The summer before senior year of high school, I went on a volunteer tourism trip. I, a 16-year-old with no work experience besides an internship at a wedding magazine, flew to Nepal to be a volunteer English teacher. In a lot of ways, it was the touching experience that volunteer tourism companies and past volunteers gush about. In many more ways, it was an experience that led me to re-examine how we’re taught to volunteer and give as young adults.
Volunteer tourism can seem like a straightforward and engaging way of giving back. Even when volunteers fly out to help in person, there are still middlemen and for-profit companies that do work behind-the-scenes, which potentially detracts from any good deeds done. It’s a complex industry with both its ugly and touching sides that’s tough to boil down to just one piece, but here are the main points that explain what is wrong with volunteer tourism.
For-Profit vs. Non-Profit
Volunteer trips got their big start and are often still done by great non-for profit organizations like UNICEF. As word grew of just how profitable this type of tourism can be, for-profit companies started jumping in and muddied the waters of who exactly benefits from these trips. So if you’re planning on traveling to volunteer, know who you’re signing on to work with and where the money is going. As noble as the organizations can seem, remember they’re still selling to you. They are selling an experience, both in the sense of a fun trip and experience that can go on the résumé for young volunteers. So again, look into the organization and see who is benefiting once the trip is over.
See this Condé Nast Traveler article for a list of reputable non-profits to start your research.
Permanent change through temporary work
Volunteer trips often try to tackle complex issues that call for longer commitment and more nuanced solutions. Building houses and volunteering at a school is nice in the meantime, but in the long run, a community is going to need more. More than re-building a home, it’s going to take the rebuilding of the community’s self-sustainability. Volunteer tourism often leaves communities reliant on temporary foreign volunteers rather than giving local opportunity.
The school I volunteered at was full of products of past volunteers’ four-week or so commitments. There were half-built brick walls the volunteers started, and the school would finish themselves with metal panels. There were high-fives, fist-bumps, and games kids were taught to keep them busy and active in place of class lessons. The school was filled with small gestures that made touching small term solutions, but it was in need of something permanent.
Volunteers are in need of experience, but these communities need experienced professionals
When students go abroad, it’s usually to fulfill some requirements or build experience. But these communities in need are not a temp agency; they’re people in need of resources and professional help student volunteers can’t give.
All of this is not to say that volunteer trips are an evil that needs to be banished (not that it could be, given how ingrained and profitable the industry has become). Instead, maybe it’s time we re-frame the context around them. The “voluntourists” going over often can’t give practical help, but there is some valuable cultural exchange happening on these trips.
Andrea Freidus, an assistant professor at the University of North Carolina, wrote on volunteer tourism, “in an increasingly violent and xenophobic world, these kinds of cross-cultural engagement can help people understand and appreciate each other.” Freidus continued to explain that maybe the goal of these trips should just be a kind of cultural exchange, rather than humanitarian work.
Looking back, that’s how I view my volunteer “teaching” in Nepal. I’m grateful for how welcoming everyone was – how excited they were to share their culture and community. I hope the kids still remember the games we taught them (duck, duck, goose was a big hit). More than anything though, I hope the school gets it’s brick walls finished, and the kids all receive the education they deserve, from qualified professionals.
[Feature Image by Unsplash]