To Volunteer for a two week project or not. That is the question.
Another question is, should I actually be volunteering in the first place.
We read so much today about the ethics of volunteering overseas in developing countries and I am certain it has made a big difference in the number of volunteers putting themselves forward for this kind of trip or project. I can testify that the numbers are down, building a team has become a challenge compared to 5 years ago.
I also understand that there are other factors involved here. Some countries drop in and out of favour, and that can be political, safety concerns, or maybe there has been a disaster in another part of the world that pulls at the heart and purse strings. The financial situation has changed dramatically over the past 5 years as well. Maybe the disposable income of prospective volunteers has changed. And there are probably many more reasons than I can think of.
But lets deal with voluntourism as it has been labeled. I know from experience that most people who join a volunteer project for a short period of time, be it one week or two really want to make a difference, their heart is in the right place and they are also at a point in their lives when they can afford the time and the expense. Be that 18 or 81
People question what the developing countries local community gain from a voluntourism project. Why not just send the local in-country charitable organisation the cash, volunteers reduce local employment opportunities, they stereotype the community and country. These are just some of the comments made by people who in the main have not taken the risk and joined a reputable NGO's overseas volunteer project.
To address but a few of these comments, I would say that a reputable NGO will never replace local labour with a volunteer. In many cases, if the volunteers had not banded together and paid their fees covering accommodation, food, transport and a donation towards the project in hand, it would not have happened.
So they are helping to pay the wages of the local masons, carpenters and labourers. They help purchase materials from local businesses. They stay in local accommodation. Local hotels or guest houses benefit. In some instances the team may stay with local families who gain extra income from providing this service. Local restaurants may gain from food purchases.
Alternatively a local community member may be paid to provide the food for the team. A local transport supplier may be engaged to drive the team to and from the work site and also provide a vehicle in the case of an emergency. At the end of the day, a family gain a new home or a village gets a sanitation facility affording the women of the community a dignified and safe place to answer the call of nature. Far better than having to wait until dark and slope off to the forest. A village might get a sub-surface dam to retain the monsoon waters and refill their empty well and irrigate their crops. A school could have new classrooms and a rain water retention system for the kids to drink and also grow crops which help feed them during term time. The possibilities are endless.
Now I am not saying that the voluntourism problems that are described, don't exist, they do. In fact the worst type of Voluntourism involves orphanages. There are many scams in that sector and it certainly does not help the children, only the orphanage owners. But that is another subject for another day.
This is a very good reason as to why most respectable NGO's no longer include visits to orphanages in their trips. It is certainly disruptive to the children and does not help in any way to give them a better quality of life.
There is a certain type of person who joins volunteering trips for all the wrong reasons. And as a team leader it is sometimes very difficult to asses this before they appear in country. But it is a team leaders responsibility to try and nip it in the bud at an early stage. Not as easy as it may appear. At times you just have to send them home early.
I could tell you a few stories about team members who do virtually nothing except take pictures and selfies and post them on their Facebook pages. You should read the comments on their FB pages. "OMG you are so amazing" "You are doing such a fantastic job helping those poor people" "The world needs more people like you" I don't think so. To be honest I could count those team members from my projects on one hand and I have been doing this for the last 14 years.
Does the volunteer get anything out of this kind of vacation? You bet they do. They get a fresh perspective on life in a developing country. They get an experience that can change there entire life. They see and experience things that the tourist organisations don't want them to see and experience. I see it first hand on nearly every trip. Does the volunteer feel that they have achieved something that will help or even change the life of the people they work with. And do you think they feel good about that. Of course they do, and they deserve to feel good. They just don't need to brag about and publicise it. And the majority don't.
It is a two way trade. Some people think that we as volunteers exploit the vulnerable status of the people we work with and for, for our own benefit, the feel good factor. Well maybe they should stop and think about what the local community get from a group of volunteers arriving from other parts of the world, that they may think have abandoned them.
Yes their own government may have abandoned them. But now they understand that out there in the big wide world, ordinary people actually care about them. People who actually want to do something in the world to make a difference. However small that difference may be.
We saw what happened after money was thrown at a problem back in the 80's Given without though about what the local community actually needed. Well nowadays we work with the community and with local partners who know what is required. We don't go blundering in and trying to tell the local people how its done in the west. We work with their materials in a fashion that they know and understand. I can tell you, I have learnt so much from local masons, carpenters, and local knowledge, that has helped me back in the west. We don't know all the answers even if we think we do.
There are people out in this world who are ready to exploit others for their own gain, be it financial or vanity. for the adoration of their sycophantic so called friends. A few more likes on their Instagram account. These people exist. But few actually join a recognised NGO project and pay for the privilege.
So if you don't want to join this outcast band of glory hunters. Sign up to a recognised NGO trip, do your homework, check them out, check out the team leader, Don't assume that because the organisation is purported to be affiliated with one religious sect or another that it is doing what it does for the right reasons. Check it out.
And yes, post your pictures on Facebook and Instagram, but think about the impact that it will have on the community, the NGO and yourself. Post pictures with a journalistic slant. Write about your experience, not just a picture of a crying child or a plastic covered dwelling where 8 or more family members live. Your friends know what you look like, maybe they would like to see what you have achieved or where you have been, without you blocking out half the photograph with your own image.
There was a time when team members arrived in a community and the kids would rush up and shout photo photo, and then charge about the village square laughing their heads off at the resultant image. It doesn't happen that much nowadays. What does tend to happen is they run up to you, take out their own phone and take a picture of you and post it on their Facebook page.
I have to tell you that I once had a team member who had merrily been taking pictures of everyone she met or spotted across the street. But when visiting the Taj Mahal, a young man tried to take her picture. She yelled at him "I am not a tourist attraction" That tells to me that she regarded all the villagers and local community as a tourist attraction. That is the kind of person we can do without. And thankfully these people are few and far between.
So to conclude. Voluntourism (A label I dislike) exists. There are people out there who exploit it for their own vanity. But there are so many more who travel with recognised NGO's and do so for the right reasons. So to those, I say, well done and keep up the very worthy work you are doing.
