Orphanages Archives - sally hetherington

Why orphanages shouldn’t exist

April 21

There are approximately 400 residential care institutions in Cambodia, housing over 40,000 children. Despite what you would rightly assume about the children in these institutions being orphans, approximately 80% of them have at least one living parent. Although the number of genuine orphans fell between 2005 and 2015, the number of orphanages increased by 60%. I think you know where I am heading with this; the opening of orphanages was fuelled by a demand from tourists and voluntourists ...

Orphanages

The Love You Give

November 29

“I visited Tanzania on a volunteering trip when I was in college, which I really enjoyed at the time, but looking back on it compared to other volunteering trips I’ve had since then, I can see that the trip was mainly beneficial for me rather than the people I’d gone out to see or ‘help’. This was particularly the case for the orphanage we went out to see and involved visiting young children and giving them gifts or toys which we had brought ourselves. We also ...

Cambodia, Child Protection, Orphanages

Girls in developing countries don’t need dresses; they need education

October 15

A few months back, I received an email from a woman who runs her own charity that provides dresses to girls in developing countries. Heading to Cambodia later this year, she wanted me to suggest an orphanage in Cambodia where she could bring the handmade dresses. I told her that I did not have suggestions for orphanages in Cambodia, and gave her a link to the Orphanages No website to understand why I advocate for children to stay in the community rather than be placed in residential care. I ...

Cambodia, Featured, Orphanages, Poverty Tourism, Voluntourism

Read This Before Paying to Volunteer Overseas

December 20

Recently, Projects Abroad announced that by the end of 2017, they will no longer send volunteers to help directly in orphanages, instead focus on supporting community-based care for children. Although this is great progress for a company that generates great profits through the vulnerable, this isn’t enough. Organisations such as Projects Abroad and IVHQ offer a wide range of experience for voluntourists, such as social work, animal care, building and agriculture, in addition to the ...