Nobody doubts the good intention of the donors, travelers, and volunteers who give time or money to orphanages. It is natural and right to care about poor and vulnerable children, wherever they are in the world. But what if this support was actually part of the problem, not the solution?
What if orphanage-tourism, voluntourism and donations were fueling the demand for "orphans", and so driving the unnecessary separation of children from their families? In Tanzania, as in much of the developing world, orphanages are a problem, not a solution.
OKIA is situated in Usa River, outside the town of Arusha in Tanzania. Together with its sister-organisation in Sweden, OKIA aims to strengthen and protect Children's Right and wellbeing in the voluntourism and orphanage industry.