The idea of a “volunteer vacation” is appealing, especially on family vacations: how wonderful, to contribute to a local and less privileged community, and at the same time teach your children the joy of helping others.
There is no doubt that the benefit to the volunteer is immense – the internet shines with accounts of volunteers who have had rewarding and even transformative experiences – just choose any organization and see the testimonials. But has there really been a benefit to the local community, as was the intention?
It is not so simple …
Furthermore, it is too easy for projects to have unintended consequences: taking jobs from local people, for example. Or the project may be visitor work. And there are more complicated problems, related to volunteering in orphanages… Several of these problems are considered below. But first, to get started:
keep in mind that the real benefit may actually go to the volunteer. This can be a good thing, especially if that volunteer is a young person. The experience can greatly influence a person’s life: they can raise funds, they can choose university courses in international development, they can return to the country to do a permanent job, they can have a better understanding of the foreign policy of their own country of origin.
Keep in mind that many organizations that establish short-term volunteering are for-profit businesses. While a portion of the fees is generally contributed to local causes, that amount varies considerably. On the positive side, volunteer vacation companies that charge high prices can include valuable services: the volunteer can be met in person at the airport, escorted to accommodations, etc. Just keep in mind how everything works and make sure you understand and agree to the principles behind the company.
See the experience as an exchange, not as “We are saving ourselves.” Take an interest in the culture you are visiting; Read about the history and current challenges. In the words of an organization founder in Haiti who stopped bringing in volunteers: “The saddest thing for me was seeing how it felt to the people of the community that foreigners entered and ignored the cultural riches. The volunteers saw themselves as rescuers ”. Take a look at this volunteer code of ethics, which reads in part: »The best volunteers are those who feel they have as much, if not more, to learn as they have to give«.
Short-Term Volunteering Experiences: Things to Think About
Make sure your efforts don’t take a job away from someone local
It seems so simple: spend a few days in a community “helping” building a house or a clinic …
However (as pointed out by a friend who started a humble project in Tanzania): does it make sense for unskilled middle class people to come to a place and do physical work while the street is full of unemployed youth? Unemployment is a big problem in many countries. As another example, a writer visited a school in Malawi where the principal said that she took Western volunteers because they were cheaper than paying local staff.
Consider following your volunteer experience with a monetary contribution that could help pay local people to do local jobs (- see more on that, below); Or, if you have real skills to contribute (maybe Mom or Dad is a carpenter), maybe pass on some skills to local people.
Likewise, make sure you don’t undermine a local business by bringing in distributed products for free.
Beware of unintended consequences
Even the best-intentioned efforts can have side effects. For example, if you are building a house, who, among the many local people in need, will benefit? Be careful that a project does not exacerbate social divisions. Also make sure you are not contributing to the many “failed projects” that are often the history of international relief efforts, large and small. If you are building a clinic, how will the staff support each other?
If you are building a well, how will it be maintained and repaired?
Think twice about volunteering at an orphanage
Spending a few days or weeks in an orphanage is an immensely attractive idea for foreigners. But once again, good intentions can have unintended consequences. Consider: “In the case of the orphanage tours to places like Siem Reap in Cambodia, the presence of wealthy foreigners who want to play with children without parents has had the perverse effect of creating a market for orphans in the city.”
A system has emerged in which parents rent their children for a day to play with gullible backpackers, creating fraudulent orphanages in response to visitor demand for them.
Added to this is that in Cambodia many “orphans” may have living parents. – very poor parents, who send the child to an orphanage with the hope of a better life. Meanwhile, the country has seen an orphanage boom, along with “orphan tourism.”
And what about the impact on children, who experience a constant stream of outside helpers?
Often volunteers who have worked for a week or a month in an orphanage comment on their emotional farewell scenes… How can that be for children, giving their hearts to people who leave after a few weeks?
- “UNICEF is concerned about the emotional loss children may feel when exposed to a revolving door of volunteers. Donor educator Saundra Schimmelpfennig writes about the “hug an orphan vacation” trend on her blog. Good intentions are not enough. She says that while volunteers feel that interacting with orphans is a great way to give back, it can have harmful effects. “While at the orphanage, most of the volunteers seek to build emotional bonds with the children so that they can feel that they made a difference. Although well intentioned, this leads to an endless round of abandonment, ”says Saundra. – The Telegraph
Also consider: how helpful are your interactions with children? “Reading, playing and hugging children can have a tremendous impact on the volunteer, but it does little to support children’s needs. Aid workers report situations in which volunteers do unnecessary work, such as teaching “heads, shoulders, knees and toes” to children who have recited it hundreds of times before. – (The Telegraph)
At the very least, if you are volunteering at an orphanage, consider contributing ongoing financial support, so that consistent full-time staff can be hired.
Conclusion: choose projects carefully; Provide long-term support
If you decide to make a unique personal connection through volunteering, follow up with support that can provide jobs for local people and provide the ongoing care that most projects, and certainly children in orphanages, need. As a Conde Nast Traveler article says: “Your money is more valuable than your work. It’s okay to go and learn by working, but make sure you’re also fundraising. Share your experiences and raise money after you go home. »And wherever you volunteer, take a close look at the project: what are the real benefits to the local community?
- “The good news in all of this, of course, is that there are a lot of commuters who also want to give back when they hit the road. The responsibility of the voluntourism industry is to harness its energies in the best possible way. Until clear guidelines are in place, the challenge for individual travelers is making the right decisions
… Start by testing your own motivations and be honest with yourself about what you discover. Ask questions like how much of what you pay goes directly to the project, and if your involvement could be replacing local workers. Since it is common for voluntourism companies to hand over participants to a partner in the country, do some research on the project partner. – National geographic traveler
Also, take the time to research a project carefully, to give as much local benefit as possible (and beware of unintended consequences). Many projects can benefit greatly from the short-term addition of enthusiastic outside help.
