What kind of campaign is it?
“The Better Care Network uses Instagram and Facebook to access young people’s timelines to ask whether they’re interested in volunteering in an orphanage in a developing country. However, when they click on the question, they’ll only see information about the dark side of orphanage tourism instead of the usual promotional stories. They’ll also be given information about how they can make a positive contribution to the world. The campaign focuses specifically on Christian youth. The previous campaigns didn’t strike a chord with this group because they focused on ‘orphanage tourism’, but these young people don’t see themselves as tourists; they’re missionaries because they’re on a mission.”
What’s so wrong with volunteering in an orphanage in a developing country?
“There are many problems. Many psychological research studies have shown that growing up in an orphanage can be psychologically harmful for children. Children who grow up in orphanages often have a range of problems, and are more likely to have attachment issues, and the children in these types of orphanages are also regularly subjected to child abuse. In addition to this, the volunteers who end up working there need to realise that there’s a good chance that they’ll be taking over a job from a local person. What’s more, these volunteers are often not qualified to take care of vulnerable children.
We also know that the vast majority of children who live in orphanages still have a living parent. The existence of orphanages may actually increase the number of children being orphaned, especially when there are volunteers who are working in orphanages who have brought their earnings with them. There’s a danger that the orphanage is concealing a business model, which means that children are being taken away from their parents unnecessarily.”
Why is this campaign so important?
“This campaign is an eye opener for many citizens, especially young people who are unaware of the problems that exist in orphanages in developing countries. The campaign’s message is: think very carefully before you assume that you need to go to a developing country to offer help. Beware of the white savior syndrome; ask yourself why you think you have something to offer there. It would actually be better if you looked for alternative ways to help. For example, you could offer your support to existing aid organisations.”
How does your research provide a foundation for this campaign?
“I am carrying out long-term research into small-scale development organisations and they appear to play a central role when it comes to sending volunteers to orphanages. As a result of previous campaigns, most of the professional, more commercial volunteer sending organisations have chosen to stop sending volunteers. But this doesn’t apply to these private development initiatives. Research from 2017 shows that there are approximately 1,500 Dutch foundations that occasionally send volunteers to orphanages or other types of shelters for vulnerable children. This shows that the minor players have become relatively important in this field, which means that we need to continue addressing the problem of orphanages, what is being done in this current campaign.”
In early January 2021, the research report ‘Research into the number of volunteer trips from the Netherlands to residential healthcare institutions for children: roles, responsibilities and action perspective’ was published; Sara Kinsbergen and Simon Kuijpers from Radboud University both contributed to this research report. The research study was commissioned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in response to an initiative policy document that was written by Dutch MP Wybren van Haga. Click here to read the report.