Voluntourism in poor countries needs to be tackled

Western volunteers do more harm than good in African orphanages. Ban this 'orphanage tourism', says Arne Doornebal.

HThe idea that 'we' from the West will sometimes help poor countries to 'develop' is based on a bad idea of ??superiority. NRC 's analysis of the Dutch apologies for the slavery past (24/12) examined how that past still has an effect today. Striking and perhaps also painful for many readers: development cooperation was soon mentioned.

I immediately thought of one of the excesses in that area, which is not even qualified as development aid. That is the large number of young volunteers who, driven by an urge for adventure or the hope of ending up in heaven, go to Africa. There, usually not hindered by any experience of working with children, they go to work as volunteers in orphanages. Voluntourism is what this is called in English: a combination of volunteer work and tourism.

The proliferation of orphanages is clearly visible in Uganda, traditionally a country that is very popular with do-gooders. In 2018, the Ugandan government stated that more than five hundred orphanages were operating without a permit. It is estimated that more than 50,000 children live in orphanages in that country. This is striking, in a country where children of deceased parents are almost always taken care of by relatives. The main reason for the existence of these orphanages is the fact that western volunteers are lured to them, because they usually also bring a lot of money.

misled

In recent years, more and more former volunteers have reconsidered their choice and indicated that they had been misled. Volunteers talk about the suffering they caused to children, who have to become attached to new volunteers every few weeks. Journalist Charlotte Simons brought attention to a dubious orphanage in Uganda in 2019 , with the Belgian owners filling their pockets. These are stories that are unfortunately told over and over again, but despite pleas from UNICEF, among others , not to participate in these kinds of projects as a young person, the orphanage volunteers continue to flood Africa. At least 80 percent of the children in orphanages are not even orphans, the children's rights organization previously calculated.

Voluntourists do not only come from the Netherlands, it is a worldwide problem. Traditionally, countless young people from Australia went to poor countries in Southeast Asia, where the same problems played a role. Until the Australian government investigated and concluded that these orphanages were largely maintained by the Australian youth. Australia therefore decided to ban this form of travel through a series of measures, including stricter legislation equating the transit of children through orphanages with modern day slavery . As a volunteer, this makes you think twice before joining.

Bonding problems

At the end of 2021, a group of at least fifty Dutch children's rights organizations called for an end to the phenomenon of orphanages and to stop sending volunteers there. Instead, the focus should be on projects that support children at home or with relatives. These children's rights organizations also mentioned the attachment problems among children and stated that an orphanage is 'by definition' harmful. In short, there are no 'good' or 'bad' orphanages: the whole concept has to be thrown overboard and preferably as soon as possible.

There are no 'good' or 'bad' orphanages: the concept has to be thrown overboard

There is now a campaign website that draws young people's attention to these negative consequences. Yet self-regulation is not enough. In a next step towards more equal relations between the Netherlands and 'the south', it is important to discourage voluntourism as much as possible and preferably ban it by means of legislation. Not only by waiting until African countries start screening more strictly for who all enters the country, but also by tackling the influx on the Dutch side. Australia has already shown that this is possible. Now it is the turn of the Netherlands.

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