Japan 2011 - Volunteering in an orphanage
 

That's sounds great. Where will you be?

It sounds like it'll be a fascinating experience. I really hope you enjoy your time there, and that'll you'll let us know how it went when you return :) I'd be really interested in hearing what your trip was like.

I would like to know what the orphanage is like and how the children are treated. I spent many years in the Care System here when I was a child.

Orphanages vary such a lot. I wonder how children without families survive in JAPAN.

WHen we see films about russian orphanages of in Romania and places like that they are awful.

Lets hope you will be able to enrich the lives of the children.

this is a website that asks for volunteers to visit children in orphanages.

I wonder if many japanese people visit them?

We used to have volunteer aunts and uncles visit us in UK.

If there is no family able to visit children, I guess regular visitors who can make some sort of relationship with a child can make a big difference to their lives. Continuity is important I feel. If foreign volunteers visit-- I wonder if communication is a problem.

Smile Kids Japan | Volunteers’ Stories

HI WILL i could tell you a lot but I guess this is not the right place.

Shall we say that although things have changed and many of the former residential homes are closed, the modern system is not good really.Too many private HOMES that charge a fortune and not very good CARE. Many of our children were migrated to the commonwealth countries.
Mostly there is a demand for foster carers nowadays-- but not sure how succesful that is really and truly. I believe that parents on drugs or drink is a major cause of children being put into so called Care.

I wonder if many of the children in orphanages in JAPAN are really Orphans. I suspect quite a few do still have a family of sorts. ANyway its good that you care and it will be something special for you to do in JAPAN. When I have seen films about the chinese orphanages where girl babies were left to die-- I pray that does not happen now.--------

PS WILL, as a volunteer, will you get your travel to Japan paid for?

Children's Homes in Japan- Over Packed and Neglected article about japanese orphanages.

I am talking about the UK. thousands of children were sent to some of the commonwealth countries, mostly by the Aid agencies such as Barnardo'sand others. If you can get a copy of the book "EMPTY CRADLES" you will read about it in there, plus Orphans of the Empire.

I had groups on the net for many of these people who were looking for their families.

Many children were sent to canada, Australia and rhodesia among other places.

Many canadians are still searching for their family roots.

[quote=willgoestocollege;820315][color="Black"]I'm paying for my plane tickets and I will also give a donation to the orphanage. I will be staying at a host family in the city.


That is very generous of you Will-- It should be a great experience.

I'd never actually heard of this until now, I guess it shows that you really do learn something new each day, lol. Do you know when they stopped doing this? It sounds rather traumatic, and must have been a horrible experience for the children. If it happened in your living memory then I imagine it must have happened until recently in history? It's hard to believe something like that went on not so long ago. I'll be sure to look up the book you mentioned, I'm rather interested actually too, so thanks for mentioning this.

HELLO ROBIN.

Yes it did happen and if not for a social worker called Margaret Humphreys it might have stayed under the radar.

If you can get hold of the two books I mentioned that will tell you a little.

eventually the Child Migrant Trust came into being and helped reunite some people with surviving parent-- if they were still alive after so many years.

the British GOVT put three Million poumds in to help these former child migrants then Australia added some although there was a three year time limit. I do believe that many canadians lost out because they were sent out earlier than many of those sent to Australia. Many of those migrated thought they were orphans-- but mostly that was not the case at all

There was a book published in australia last year called "THE FORGOTTEN CHILDREN" by David HIll. He was one of those sent out there. Its worth reading if its available in this country. I could tell a lot but this is not the place of course.

just consider that children as young as three years old were sent away.

yes indeed they are. I am interested to know how japanese children are cared for. Do they have fostering or adoption?

I have no idea about that. Is there a need for Japanese children to be adopted out of their own country? I don't see why that should happen really.

I can understand that many orphans in some countries such as Africa might allow adoptions but it is best to remain in their own country if that is possible surely.

Adoption is a big issue in any circumstances. IN the not so long ago past we were bigoted, and pregnant girls were usually hidden and many were sent to Mother and Baby Homes and had their babies removed from them. It was terrible. many of those mothers never got over the loss of their baby's and still mourn for them and search for them.

I am of course referring to the UK and Ireland. many of those children searched and still search for their own mother NOW.

Adoption abroad adds to the problem although many children are real orphans in some countries-- they still need to know about their roots and their own country.

If you like WILL