In 2014, I arrived at the favelas in Brazil to volunteer as an English teacher in an orphanage. I completed my TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certificate last year. I had to build my CV with experience even if it didn’t support my financial needs. I had to do it for free.
“Hello, my name is Trisha. You are expecting me today. I am the new volunteer.”
“Oh, hi Trisha! We’ve been waiting for you. This is the first time we will have a person from the Philippines volunteer.”
Hmmm. Philippines person, I thought.
Favela Rocinha in Rio de Janeiro is one of the biggest slums in the country. According to an advocacy NGO Catalytic Communities, there are an estimated 1,000 favelas in Rio, and they are home to about 1.5 million people, or close to 24 percent of the city’s population.
On the other side of the so-called slum life lay the beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema: white sand, pristine waters, and a city bustling with life. It was so hard to believe that a place like Rocinha existed in a short distance.
Due to the lack of an effective sewage system, a strong smell paraded the small allies I walked in. The teacher aide showed me where the children were, and I entered a room full of kids of African descent.
Teacher Aid called the attention of the kids. She announced my arrival in a heavy Portuguese accent that I didn’t recognize and told the children about me.
They were all so cute and cuddly; I couldn’t help it! One by one, they started standing, came in my direction, and welcomed me with a hug.
Wow, that was encouraging. Those hugs were the best I received this year. I tried not to be emotional as I didn’t want them to imply I was pitying their current status. Tears are usually interlinked with a negative, but I was delighted that I wanted to cry!
I volunteered with many children in Africa and Asia but found these Brazilian kids the most welcoming.
They are not shy and seem to have worked their way around tourists. Okay, they all stared at me like the letters C-H-I-N-A were written on my forehead, but that’s usually what they think about Asians in this side of the world: you are all Chinese to us.
I started work immediately. I didn’t want to waste time. I was injected with so much positive energy it was inspiring! As a newbie, I had to observe first.
I first assisted in washing the dishes and cleaning the tables, and then I had the chance to talk to some not-so-shy girls who braided my hair.
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3-6 children were around me like I was a mascot, while some young boys were staring at me from a distance while smiling. I was very happy. That first day was a blast!
It was time for them to leave and go to their respective quarters. At least that’s what I thought. The favela is so big I don’t think I will even remember how to get back to the main street.
I have an apartment in Lapa, so I didn’t use their volunteer accommodation services. I chose to go home every day by bus because it wasn’t that inconvenient.
I met another volunteer while putting some toys in their respective boxes. She explained where the books, the blocks, and the ‘soft’ toys (i.e., dolls, pillows, etc) go.
While at it, I told her about the hugs I received when I arrived and how starting to volunteer made me feel.
“They are trained to do that. Every time visitors come, they must be adorable and cuddly.” she said.
So, that wasn’t genuine? I thought.
“Oh really? But it still made me feel good. Do you know where the children sleep?”
“In their homes.”
“They have homes? I thought this is an orphanage.”
“Yeah, they actually have parents, but mostly, they are working during the day and can’t look after their children. So they bring them here because they don’t spend a dime of their stay here. It’s convenient. Some of them have parents but have completely abandoned them so they stay in a little home the organisation provided for them. But not everyone can be accommodated. That place really looks horrible I think the parents should take their children back.”
I didn’t say anything. I was confused. On the way home, while I was on the bus, I was patching everything together: orphans mean they don’t have parents, right?
I mean, I wasn’t wishing for the kids not to have any but was digesting the real meaning of being an orphan. I was confused. Why is that place called an orphanage in the volunteering ad?
I spent the whole night reading about voluntourism and how these orphanages operate. Sure, there are many in the world, and my interest in volunteering in an orphanage was triggered by friends who did the same.
They said it was life-changing and the simplest yet most rewarding thing they’ve ever done. Through my reading escapades, I found out that volunteering, yet visiting an orphanage abroad is a bad idea.
