Cambodia's Orphan Business

Published on May 23, 2012 by AlJazeeraEnglish

Increasing numbers of tourists including well-intentioned volunteers keen to help war-torn Cambodia are volunteering in the country's orphanages.
Volumes of research around the world have shown that orphanage care is associated with long-term psychological concerns.
People & Power investigates the concept of "voluntourism" which is inadvertently doing more harm than good to Cambodian children, as well as the disturbing trend of exploitation by some companies that organise volunteers or run orphanages.

People & Power - Cambodia's Orphan Business - YouTube

Some extra clips.

Psychologists believe keeping children with their extended family or in foster families is the best alternative to having them in orphanages. People & Power shows this through the story of Leap, a 14 year-old Cambodian girl who went missing after the orphanage she was in was closed down. She was later reunited with her aunt and uncle and now lives with them through financial sponsorship.

People & Power - The story of Leap - YouTube

Cambodia's Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation minister Ith Sam Heng says the number of orphanages has grown in recent years mainly due to the generosity of international and local donors. The ministry is also developing a strategy of foster care for children from orphanages. Experts say a secure family environment is the best alternative for children to grow up in, as People & Power reveals.


People & Power - Interview with Cambodian minister - YouTube

The People & Power team meets several volunteers who were placed to work in a school and an orphanage in Cambodia. In sharing their experience they talk of the impact volunteering and how orphanage tourism is doing more harm than good to children there.

People & Power - Volunteers' views on voluntourism - YouTube

Nice post, I believe that this 'voluntourism' racket must be ended as soon as possible. I am not having a pop at the zeal or enthusiasm of those doing the volunteering, however, they just don't know what they are doing, which is probably more harm than good.

Although I agree in general about putting an end to voluntourism where the kids and the volunteers may both be exploited (kids on show, volunteers paying to volunteer etc), I do not agree with wrapping the genuine orphanage kids up in western cotton wool and shielding them from the nasty foreign volunteers who come to help.

These kids are tough cookies - they have probably experienced a hard childhood living on the streets in Cambodia. They have survived that and they need to continue to be tough cookies to survive living in that corrupt country.

Shielding these kids from the harsh realities of life does them no favours, because those kids are the ones who will be living their future lives in the country, not the namby-pampy foreign NGOs.

So by all means shield them from the pervs, but FFS do not try to apply all the western PC rules - because this is not the west and successfully surviving in Cambodia requires a whole different set of skills which are not taught at Blossom Primary School in Buckinghamshire.

Perhaps a streetwise NGO could help the kids to set up their own orphanage, where the kids directly receive funds that the gullable voluntourists provide?

Power to the People!!

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Originally Posted by Simon43

Although I agree in general about putting an end to voluntourism where the kids and the volunteers may both be exploited (kids on show, volunteers paying to volunteer etc), I do not agree with wrapping the genuine orphanage kids up in western cotton wool and shielding them from the nasty foreign volunteers who come to help.

These kids are tough cookies - they have probably experienced a hard childhood living on the streets in Cambodia. They have survived that and they need to continue to be tough cookies to survive living in that corrupt country.

Shielding these kids from the harsh realities of live does them no favours, because those kids are the ones who will be living their future lives in the country, not the namby-pampy foreign NGOs.

So by all meansshield them from the pervs, but FFS do not try to apply all the western PC rules - because this is not the west and successfully surviving in Cambodia requires a whole different set of skills which are not taught at Blossom Primary School in Buckinghamshire.

Perhaps a streetwise NGO could help the kids to set up their own orphanage, where the kids directly receive funds that the gullable voluntourists provide?

Power to the People!!

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What the hell are you talking about ? What cotton wool? What different skill set ? What western PC rules?
I thought you built hotels and all of a sudden you're an except on childcare, learning and orphanages?

Go back to what you know mate.

No, I'm no expert on childcare, learning and orphanages, but I don't have time for western PC bullshit either, which I personally feel creates major problems for many NGOs that operate in this part of the world.

I have 4 young kids and have worked in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar over the past 10 years, including working in education, human trafficking etc etc (your comment about me only building hotels shows you know very little about me)

I watched all of those video clips and the thing that struck me was how the volunteers were hugging the kids all the time and building up an emotional attachment.

If they were volunteer teachers in the west, would they be allowed to hug the kids??? No way. Those volunteers are creating some of the kids' problems by allowing their (the volunteers) emotions to spill over into the work that they are doing.

The volunteers should be there to teach, or to build toilets or whatever their role is, not to act as some sort of 2-week, alternative mother/father for the kids

Simon

Nope>

PIO in PP does a great job People Improvement Organization

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Originally Posted by Simon43

(your comment about me only building hotels shows you know very little about me)

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Normal for many posters on web sites to assume from the limited posts presented that they know everything about someone from these limited posts. Good reply Simon 43, tried to green ya, but full up for now.

@Itnt, my professional work involves hotels, but for many years I have worked as a volunteer in areas related to human trafficking, rural education etc. That work has involved me in being familiar with the various donor funds for NGOs and charitable organisations that work in rural development. The criteria for gaining access to some of these private and government funds is dependent (IMHO) on some very PC views.

Suffice to say, if you want to apply for funding that benefits both genders, or benefits those who have 2 legs and are not transvestites, then your charity bank balance is unlikely to receive any funding.

What this means is that NGOs create projects that neatly fit the donation criteria of the fund-givers, to increase their chances of receiving these funds. But in many cases (again IMHO), those lending criteria are set by persons who are far-removed from the place where the funds will actually be used, they have minimal understanding of the specific needs of that local community or project, and they seek to impose their western views and opinions on situations which require a completely different mindset.

In a nutshell, many of my views on south-east Asia NGO funding and NGO activities are at odds with the accepted norm - and I am not afraid to state my position either

Simon