Member

Imagine being on a cruise around south-east Asia and one of the excursions is to view an orphanage—this did happen to a friend of mine—and to pay money for the privilege of reading stories to the children. How cruel is that? This is a child who has been put in an institution. Perhaps their families believed that they were put there for a better life—for an education. I do not necessarily blame the families, but these children are there simply to raise money. A busload of tourists—kind western people—turn up, and sit down to read a story to these children and then give money. These poor children are left. They do not have any further contact with these people. Gap-year students can be involved. They may have decided to spend a bit of their gap year working in one of these institutions, which are in South America, Africa, or south-east Asia—across the world. Those young people are doing what they believe is the right thing—voluntourism, I think it is called—but they are being exploited. These children are there simply to raise money.