Photo Policy
Rules
Volunteers are NOT allowed to take photos or videos of the children in orphanages.
Volunteers are are NOT allowed to bring their phones or any cameras with them to the orphanages. Phones and cameras must remain at volunteer housing while on shift.
Volunteers who violate the Photo Policy will be immediately dismissed from the program and sent home at their own expense. They will also incur a fine of $100 per photo they have taken.
All volunteers are required to sign a Media Privacy Policy document upon arrival in-country.
Why?
Ecuador firmly protects the privacy of all orphans, making it illegal to take photos or videos of any child at an orphanage. Violating this policy could lead to legal prosecution from the Ecuadorian government.
See Código de la Niñez y Adolescencia, Art. 52 (Ecuadorian Child and Adolescent Code), Ecuadorian Constitution, Art. 66 (19)
While we understand that it can be extremely tempting to photograph the children you grow to love so much, violating this policy can jeopardize the children’s privacy and safety.
In most cases, we aim to protect the children from having a digital footprint that could impact them negatively later in life.
In some extreme instances, children have been removed from abusive homes and their location needs to be kept private for their own security.
In most cases, we aim to protect the children from having a digital footprint that could impact them negatively later in life.
In some extreme instances, children have been removed from abusive homes and their location needs to be kept private for their own security.
National laws, including the Personal Data Protection Organic Law (2021), prohibit the use and dissemination of images of children in institutional care without explicit legal authorization. Violations may result in legal prosecution by Ecuadorian authorities.
Benefits
When you apply to volunteer with OSSO, it is with the understanding that you are here to actively serve the children - not to create content. What the children need most is one-on-one socialization and your full attention.
Many past volunteers have expressed how being screen-free while at the orphanages allowed them to have an enhanced volunteer experience and be fully present! Your volunteer service is a unique opportunity to unplug from your phone and connect to the world around you.
However, if this policy does not align with your travel goals, we kindly suggest that you look into other volunteer programs.
All photos and videos published online or in print by OSSO are not in violation of this policy or have been granted with special permission. Media we post of children in orphanages does not show the children's faces. Any media showing children's faces is not from an orphanage.
Contact Us
If you have questions or concerns about this Confidentiality Agreement or how your information is handled, please contact us at:
Orphanage Support Services Organization (OSSO)
237 North 2nd East Suite 202, Rexburg, ID, 83440, United States
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (801) 214-8849
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OSSO is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization aligned with the principles, teachings, and values of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; however, OSSO is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Church. While primarily a member-created organization, volunteer opportunities are open to people of all faiths who are willing to follow OSSO's code of conduct. Our Statement of Faith
Photos on this website are used with permission and follow Ecuador’s privacy policies for children in orphanages.
OSSO is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization aligned with the principles, teachings, and values of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; however, OSSO is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Church. While primarily a member-created organization, volunteer opportunities are open to people of all faiths who are willing to follow OSSO's code of conduct.
Our Statement of Faith
Photos on this website are used with permission and follow Ecuador’s privacy policies for children in orphanages.