Making the Change in Practice: From Orphanage Volunteering to Family and Community-Based Care.
A workshop designed and facilitated for Comhlamh in Dublin in November 2019.
PROJECTS I HAVE SUPPORTED
UNICEF KENYA
Consultant for UNICEF Kenya to support the Kenyan Government's National Council for Children's Services. Over eighteen-months I facilitated the development of the Kenya National Care Reform Strategy for children, to transition Kenya away from institutional care and towards family and community-based care for children.
WTM RESPONSIBLE TOURISM
Moderator of the WTM Responsible Tourism panel, Child Protection: What is Better Than Orphanages?, in London in November 2019. The focus of the panel was on solutions and alternatives to orphanage tourism. The panel included Intrepid Travel, The Code and people and places: responsible volunteering.
Supporting Better Care Network and ReThink Orphanages to analyse the post-Covid landscape with regards orphanage tourism and volunteering – looking specifically at the tourism, volunteering, education, faith and child protection sectors. Deliverables included interactive webinars and an event report.
Supporting WONDER Foundation’s local partner women’s and girls’ educational organisations, from around the world, to develop contextually appropriate safeguarding protocols. Support has included group trainings and 1-to-1 mentoring to develop safeguarding policies and procedures.
BETTER CARE NETWORK
WONDER FOUNDATION
FAMILY FOR EVERY CHILD
Part-time interim positions including: Interim Member Engagement Manager to support 40 local civil society organisations from across 36 countries, Interim Senior Movement Building Strategist to develop a movement building strategy supported by an online platform, and the project management of Family for Every Child’s annual global 4-day online members’ event.
TEARFUND IRELAND
Co-designed and co-facilitated a 3-day online training course and 1-day online conference to support NGOs and faith-based organisations from around the world to transition from institutional care to family and community-based care for children.
NEXT GENERATION NEPAL
SOS CHILDREN'S VILLAGES DENMARK
NGN leads work in Nepal on family reintegration, family strengthening and community-based advocacy to prevent orphanage trafficking. Having been NGN's Country Director in Nepal between 2012-16, I continue to support the organisation's work as it's Strategic Adviser on issues relating to strategy, programmes, advocacy and partnership building.
Expert speaker and panelist on issues related to care reform, alternative care and orphanage voluntourism at Child Protection Network Denmark events. These events have been run for civil society organisations and have been facilitated by SOS Bornebyerne (Denmark).
HOPE AND HOMES FOR CHILDREN
Designing a concept to support the tourism and volunteering industry in developing child-safe products in the post Covid-19 context. This work is related to the ABTA and HHC led Orphanage Tourism Taskforce.
LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS
Speaker and panelist at LSE Discover International Development events and volunteering workshops in 2019 and 2020.
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RESPONSIBLE TOURISM PARTNERSHIP
KARYA
Developed detailed online guidance called Beyond Orphanage Visits: Resources for Travel and Volunteering Organisations on Responsible Alternatives to Orphanage Tourism and Volunteering. The guidance covers the problem with orphanage tourism and volunteering; showcases ethical alternatives; explains the ‘pitfalls’ to avoid then transitioning away from orphanage visits; and signposts to advice on responsible divestment.
ATOS - ALTERNATIVES TO SEPARATION
Technical adviser to ATOS to support advocacy work promoting deinstitutionalisation and family and community-based care. Also the guest speaker at an ATOS and Crossing Borders event in Copenhagen in December 2019 called "Be a Smart Volunteer!".
Speaker and facilitator of a debate on responsible volunteering and child protection at the Karya Tihar Des Lumieres Pour Les Enfants Festival in Haute-Savoie in France in November 2019.
COMHLAMH - ACTION FOR GLOBAL JUSTICE
Designed and facilitated a workshops for Comhlamh, the Irish Association for Development Workers and Volunteers, based in Dublin. The workshops have supported NGOs, churches and other civil society groups to safely and sustainably transition away from sending volunteers to orphanages, and to run family reintegration and family strengthening programmes.
To find out about my career prior to becoming a consultant, as well as seeing what others say about me, click here.
"In all areas of his work Martin shows the utmost levels of professionalism, dedication to the cause and takes others with him. He is humble, always looking to learn and passionate about people creating change."
David Coles, London School of Economics and Political Science