Cambodia forum

Sorry to hear about your experience and I agree with sayadian on the main lines.

This is an excellent organization that aims to prevent child abuse and they are active now in several countries in the region. They also have development centers for education.
Their monitoring system is well set-up with the cooperation of hotels and moto/tuk tuk drivers. If you have a choice, support the organisation by choosing businesses with that logo.

http://www.childsafe-international.org/CSworld.asp

Future visitors could check out their website and take it from there. They might also have info on other places (orphanages, schools etc.) you might want to visit.
I'm not an expert on the subject but what I've seen and heard of them deserves attention from others.

Ah! I thought/assumed that the guy who got arrested was the owner of the orphanage that you visited.

There are over 3000 (yes, 3 thousand) NGOs in Cambodia and it is indeed hard to distinguish the good from the bad. I personally also think it would be best if a lot of the smaller ones would stop or merge.
I know there is a lot to say for the small grassroot organizations but it could be far less. Off course the majority have the best intentions (both foreigners and locals) but I'm also wondering whether it's efficient.
Even on this site I noticed that people were actually looking for garbage dumps, after that cambodian lady (I forgot her name) got nominated as CNN-hero last year, to start their own garbage orphanage. Wouldn't it be better just to support that organization?

With lesser NGOs it could also be more feasible to actually check on them by either government or a foreign monitor body. It probably doesn't do much to scare off the pedophiles but I think things are a bit crazy now with so many.

@ sayadian. Most of those smaller NGOs never get anything from their governments. Those are mostly 1-person NGOs. Most retired and living of their pension or very young people without much experience.

And as for not adding to the problem:

This may sound harsh but perhaps it's best NOT to visit.

Without visits there is no way for the scammers to make money. Donate money to a reputed organisation and leave it at that. A visit by you might make you feel good but doesn't change anything for the NGO directly.
I know Room to Read (my brother is a fundraiser for them) and they don't allow donators to visit (they do have independent auditors and inspectors). It takes a lot of time and resources to accommodate those visitors. They build schools in rural areas with participation of the locals (they have to help building or make a donation themselves) and they like to keep it like that and not turn it into a tourist sight. And they especially focus on areas that don't get tourists since there it's most needed.
They also don't depend on fundraising locally and in the end I think they are far more efficient than 20 small scale NGOs together.
And that's what it is about in the end isn't it?

Orphanages in Cambodia -- what a tragedy that those who are so defenceless are subjected to such a snakepit. The general state of the NGO industry (yes, it is an industry) is farcical.

At the end of the day, use the west as a model. In most cases, casual visitors are not allowed to visit an orphanage to play or be entertained (or whatever) by the kids.. There are (at least) two very good reasons for this.

a) There is no way an orphanage can sufficiently screen casual visitors
b) A constant stream of strangers playing with kids, especially very young or traumatized ones, perhaps isn't too conducive to the positive development of the child.

If you really want to have a positive impact on children in need in Cambodia, in my honest opinion, you're better off donating to a well-regarded international NGO that is working in country. Yes some of the donation, in some cases the majority of it, will go in admin or whatever, but what does get to the kids will do so in a meaningful and useful manner.

Just because the NGO is small or run out of a back room doesn't need mean they're doing a crap job or exploiting kids. There are some sizeable orphanages in and around Phnom Penh that I'd certainly class as dubious. One very well known joint,that is widely regarded as a money-making scam among those in the know in PP.

I realise that this isn't advice that sits well with a lot of people and obviously, seeing the state of those in need in Cambodia (and elsewhere for that matter) can really make one want to make a contribution there and then, but, in many cases (not that I'm suggesting this was the case with Nokka) the funds are illspent and/or the kids are not even orphans.

Posted from within Vietnam.

This topic has kept me up at nights because there are valid points that can be made from both sides of the argument.

Should you visit orphanages in Cambodia?
Should you volunteer? Should you pay to volunteer?