Orphanages are booming businesses trading on guilt
Some studies proved that only a quarter of children in the orphanages lost both parents. Like in the situation I was caught in, a lot of these children were abandoned because of myriads of reasons. These so-called orphanages gave the parents the ticket to “forget you are a parent. Dump your children to us,” kind of trip.
Of course, these organizations will receive money as they release their slogans such as “Help save the orphans of ____,” “Change a child’s life. Donate now.” and many other words full of pity that will surely make people donate.
It’s a guilt trip for teenagers on a gap year to come and volunteer without pay; for middle-class families who can’t physically help but have enough fortune to donate; for retirees who have nothing to spend their money on: the stream of help coming to orphanages has been overwhelming. The question is, where does the money go?
Foreign volunteers coming in and out of children’s lives for short periods have negative effects
Orit Strauss, founder of GivingWay (a platform where you can find volunteering opportunities with no membership cost) stated that this creates attachment issues, and doesn’t help the children form long lasting relationships with caretakers they should be forming.
For this and many other reasons, GivingWay has taken a firm stance against Orphanage Volunteering and instead encourages programs that promote the keeping of families together, programs that offer family-based care, income generation, and social support.
Of course, many travelers who come volunteer have good intentions; there is no question of that. The thing is, we are not adequately educated about the psychological and mental effects of our actions on the people we are going to deal with, most especially in very depressed and poverty-stricken areas.
From learning this, I realized I was building my teaching resume in the very wrong way. I felt I was going to harm, so I decided I didn’t want to continue.
I immediately gave up my volunteering slot and told them I needed more time to evaluate the causes I am supporting. That’s the most honest I went to, but the teacher aid sounded furious as she had to find someone to replace me ASAP.
On finding sustainable volunteering opportunities
Seeing that more people advocate for responsible and ethical volunteering is great.
GivingWay is a great example as it shifts the focus back to the non-profit organizations that can independently and directly engage with prospective volunteers to enhance the matching of volunteer skills and organization needs. The impact on local communities is maximized.
Our generation is built to find volunteering as a channel for making our young lives more meaningful, but I realized that it is never right to venture into causes for which we don’t have strong feelings.
From this experience, I have been very picky with my volunteering opportunities and promised to always do further research, not just get hyped about “I’m going to Africa to volunteer with poor children, and it will change my life!”
I am pretty sure we all have good intentions but we should also be responsible when it comes to deep worldly issues we are not educated about.
I am not saying that all orphanages are corrupted, which is the reason why there are real orphanages who are suffering, but how do you know which one is which?
The only way to make a difference is to be in the know: remember that the more you know, the more you can use your skills, expertise, and energies to make this world a better world for all of us.
Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by GivingWay, a website where you can discover thousands of volunteer abroad opportunities in 110+ countries worldwide. All opinions are MY OWN, and the sponsor did not direct the editorial content. Please remember that I only recommend a product I genuinely believe in and trust.
What do you think about volunteering in an orphanage?
Have you experienced it? Did it cause harm or good? I’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave your insights in the comment box below.
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Hello Trish, (sorry if pa-FC) 🙂
I have been once in a while following your blog as a silent lurker since you have inspired me with your trips at a young age and this post has caught my attention. You might want to visit https://www.ongood.ngo/
These are the legit NGOs worldwide with .ngo domains/website. We can say they are legit since these are registered and validated per/by country. Thank you and keep blogging! 🙂
I agree that there are A LOT of organizations which exploit children turning orphanages into money making schemes. However, there are also loads of good ones. Bottom line, do your part and research! Great read! x
Wow, that was a real learning experience. I pray your decision will bring you to exactly where you want to be to help where it’s really needed. Don’t give up, what you do IS helping so many children and I admire the dedication you have had in the past.
SO great you’ve written this post. I saw Tara Winkler from the Cambodian Children’s Trust speak at TED earlier this year and it really brought this issue home for me. People just aren’t aware of what’s really happening. So glad your shared your personal experience.
