good’. Every year approximately 1.6 million people volunteer overseas, with voluntourism being considered the fastest growing ‘trend’ in travel, worth an estimated $2.6 billion per year.

Good intentions have disastrous outcomes

For the most part, voluntourists are well-intentioned people, looking for an opportunity to travel and contribute to the countries they visit. Sadly though, when it comes to volunteering in orphanages, these volunteers risk harming rather than helping children.

Can volunteering abroad be positive?

In the right circumstances, volunteer tourism provides significant benefits for both volunteers and communities that receive them. But we must be absolutely clear: volunteering in children’s institutions is a bad idea. 

Ask yourself this: would you be happy for a volunteer from overseas, with no experience and no background checks, to help out at your local school or nursery?

I think I can guess your answer. Yet this is exactly what’s happening in when foreign volunteers work in orphanages abroad. What many volunteers don’t know is that around 80% of the 5.4 million children housed in orphanages, are not orphans at all. Most are separated from their families because of poverty, disability or discrimination. Once confined to these large and loveless facilities, even babies and very young children are deprived of the vital one-to-one care and attention that every child needs to develop properly and to thrive.

100 years of research – orphanages harm children

Years of robust research show that institutions harm children. The lack of individual love that is characteristic of institutional care, damages children’s emotional, physical and neurological development. The results can last a lifetime. Yet, with the growth of volunteer tourism or ‘voluntourism’, there’s an increasing trend for people, often young and from higher income countries, to spend time helping in orphanages in other parts of the world.

Watch the short interview below “Voluntourism: More harm than good” with Leigh Mathews co-founder of the cross-sector coalition, ReThink Orphanages

Voluntourism in orphanages leaves children vulnerable to abuse where child protection regulations are lax. It creates attachment problems in children; they become close to short-term visitors. And it perpetuates the myth that many of these children are orphans in need of adoption.

Orphanage voluntourism and orphanage tourism: What’s the difference?

In many countries, Children in orphanages are exploited as ‘attractions’ for tourists. This perpetuates the orphanage economy and allows the proliferation and sustainment of institutions. This is “Orphanage Tourism”; tourist visits to orphanages as part of packages, day trip excursions or tours. The impact on children can be critical because of the cyclical, short-term nature of the visits and the experience of being treated as a tourist attraction. The need to attract tourists to visit orphanages can even mean children are purposefully kept in poor conditions. They can be denied food, clothing and other essentials in order to attract more money from visitors.

In this light, orphanage tourism can be seen as a form of child exploitation

This short animation shows the impact that volunteers have on children in orphanages from a child’s point of view.

The Love You Give campaign—take the volunteering pledge

As members of the coalition, Rethink Orphanages, we’ve added our voice to The Love You Give, #ChangeVolunteering campaign. It aims to raise awareness among young people about the negative effects of volunteering in orphanages.

Take the volunteering pledge at this link: “I pledge to not volunteer in orphanages and  change volunteering for the better.”

It’s good to volunteer. But do your research first

We don’t want to discourage volunteering abroad. But we must alert people to the risk of volunteering in children’s institutions.

Most people who volunteer overseas genuinely want to do something meaningful and experience a new culture. However some of the companies that arrange this type of travel may be more concerned with creating a ‘life-changing’ experience for their customers, rather than responding appropriately to the needs of the host communities.

To ensure your time overseas is spent making a real difference, think about

• the volunteer company you use
• the volunteering program
• and the skills you yourself can bring to the project.

The post What’s wrong with visiting and volunteering in orphanages? appeared first on Hope and Homes for Children.

Here, Sarah McManus, Operational Lead at Border Force’s National Safeguarding and Modern Slavery Team, writes a guest blog reflecting on the success of our operation to raise awareness amongst travellers at three UK airports.

Although I’m used to 4am starts from my years with Border Force, much of that shift work, it never gets much better.

Sometimes though, when it’s for a cause that’s close to your heart, that can put a spring back in your step. That’s why, when we launched ‘Operation Bacoli’ In October 2022, to mark Anti-Slavery Week and EU Anti-Trafficking Day, I was leading from the front.

Cutting off demand for orphanages

Operation Bacoli was a 4 day, multi-site initiative to raise awareness of the harms of orphanage tourism amongst the travelling public. It ran from Friday 14 until Tuesday 18 October 2022, at our three busiest UK airports Manchester, Gatwick and Heathrow. A hugely successful operation, it saw my colleagues and I engage hundreds of the travelling public in conversations about the harm orphanages wreak on society, in places where orphanage tourism is rife.

We targeted terminals and times when travellers were flying to orphanage tourism hotspots like South East Asia – Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia – or the connecting flights that would take them there.

We handed out leaflets, had banners in prominent spots with a footfall of thousands, and welcomed colleagues from the orphanage tourism taskforce, ABTA and Hope and Homes for Children to Heathrow for the day to help out. Our aim was to engage as many travellers as possible with our simple message, “Orphanages harm children, don’t visit or donate to them on holiday”.

Border force officers Kate Goldstone (L) and Sarah McManus (R), smiling after a successful operation at London Heathrow.

Public support

You never know how people will react to campaigns like this, but the overwhelming majority of travellers I spoke to were really positive about the campaign, and interested to learn more about it.

“I had no idea anything like this went on! It’s really shocking isn’t it.”

Traveller to Dubai, Terminal 3, London Heathrow Airport

Most people don’t realise that orphanages like these are businesses, which exploit children. They separate them from their families and traffick them into abuse and neglect, just to extract money from tourists. Just like I didn’t, when I visited girls performing traditional Thai dances in just such a place, many years ago on holiday with my husband. Like most tourists, I only wanted to enjoy some local culture on holiday and give a little money to support the children I’d met.

If I had known where my money was going, I would never have paid for that trip.

Imagine unvetted strangers paying to walk into your local primary school, to watch your children’s school play. Then you start to get a feeling of why we should all be uneasy about these practices.

So that’s why I’m determined travellers have all the information they need to make informed decisions while they’re away. Border Force has such a vital role in safeguarding children, I’m delighted we could support this campaign.

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Approximately six million children worldwide live in orphanages. Before the pandemic, thousands of volunteers and interns travelled – with the best of intentions – to these homes. They come there to help but unfortunately harm the children who grow up there.

Hundreds of scientific studies worldwide show that growing up in an orphanage is harmful to the development of children. Children in orphanages not only lag behind in physical growth but also suffer from impaired social and cognitive development. Moreover, the constant coming and going of unqualified volunteers can be traumatic, creating attachment problems for the children.

Fortunately, there are also many forms of (national and international) volunteering that ARE a good idea! The volunteer test on https://weeswijs.nu/ helps young people find volunteer work that really contributes to local communities. Although the campaign is based in the Netherlands, many of the volunteering resources they suggest are open to anyone.

You can follow the campaign on Facebook and Instagram, or take a look at https://weeswijs.nu/ and help spread the message!

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