The complexity of the situation in Cambodia makes it extremely difficult to answer these kinds of questions. The existing culture of corruption sometimes results in child exploitation and too often, those of us with kind-hearted intentions actually do more harm than good.

Many make the argument to just give your money to reputable organizations and let them take care of it. It makes sense but in areas that these organizations don't currently support, what are the locals in need of help supposed to do, just wait to be saved? These kind of small NGOs also need funding - and can be effective.

Regarding government regulation, when it comes to Cambodia would that really be reassuring (especially in cases where a high volume of visitors/donors frequent)?. It's also naive to assume corruption doesn't occur among outside monitoring agencies.

I don't know much about the orphanages but can comment based on some experience with a small NGO. A few suggestions/guidelines:

1. Visitors/teachers/volunteers or whatever you want to call them, should never be left alone with children.

2. Check the organization out (in person if possible). See if actual progress is being made, if the organization's stated objectives are being worked towards, and try to get an idea of how the money is being spent (though, I know this is still extremely difficult).

3. If the children are being taught dances to entertain tourists it should raise red flags. Nokka - the operation you visited sounds shady to me - like a circus show.

I don't have the answers and I'm sure there are Travelfishers who can provide better and more experienced insight. I do have good feelings about the small NGO I have been working with for the past month. Mon-Fri I see around ten different English classes (around 150 kids and adults receiving a free English education) and about 10-15 children each day using computers that they wouldn't normally have access to.

Hmmm, can't seem to do a hyperlink

Nokka, you beat me to it with your post but I looked it up.

2 things;
- They mention they need $1000 for toilet block and knowing building prices in Cambodia, that will be a very big block. A decent block of 2 toilets (local type but with flush/sewage) and 2 showers (bucket & reservoir type) would only cost $300-400
- 22 kg of rice per day for 30 children. That is 0.8 kg per child per day. Even an adult will struggle to eat that much rice in a day.

Seems a bit like inflated numbers but there might be explanations for that.

And that Khmer dancing doesn't seem right to me. Like I said in previous post it might lead to conditioning for the children. "Dance and smile, and then the barang visitor will donate some money so we have a meal". Did you visit outside the dancing hours?

Posted from within Vietnam.

Well put eastwest.

I might also add that my opinion is by no means the right one, only having been there a month; I can just make observations on what I know/believe so far.

Pay to volunteer - I agree with you 100%. A foreign guesthouse owner once told me about a group of "volunteers" who paid a large sum for the opportunity to volunteer in Cambodia. Their job: they painted the walls of the school. Obviously locals could have done the job for a tiny fraction of what the volunteers paid.

Just google "volunteer in Cambodia" and look at the results, especially the paid advertisements. It has become BIG business.

I was going to pay to promote the NGO's website via google adwords but since there are SOOOO many "pay to volunteer" programs looking for volunteers (or shall I say customers), the cost per click for terms like "volunteer in Cambodia" is $0.80-$1.00. It says a lot about how much money must be being made.

"I always thought that the NGOs that attract retired experts from certain fields to teach help in their field in a developing country did great work." I agree with that but I wonder how many retired experts are eager to help in Cambodia. Some sure....but probably not nearly enough.

"I sometimes also wonder why NGO-start-ups don't approach an existing NGO to help with setting up something. Cooperation works usually better and one doesn't need to re-invent the wheel again." This sounds like a great solution and I hope it's one of the methods they use.

Nokka - I probably shouldn't have used the word "circus." Just sounds shady the way they asked for donations afterwards (I'm sure they made you feel like you had to give something). The place probably makes a fortune. Hopefully they are putting the money to good use.