Interesting read. Sadly a lot is done in the name of helping the poor which walks a very thin grey line and just like you unless you dig deeper most people just scratch the surface and leave confused. I can understand your problem with it “not” being an orphanage but then also believe that helping the poor learn is a good and noble job no matter what. However truth should prevail and everything should be made out in the open. A look at the stark reality of this world I guess.
Hello Trish,
It sounds like an unfortunate experience at the orphanage in Rocinha. I like to volunteer and help others – it is disappointing to discover an organization is not what it claims to be. I agree that it is important to do a lot of research so that you can use your time and talents to help make the world better.
Voluntarism is a new concept to me. I need to study this well before I take this up. I too felt a bit confused over their definition of orphans.
I am glad that you not only got an opportunity to volunteer, but to learn the effects. That is something I am sure a lot of people may have never even thought of, but after reading this I am like wow that is true. These children were already left for a multitude of reasons and now they are building a bond with someone who is going to end up leaving them as well. Makes you think.
Good work on giving up your volunteering slot when you became more aware of what was truly going on. It’s sad that organizations these days take advantage of the voluntourism industry and use the good intentions of international volunteers to turn a profit and ignore the long-term effects of volunteering on host communities. No wonder there’s so much cynicism about those who want to become an international volunteer to “do good”.
When structured correctly, I genuinely believe that volunteer placements can be mutually beneficial to both the volunteer and the local community, though it’s about doing our research, as you said, so make sure the cause is sustainable and being managed in the right way. I think the biggest obstacle to overcome is just making people aware of this need.
It’s so sad that people take advantage of these kids and people who genuinely want to help. Thanks for spreading the message and providing information about people can find sustainable volunteering opportunities!
Hey there! This is an important post, thank you for sharing this and also for being honest about your experience. I believe that its important to hold ourselves accountable and I’m glad that you had the courage to do so and then to share with your readers. Orphanage volunteering can be very destructive, but oftentimes travelers looking to do something positive in the world get involved with organizations such as this and don’t realize the harm that they are doing… and that the labor/money of foreigners oftentimes contributes towards the exploitation of the very people they are trying to help. I am very, very cautious about volunteering abroad, because as outsiders to a culture there is so much that we don’t understand about the nuances and needs of a community. Like you said, it oftentimes becomes more of a resume builder and a “this experience changed my life!” type of deal for the individual – but at what cost for the community? I encourage people to find organizations that are run by members of a given community (as opposed to outsiders who believe they know better about the needs of a community than the community members themselves), and to ask LOTS of questions about where the money goes, “am I qualified for this position?”, etc. Even more so when it comes to volunteering with children.
Anyway, thank you again for sharing this post, and I am looking forward to reading more of your blog!
Wow. I wouldn’t even think to research whether an orphanage was legit or not! It’s such a shame that there are organizations that will take advantage of peoples kindness like that.
Volunteering is one thing I would love to do soon on my travels too. You are right in evaluation first if the orphanage was legit or not. Here in the Philippines, its disheartening to learn that there are orphanages used by syndicates. Thank you for this eye-opening article, I also appreciate your writing style.
I had a slightly similar experience and I wasn’t even travelling or going on voluntourism when that happened. Ever since that day, I became very wary of the charities or foundations I’m going to support.
I’d like to share this helpful article for more insights on ethical volunteering: http://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/volunteer-abroad/ and this part struck me the most, “too many volunteer projects can actually foster dependency on international aid and compromise the dignity of the people they are trying to help.”
It’s unfortunate that I had to experience it firsthand before I learned that very important lesson. But I hope we get to spread the knowledge and prevent other people from falling for the same trap. Let’s not waste our energy and concern on organizations that are not really helping.
Hats off Trisha, keep up the good work.
That really takes one mind to get the good work done for others.
There are so many ways to change the lives of orphans or street children, via influence or words of mouth by encouragement make them believe what you are saying, words of God. Try to understand my situation, on how I developed my self through adapting styles and life techniques of good and smart people. I was abandoned at age 9 when my mother died. I would like to invite you to please visit my page and read my autobiography.