Oct 24, 2014
Not All is As It Seems
It's not so straightforward volunteering in SE Asia. Big Brother Mouse in Luang Prabang, Laos, where I went a few times to teach English with my family, is legitimate and fantastic. On the other hand, we could not identify reputable orphanages in Indonesia. So many are fronts for pulling in foreign cash. In a slightly dated guide book from a hotel in Hoi An, I found a non-profit listed that serves food to impoverished children in Phnom Penh living in a trash heap. I checked it out. The owner is now in jail, found out a couple of years ago to be a previously convicted child molester from the UK. Of course there are legitimate charities here but it is worth knowing that not all of them are. Mariette