Jonathan’s story: Think before orphanage volunteering

Jonathan today

Jonathan was five years-old when he arrived at the orphanage in Western Uganda. His parents had died of AIDS one year earlier and he had been diagnosed with HIV. His family’s close neighbour, Christine, was desperate to adopt Jonathan, but the daily grind of poverty saw her struggle to pay for the medical treatment he needed to stay alive. When Jonathan’s health seriously deteriorated, Christine was told the local orphanage was his only hope.

Watch this video to find out more about Jonathan’s story. Listen as he describes what it was like to live in an orphanage, to be visited by voluntourists from the UK and what happened when, at the age of 17, he was asked to leave the orphanage because he was no longer “useful” to attract donations.

“Donations need to go to find families for children, not orphanages.”

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