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VICE News traveled to Uganda to film a short documentary on a for-profit orphanage
system that takes advantage of often well-intentioned but ignorant foreign donors and
volunteers at the expense of young children. Ugandan orphanages pull in around a quarter
of a billion dollars a year in foreign donations. This windfall pushes managers at some
homes to recruit children—who are often not even orphans—and force them to live in
often poor and crowded conditions, where a lack of government regulation and an
open-door policy for foreign volunteers fuels abuse. While reporting, the team captured
an official taking bribes from illegally operating orphanages, and our reporting led the
government to put him on probation. Our report delves into the nuances of a system that
puts children's lives in danger, and informs viewers and policy makers that any fixes for
Uganda’s for-profit orphanage industry must address corruption.