Editorial Report 9b

Like in my first editorial report, I focused on softening my critique as to not alienate potential volunteers. My original intention for this video was to explain the problems within the voluntourism industry and to encourage well intentioned travelers to seek out alternatives. No one will hear the alternatives if they don't make it to the end of the video.

Unedited Version

Sometimes communities do use the wells, schools, or churches that Westerners fly across the world to build. But all too often, volunteers are encouraged to build new facilities for a disgusting reason:

[Learning Service: 2:20-2:37 -- orphanages keeping facilities in terrible conditions to make more money & attract volunteers]

That’s not the only problem with these orphanages. The number of orphanages in Cambodia has tripled in the past five years and there are now seven times as many children living in orphanages than there were four years after the Khmer Rouge period. How are there more parentless Cambodian children now than there were right after a genocide?

The short answer is that there aren’t. According to the United Nations Children’s Emergency fund, or UNICEF, at least three fourths of Cambodian “orphans” have one or more living parent.

Representatives from these orphanages often travel to surrounding communities promising families that their children would be better taken care of, educated by foreigners, and have the chance to be successful. They bring photos of other children smiling with the foreign volunteer as proof of their fantastic teachers. To a poor family who doesn’t have the resources to research the organization, it sounds like a great deal.

In reality, these children typically end up living in awful conditions. The number of volunteers visiting the orphanage is inversely proportional to the quality of facilities and education.

Edited Version

Sometimes communities do use the wells, schools, or churches that Westerners fly across the world to build. But all too often, well intentioned Westerners are encouraged to build new facilities for a disgusting reason:

[Learning Service 2:20-2:37]

The number of orphanages in Cambodia has tripled in the past five years. There are now seven times as many children living in orphanages than there were after the fall of the Khmer Rouge. How are the more parentless Cambodian children now than there were right after a genocide?

There aren't. According to UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Emergency Fund, at least three fourths of Cambodian children in orphanages have one or more living parent.

Representatives from these orphanages travel to surrounding communities promising families that their children will have a better life if they leave home. They promise comfort, Western education, and the chance for success. To a poor family who can't research the organization, it sounds like a great deal.

In reality, these children live in awful conditions. The more volunteers visit the orphanage, the worse worse the facilities and education are.