She wrote an article a few months back called "Hug-an-orphan vacations" where she examines the impact of voluntourism focused on orphanages. She makes some very important points- essentially asking the reader to question the motivation behind short volunteer (voluntour) experiences in orphanages.
I want to challenge readers to also think about what can you accomplish during a short voluntour placement at an orphanage or anywhere for that matter. I am not saying don't do a short volunteer placement but do your research first. The project should:
- not take away from the employment opportunities of a local person,
- be sustainable,
- focus on developing the resources of an existing organization (rather than building something completely new... unless absolutely necessary),
- be accountable (you know where the money is going),
- not exploit (ie use pathetic pictures of bloated bellies to appeal to funders).
FYI, the goal of my program is to provide an opportunity for a long term relationship between a school in Canada and a school overseas allowing for sustainability, supporting existing institutions, and ultimately helping more children get educations so they can grow up to help themselves, their families and their communities. I also teach about community development so that participants can go into experiences with their eyes wide open.
