This article is well worth reading not
just in relation to sham orphanages but in relation to genuine orphanages that
rely on the good will of sponsors and donors:
The comments following the article are
also well worth reading.
It is unwise to make generalisations but
it is advisable that anyone wishing to donate to an orphanage ask of the Non
Government Organization that runs the orphanage:
Do any of the children in the
orphanage have a living parent or other members of an extended family who could
take care of them?
If the answer is ‘yes’, ask why the
children can’t live with that parent or other members of the extended family
with the assistance of the NGO. This is a much cheaper and more culturally
appropriate option.
If a person with none other than the best
of intentions wishes to sponsor a orphan or any other child presented to the
world as 'at risk', the same question applies. If there is at least one parent
alive or an extended family willing and able to take care of the child, why is
the NGO not helping re-integrate the child with his or her family?
It may
be that it is inappropriate for one reason or another for the child to be
living with either a parent or family (very rare) but if this reason is
presented to the potential donor or sponsor, they should ask what the reason is
and have it presented to them in writing so that there is no misunderstanding
further down the track. No genuine sponsor want to discover, years down the
track that he or she has been sponsoring an 'orphan' or a 'victim' who is
neither an orphan or a victim and whose parents have been trying for many years
to have they child (or, in Chanti's case, two children) returned to them.
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