{"id":11047,"date":"2016-05-06T17:40:21","date_gmt":"2016-05-06T16:40:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/travindy.com\/?p=11047"},"modified":"2016-05-07T12:11:15","modified_gmt":"2016-05-07T11:11:15","slug":"most-children-in-orphanages-arent-orphans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/travindy.com\/news\/2016\/05\/most-children-in-orphanages-arent-orphans\/","title":{"rendered":"Most children in orphanages aren\u2019t orphans"},"content":{"rendered":"

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#StopOrphanTrips Blogging Blitz<\/div>
This is the fourth\u00a0post in the month long #stoporphantrips Blogging Blitz. It was originally published on the Runaway Juno blog<\/a>. You can see all the posts and learn more about the campaign on our Orphanage Volunteering special focus<\/a> page<\/div><\/div><\/p>\n

\u201cMost children in orphanages aren\u2019t orphans.\u201d<\/h2>\n

W<\/span>hen I first heard this, from a colleague working in international development, it was a shocking discovery. It\u2019s a bit of oxymoron, isn\u2019t it? Orphans in orphanages are not actually orphans. Reading more about it<\/strong><\/a>, I\u2019ve come to understand a bit more about why children end up in orphanages, if they\u2019re not orphanages, and why volunteering to help them can cause more problems than it solves.<\/p>\n

International travelers always have been trying to connect \u2018giving back\u2019 while traveling. Orphanage volunteering is one of the most common types of volunteer programs around the world. However, we need to think twice before we say yes. Why is that?<\/p>\n

Most children in orphanages are not orphans. Then how did this happen?<\/h2>\n

It\u2019s poverty that pushes most children into orphanage, and sometimes a lack of access to education in rural areas. Most kids in orphanages have at least one living parent. These families send their kids to an institution because they think it will provide better opportunities for them. The donation money coming into orphanages isn\u2019t helping children; it is enabling a broken institution and form of care. To meet the requirements of well-intended orphanage volunteers and wealthy donators, orphanage directors often displace children from their families usually in rural areas. Children become a money making tool. This is not an isolated event; child protection specialists have expressed their concern about the practice in over 20 countries.<\/p>\n

What happens to the children?<\/h2>\n

We all know children need positive and caring environment to grow. There might be physical support for those children in orphanages but there is little emotional support. Children who grow up in orphanages are venerable to neglect, exploitation, and abuse. The volunteers in these institutions can actually create emotional scars for the children. Children easily develop attachment to volunteers who are constantly being replaced by few faces. It can mean that children develop trust issues because there\u2019s no constant influence in their lives. It\u2019s nearly impossible to have room to grow, evolve, and be prepared for life. When they leave the orphanage they most likely feel lost, overwhelmed, and alone. In a lot of cases, those kids end up being unemployed and resentful of their childhood experiences. Sometimes NGO groups have witnessed ex-orphanage youth turned to orphanage trafficking because that\u2019s the only business they know.<\/p>\n

How can we help?<\/h2>\n

Instead of donating or volunteering at orphanages, support families and communities. These are some simple tips on how to \u2018give back\u2019 the right way.<\/p>\n