A year of travelling and volunteering in a developing country – it is a dream of many young Europeans. African or Asian orphanages are especially appealing, popularized by photos of western volunteers with adorable little kids. But the result of this ‘orphanage volunteering’ is damaging for the mental health of the kids that the volunteers aim to help.

Parody images
The campaign ‘Stop orphanage volunteering’ is an initiative of eight children’s rights organizations. It aims to raise awareness of the harmful consequences of voluntourism in the Global South. It does this through parodies on the ‘White Savior’ photos that adorn the websites of many volunteers, with captions such as: ‘I wanted to go to Ibiza, but this is better! Chilling out in the sun with these cute orphans’.

Using parody and humor, the campaign has reached many would-be volunteers, as well as intermediary agencies and educational institutions that send them. Many have pledged to refrain from placing volunteers and students in orphanages.

Find out more on the Facebook page from: Stop Weeshuistoerisme or at the website www.stopweeshuistoerisme.nl