Description
Book SynopsisWhat is it like to grow up in an orphanage? What do residents themselves have to say about their experiences? Are there ways that orphanages can be designed to meet children's developmental needs and to provide them with necessities they are unable to receive in their home communities? In this book, detailed observations of children's daily life in a Cambodian orphanage are combined with follow-up interviews of the same children after they have grown and left the orphanage. Their thoughtful reflections show that the quality of care children receive is more important for their well-being than the site in which they receive it.
Life in a Cambodian Orphanage situates orphanages within the social and political history of Cambodia, and shows that orphanages need not always be considered bleak sites of deprivation and despair. It suggests best practices for caring for vulnerable children regardless of the setting in which they are living.
Trade Review"
Life in a Cambodian Orphanage is very well written — a significant addition to the literature on child circulation."— David F. Lancy, author of Anthropological Perspectives on Children as Helpers, Workers, Artisans and Laborers
"Wonderfully nuanced and engagingly written, Kathie Carpenter has produced the definitive book on the rise and fall of the Cambodian orphanage ‘industry’. The voices of children themselves are brilliantly contextualised making this a compelling and compassionate book, rich in detail and empathy."— Heather Montgomery, co-editor of Childhood, Youth and Violence in Global Contexts: Research and Practice in Dialogue
Table of Contents1 Introduction
2 History of Orphanages in Cambodia
3 Orphanage Tourism and the Anti-Orphanage-Tourism Campaign
4 Methods
5 The Rhythms of Daily Life in the Orphanage
6 The Orphanage Remembered: Milestones and Experiences
7 Reflecting Back and Looking Ahead: Interpreting the COC Experience
8 Discussion and Conclusions
Acknowledgments
Notes
Bibliography
Index
