Abstract (English)
This study explores how children in the Chiquitines orphanage and adolescents in Siloe, Cali, experience care framed by Western notions of pity. International humanitarian and aid discourses often construct vulnerable children as passive recipients of charity rather than active agents in their development. Through ethnographic research, this study investigates how such narratives shape local caregiving practices, social interactions, and children's self-perceptions. It examines whether pity-based approaches reinforce dependency or provide opportunities for resilience, and how children navigate these external perceptions in their everyday lives. By contrasting institutional and community-based forms of care, this research seeks to highlight the implications of Western humanitarian paradigms in shaping local childhood wellbeing. The study ultimately argues for the need to move beyond pity-driven interventions, advocating instead for child-centered approaches that recognize the agency and cultural embeddedness of childhood in Latin America.