Voluntourism

Voluntourism Explained

Voluntourism is a term coined to describe the merging of volunteering and tourism. Instead of booking a simple holiday, travellers choose to donate their time and resources to causes in the locations they’re venturing to. Images of people hauling bricks to piece together a school for vulnerable children may jump to mind. Good-intentioned college students preparing food for the starving, beaming  women standing in front of classrooms of wide-eyed children and determined volunteers ready to save lives. These are all things we’d associate with the word.

There are many ways to get involved, from mission trips for the religious to companies offering gap year packages to freshly baked high school graduates. People undertake these trips for many reasons, some are looking for ways to give back to the world, others want to infuse their travels with more purpose, fluff out their CV or simply feel called by some higher power to help the less fortunate.

On the surface, voluntourism seems innocent and unproblematic: who could possibly fault anyone for wanting to help others? But the road to hell is paved with good intentions and so is the one to voluntourism. Before diving into the voluntourism world there are a number of things to consider, to ensure you’re not doing more harm than good.

Questionable Projects

Voluntourism has grown into a 173 billion dollar industry. Large agencies charge volunteers over $1000 a month, and while some of it goes to cover your accommodation costs and is invested in the projects these companies support, more than half of the money will be funnelled into advertising, staff wages and other, sometimes wasteful, costs of these agencies. 

Do-gooders armed with the burning desire to save the world eagerly undertake building projects or sign up for three weeks worth of volunteering at an orphanage. And while in theory, the projects can be beneficial to the local community, the people executing the projects may be hindering their progress. 
Let’s say you sign up to help rebuild a school in Cambodia after a flood. The project is necessary and effective - rebuilding this school will have a positive impact on the lives of the children who attend it. So you pay a great deal of money to an agency and you join the effort, plastering bricks and helping lay down the floor. But unless you are trained in construction, chances are you’re probably doing a pretty bad job. Often on projects like these when the volunteers go home, locals are called in to dismantle the poorly built walls and rebuild them again. You return the next morning, none the wiser, eager to “continue making a difference”. Your presence there actually inhibits the work process, and the money you paid to be there could be used to pay skilled locals. In situations like these, nobody wins. You wouldn’t be allowed to wander onto a construction site without relevant training at home, so why should it be any different when helping abroad?

On a more sinister level, voluntourism can fuel truly damaging practices. While having locals rebuild poorly constructed walls may be a nuisance, things like orphanage tourism, on the other hand, have profoundly negative effects on families and communities. Most countries in the developed world have stopped the use of orphanages. Governments offer support and care to struggling families to enable them to look after their children and even in the most severe cases where children have to be removed from their parent’s care, they get placed with foster families or other relatives.  Studies have shown that orphanages are harmful to child development and happiness, children who grew up in orphanages are more likely to suffer from mental illnesses and health problems.

Yet orphanages are prevalent in poorer countries and rich countries that would not advocate for these institutions within their own borders send money to support those abroad.  This turns orphanages into a viable business. Parents may be coerced to hand over their children to these institutions, promising opportunities for their children that the family may otherwise struggle to provide. These institutions are often set up by wealthy donors or religious organizations in response to a crisis instead of tackling the actual problems that leave families unable to care for their children. They are drivers of family break up, a study of orphanages in Sri Lanka in 2005 found that 92% of the children in care had a living parent.

UNICEF have expressed their concerns that the number of orphanages in places like Cambodia has doubled due to the fact that orphanages have turned to tourism to attract support. You may have the best intentions when deciding to volunteer at an orphanage, taking care of deprived children and donating money but ultimately you are doing a lot of harm.

These are things worth considering before deciding to go on a voluntourism trip. In some cases, your presence and lack of skills may slow down the progress of worthwhile projects and in others it may support damaging money-making schemes. 

The Saviour Complex

When people are asked why they want to volunteer abroad you’ll hear a number of answers:

• “I just want to do good”

• “I want to help people”

• “I want to give back to the world”

And while those are all very noble notions, this kind of altruism can morph into an ugly saviour complex. Volunteers centre themselves at the heart of the projects they’re involved in, instead of taking the community’s needs and wants into account. They have this idea that their three-week presence will radically change people’s lives for the better. They imagine that they’ll single-handedly save someone's life or future. But have they ever paused to ask themselves, why are they the hero of the story? 

When interviewing gap year volunteers, researchers noticed that they emphasised the difference between the locals (them) and us (the volunteers). This creates a rift between volunteers and the communities they are supposed to be serving. It disempowers locals as they are not consulted about or involved in the volunteer activities.

