The uncomfortable truth: Why you should skip the orphanage tour in Cambodia

Mark Kavanagh - The Age

This article and video discuss how thousands of Australians consider visiting orphanages to be a popular activity to do on vacation.  Vacationers will visit orphanages, meet children, and take photos.  The visit usually ends with a request for donations.  Some believe that they are positively contributing to improvement of these children’s lives.

In reality they are not.  They are actually contributing to an industry that exploits children for donations.  Quite often, children in orphanages have at least one parent.  Orphanages are often profit driven businesses that operate to the detriment of the children living in them.  These children would be better served by supporting organizations that support families.