Cambodian orphanages scam Western children and hurt locals

[geovalin]

Do you know how much it costs to send your daughter to volunteer in an orphanage in Cambodia, Vietnam or even parts of Africa?

About $8000.

That’s for 10 days and it doesn’t cover the airfares. She’ll sleep on a bunk in a shared room, she’ll eat noodles and she’ll plant vegetables surrounded by beaming, barefoot children. She will probably love it, so much so that you’ll get sick of hearing about how meaningful it all was. Sadly, in many cases, she will have been scammed.

As tough as this is for Australian parents to accept, many of the orphanages in the Third World aren’t real. They’ve been set up like zoos, specifically to enable your cherished teenager to visit. The kids aren’t even orphans. They have parents, they’re just not allowed to see them. They have to smile and dance for delighted Western volunteers instead.

And now, finally, it’s coming to an end. Much of the credit for peeling off the lid on the scam that is orphanage tourism goes to a young Australian advocate, Leigh Mathews. She’s older and wiser now, but at 22 she went to Cambodia as a backpacker and, like so many before her, she soon became a orphanage volunteer.

Caroline Overington

read more http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/inquirer/cambodian-orphanages-scam-western-children-and-hurt-locals/news-story/4848a75cc3d55e830c74511d0743dc4f

[samjaidee]

You just get interested and you click on the link and what happens?

 

Your faced with a Murdoch site blocked by a paywall.

 

Why bother posting at all?

 

 

[rijb]

8 minutes ago, samjaidee said:

You just get interested and you click on the link and what happens?

 

Your faced with a Murdoch site blocked by a paywall.

 

Why bother posting at all?

 

 

Western crooks trying to out Eastern crooks.

[aussie11950]

geovalin, That's pathetic to post a news item that will require a payment to read it.

Just incompetence by the poster.

 

 

[aussie11950]

Actually you can find free news by googling "Cambodian orphanages scam Western children and hurt locals"

It actually comes up with the same URL but no pay wall.

 

[bleble]

Only a French can be so smart ! But why posting anything in English ? Since when French can read and write English ?

 

[tryasimight]

This  s one of many scams to suck in the bleeding heart leftie liberals. And they fall for it every time.

[balo]

People are stupid , thats the problem . 

[Johnnyngai]

Volunteering in an elephant rescue camp is about the same, but I don't care because I like elephants. 

When I see happy elephants, I feel happy. 

[Ulic]

If you are paying to volunteer you are being scammed.

Unless you have special skills such as a Doctor there

is no need for you to go. Send the 10 dollars a day it would

cost to hire a local to do the work that you would do if you

want. That will provide work for locals and whatever help

you want to provide gets done. Many NGO's have slick

fundraising packages to help you pay the cost. They will

have you approach Rotary groups, church groups, school

fundraisers etc.... etc. Of course the NGO heads have fat

salaries and large expense accounts.