There are approximately 400 residential care institutions in Cambodia, housing over 40,000 children. Despite what you would rightly assume about the children in these institutions being orphans, approximately 80% of them have at least one living parent. Although the number of genuine orphans fell between 2005 and 2015, the number of orphanages increased …
‘Third World’ is an outdates and condescending term
“First world problems”. Have you ever said that to your friends as you complained about your slow internet, or when your sushi joint had sold out of your favourite salmon roll? I’ve done that plenty of times in the past. But I stopped doing it a few years ago. Why? …
International Development and the Higher Education Sectors
This guest post is by Vivian Chordi, an Australian who has worked in several countries and is passionate about ethical international development. Straddling the international development and higher education sectors, I have become acutely aware of the rapid rise of student voluntourism marketed to university students under the guise of “making …
That school trip to volunteer overseas isn’t ethical
I was recently a guest on the ABC Radio Sydney Focus show. I had been invited on as a recent recipient of the Medal of the Order of Australia to talk about voluntourism. Voluntourism is short-term or one-off volunteering overseas, and it has many benefits. People often say it gives …
This is why we say ‘no’ to foreign volunteers
I am often asked by people whether they can volunteer at Human and Hope Association. Although they understand that we don’t accept foreign volunteers, they believe that they can still contribute with their skills in-country. I get it, I do. I understand wanting to help in a hands-on way and wanting …