Nokka,I suppose you might say I was being a little sarcastic but I WAS making a point.If you can tell if some one is a predator or not just by looking at them on an aeroplane you must have an incredible talent.I'll name no names but the guy in question is now in gaol thankfully.He ran a little NGO from his bar not a million miles from Angkor Hotel in Phnom Penh.He had a kind demeanor and was very 'sincere' in his appeal to people to help with his project.So much so that there were always backpackers willing to volunteer for him and who thought the world of him.Best stay out of the NGO scene in Cambodia until you've been there a fair while and met a lot of people.It's a cesspit and a dangerous one at that as powerful Cambodians are involved and you can't step on the wrong toes.I'd agree with the advise above give only to the big,well known ones but be aware that a fair bit of that money will go on fat salaries and overheads such as nice villas and cars for the NGOs

I guess you'd call it 6th sense.Sorry, but you weren't very clear at first and a lot of backpackers are so judgemental.I suppose I get a little defensive mainly because I have friends in Cambodia married to locals and with teenage daughters and they DO suffer some pretty awful comments from people who generalise.But yes, I understand that feeling you get coming off some people and yet I stand by my comment that many of these guys are practised at looking innocent and sincere.

It's a shame that we even need to have this conversation. There are heaps of children in Cambodia who genuinely need help. Orphanages are everywhere and we all understand that this is not a line of work one gets into for the money.

I am worried that the tone of this thread will scare away readers from helping the orphans for fear that they will be scammed. I know people who run orphanages in Cambodia, they are to be lauded and praised! I have visited several orphanages and none was anything other than what it was.

We knew some friends sponsoring an orphanage before we visited Siem Reap so we were able to get on the inside with a local pastor and see the real deal of what it is they do and what they need.

These orphanages need money and they need sponsors! Western travellers are able to provide monetary donations that simply cannot be matched by the locals because of the vast difference in economic conditions. We came away humbled by what these people do and by what they sacrifice to make it happen. We are currently sponsoring an orphanage and sending what we can to them each month. It is not enough to support an orphanage of 40 children, the rent, the food, the bills, the school fees, etc. However, our money goes much farther toward making an impact there than it ever would back home.

I encourage westerners to visit orphanages and to help if they can - whether it is buying bread and milk or donating funds. Please do your homework beforehand if you feel unsettled, but don't be fooled into thinking that orphanages are scams. Anyone who has visited Cambodia is keenly aware of the difficulties faced by the youth there.

I am happy to recommend orphanages that are 100% on the up-and-up and could use help from visitors. A little bit goes a long way in Cambodia. Please let me know if you are interested in information about the orphanages we help to sponsor or other orphanages we have visited.

Trust me, the focus of the orphanages is the welfare of the children. Sponsors are in need of help and these people are willing to sacrifice for those in need. Religious preference is beside the point. Whether Christian or Buddhist, the orphanages need support to operate. They really do rely on sponsors and donations to function.

For anyone who has the opportunity to do so, I strongly recommend visiting an orphanage. It will create a positive feedback loop between you and the people of Cambodia.

Important to read this article ifconsidering volunteering (it focuses on Cambodia, but relevant to allcountries):

http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/peopleandpower/2012/05/201252243030438171.html

This is in no way meant to deter anyonefrom helping and volunteering - there are great projects out there.
Just do your homework, consider the impactof short stays on children who easily get attached to "new friends"and generally, make sure the operations are legit and have the children's bestinterests at heart.

DO YOUR HOMEWORK ; )

In my opinion tourist should NOT visit orphanages - these are places that children should be able to go to receive a second chance in a safe and private environment. Childsafe Cambodia has some great ads on this stating that 'Children are not a tourist attraction'. I also wrote an article on the subject a couple of weeks back. Mostly tourists - as I am sure you guys were - do not know that what they are doing is wrong, they think they are helping which is not the case. If you want to help I think organisations such as Childsafe or Cambodia Childrens Fund are a good place to start... DON"T VISIT THE ORPHANAGES!!!!!!

http://www.urbanforage.co/how-do-you-give-back-without-giving

https://www.cambodianchildrensfund.org

http://www.childsafe-international.org/index.asp