cambodia issues orphans

Cambodia is a poor country and there are an enormous number of underprivileged children, as well as a large number of orphanages. In spite of this, volunteering at an orphanage is often not only an ineffective solution – it actually makes matters worse. Not only does it cause further emotional damage to the children in care, it can also, ironically, create more “orphans”. Responsible Travel, in collaboration with organisations such as Save the Children and ECPAT, launched a campaign against unqualified and/or unnecessary orphanage volunteering. The issue is a complex one, so do see our campaign for more information and guidelines for volunteer organisations and questions for volunteers to ask. We’ve highlighted some of the key points below.