Voluntourism also enables the harmful concept of “poverty porn” and rationalises poverty. You’ve probably heard the term “poor but happy” before. It’s used by volunteers to describe the locals they helped “save”, how even though they have so little they are so rich in love. Using terms like these justifies financial inequality and hinders efforts to reduce it. 

Volunteers also use these trips to evoke feelings of gratitude in their own lives by comparing their privilege against the misfortune of others. Some volunteer trips even organise days out and tour the houses of those who are less fortunate. Imagine if someone like Bill Gates decided to wander around your home and pity how you live just so he can appreciate his own wealth. That is the equivalent of what some voluntourism companies are enabling.

A Different Narrative

After reading all that, you may be thinking that you never want to volunteer for anything again. If it harms the communities you intend to help, why would you? But wanting to combine travel with meaningful projects isn’t inherently bad. Voluntourism has been exploited for profits and concealed under the happy mask of good intentions. 

There’s a way to shift that narrative. There are ways to volunteer ethically and actually do good. They may not extract the same superficial “feel good “ feelings or make for great Instagram captions, but you can leave knowing that you positively contributed to the project.

Pick the Right Project

Instead of applying for a volunteer trip through large international agencies, research and connect with projects directly. You can avoid the hefty fees these companies charge and invest that money into the local community you’re visiting. The money that would be funnelled into unnecessary things when buying a volunteer package can instead be spent staying in local hotels, restaurants and services. This way you support the economy and empower businesses in the area.

Contacting projects directly also ensures that you are only getting involved in projects that are approved and coordinated by locals. Look for organisations that champion leadership in the community and are led by people who have experience and knowledge in the problems they’re tackling. 

It might feel more daunting than simply booking a volunteer package. It will require more work on your part. Talk to the organisation leaders, join volunteer forums online to look for advice, reach out to people who have already volunteered in that area and even ask your travel advisor for more information about the location. This will ensure that you are getting involved in ethical projects and will minimise any safety risks.

Evaluate your skills

Motivation isn’t enough to become a volunteer. You are travelling to help and to take on responsibilities. It’s important that you have the skills to carry your tasks out well, otherwise, your presence can be more damaging than helpful.

Before planning your trip sit down and ask yourself the question - What can I offer? Think about your specific experience, maybe you work in the finance industry and can help manage donations. Maybe you’re excellent at organising events. Or perhaps you are a youth worker and have experience supporting child development. Whatever your specific skill set, look at projects that are looking for someone to help in those areas.

Go with an open mind and a willingness to learn. It’s important to remember that you are only there to help for a little while, not to run the show. Listen to project coordinators and adjust to suit the role and the needs of the community. You might be surprised by how much you can learn in the process. 

Change your mindset

If you have any notions of going in and saving the world, drop them out the window. Your short presence in a place likely won’t have a huge impact. You are there to support the work of community leaders by offering your time, talents and money. People don’t need to be “saved” and you are not the person to “save” them. The issues these communities are facing are not going to be bandaged with a quick solution. They require long term dedication and local commitment.
Approach these projects with self-awareness and humility. Acknowledge that the part you play will probably be quite small and instead focus on listening to the communities you’re visiting. Volunteering can be a great way to respectfully explore another culture, observe unique traditions and befriend the locals.  Do away with the “us” and “them” mentality and allow yourself to serve instead of “save”. You will shift your perspective and learn so much about yourself and the world in the process.

Be Respectful

It’s important to remember that you are a visitor during your trip. When joining the flow of a different community you need to respect its culture, traditions and rules. You don’t have to take on every new mindset you encounter, but it’s imperative to approach them with empathy and mindfulness.

Volunteering may also have you working with vulnerable people. Check your prejudices and remember that someone's financial position or misfortune is not what defines them. These are people with emotions, talents, thoughts and feelings and they deserve the respect you’d extend out to any human being. Too often volunteers take on a patronizing manner with people they’re supposed to be helping. Be kind and sensitive to others needs, engage in conversation instead of alienating them. 

And before you undertake any action ask yourself the question - would this be acceptable at home? Before taking a photograph with a stranger's child consider if you’d do so at home without a parents permission. Or before giving away your used clothes to a random family, think about if it would be okay and respectful for you to do that in your country. The same rules of respect and consideration apply when volunteering and interacting with people abroad. 
Being mindful of other people’s needs and cultural differences can lead to some wonderful interactions with locals and allow you to learn more about their way of life. So be open, be caring and others will treat you that way too. And at the end of your trip, you might come to realize that you gained more than you could ever give.