Outcry over 'saviour complex' fuelling exploitation in Kenyan orphanages

Harriet Grant - The Guardian

In this article from the Guardian, the author speaks with Michelle Oliel of Stahili Foundation and other advocates in Kenya working to combat the exploitation of children, particularly through the use of orphanages as “tourist attractions.” The article describes how orphanages often proliferate in tourist destinations and that tourists' and volunteers' desire to visit orphanages has fuelled a "market in children."

“You have child finders who come into the community and take children from vulnerable families,” said Sophie Otiende of Haart Kenya, a charity working to rehabilitate children trafficked into orphanages and return them their own families or communities. “They are promised education, food and security in exchange for the child. The families are not neglectful. This is a reality when there isn’t enough support, when a country doesn’t have a social protection system.”