This article from the Guardian shines a light on the harms of orphanage voluntourism. "The aspiration to help the most vulnerable children is a noble one, but the booming business of 'voluntourism' sustains practices and institutions that actually do harm," says the author. "There is no such thing as a “good” orphanage, according to child development experts. Eighty years of research confirms that children do best in a family. They are far more likely to experience abuse, cruelty or neglect in an institution than in any other setting. Even in a well-run facility, children do not develop normally."
The author explains that most children living in institutions the world over have families and yet "wealthy countries, who consider orphanages harmful for their own children, nonetheless provide a stream of charitable giving that makes orphanages viable businesses abroad." The article dicusses the "pull factors" that lead to children being placed in institutions - including disability of a child, poverty, and lack of access to education - and the ways in which tourism and volunteering help fuel the orphanage industry.
Listen to the audio version here.