Individuals who volunteer abroad in orphanages will have their eyes opened to the struggles of children who have lost their parents or been left abandoned to fend of the themselves. Though the situation is sometimes grim and often disheartening, many children in orphanages have a more hopeful future in store (i.e. adoption and parents to call their own), making volunteer work at certain orphanages a more optimistic experience.

Unfortunately, however, some orphanages that exist aren’t “orphanages” in the truest sense of the word. There are, for example, orphanages that serve as temporary housing facilities for children of capable parents who are taking advantage of the free government or private sector services. In rare cases, volunteers can inadvertently create a demand for parentless children with their desire to honestly help alleviate the challenges orphanages and orphaned children face. Therefore, before volunteering in orphanages abroad, volunteers have the additional responsibility of truly and deeply researching the organization they plan to work with to ensure it is ethically placing volunteers in orphanages.

For volunteers interested in working with children in their future careers, whether teaching in elementary schools, working in pediatrics, or helping out at day care centers or in social work positions, orphanage experience can be extremely applicable and beneficial professionally. If you are earning your degree in child development, behavior modification, education, public health, and many other areas, volunteering at orphanages abroad can give you hands on experience in your field and expose you to possible international careers you may not have thought of.

Orphanage work can help volunteers become more grateful for the life they were given and the opportunity to share part of the child’s life with them. Witnessing the growth of the children can also be inspiring for volunteers, showing them that no matter what challenges encountered, there is always a way to overcome the obstacles and live a happy, successful life.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7qLvAm6momZRjsLC5jq%2Bmpa2eqbKmvoyamaunkZl8tLHAq5qhZ5%2Bnvamtzaxmr6ecqru1scSrZJqaoqSupXmQ