Students Speak: Volunteer holidays can be a powerful tool for development
|
Version 0 of 1. Volunteering abroad on short-term aid projects has become a rite of passage for many young people, but does it do any good? We asked students to share their views on the often criticised “voluntourism” trend, and the reaction was overwhelmingly favourable. Here are some of the responses. Through the right channels, volunteering can work for all involved There are swathes of voluntourism traps out to deceive people and I was lucky that, after passing on various volunteering “packages”, I remembered a chance recommendation about a government programme, ICS. Based on my assessment, they assigned me to a disabilities centre in Ghana for three months. There, I was thrown into challenges I’d never faced before: presenting to schoolchildren and teachers; producing our own foreign language documentary; teaching ICT, through language and communication barriers, to the deaf. My three British colleagues and their local counterparts were even more remarkable. They built a school from scratch – not a brick shell, but a curriculum, lesson plans, examinations, certification. These operations are sustainable, too we trained our local counterpart volunteers and handed over to the next cohort of British volunteers. Were there problems? Of course. The programme operates on subsidies; volunteers get out as much as they put in, and some don’t put in; and not all projects allow so much freedom. But with a healthy dose of cynicism, I feel we had an impact. It’s important to realise it is not selfish to think about what these programmes have done for us, the “volunteers”. Through my work, I picked up the satisfaction of teaching, which I still carry on at home. Through my involvement with the community I realised there’s such a vast, unexplored world outside my doorstep. Through my brilliant colleagues and our adventures, I came out of my shell and am ready to take on that world. James Wong, Barts and the London medical and dentistry school, UK Don’t tar all projects with the same brush Related: 15 ways to make your mark as a volunteer Volunteering can be an exceptionally effective form of foreign aid. Having skilled and passionate people working alongside foreign counterparts not only delivers immediate, tangible results in the project delivery, but also builds the most powerful tool for development: human capacity. Over a decade of involvement with volunteer programmes in south-east Asia and the Pacific, I’ve seen numerous examples of positive change stemming from such projects. My particular focus has been with Australian Business Volunteers (ABV), an organisation that places skilled professionals on short-term assignments (from one to four months). We work with local counterparts to deliver a targeted, measurable project that directly addresses an identified need. While the projects are beneficial in themselves, it is the capacity building of the local counterparts that delivers the greatest long term benefit. By “teaching them to fish” we empower them to be a force for positive change long after we go home. In the countries where we operate there are precious few other avenues for this level of professional development. ABV, like some other Australian volunteer organisations, operates in a professional environment with professional people and delivers overwhelmingly positive outcomes. If there are specific projects or organisations operating that are delivering negative outcomes, they need to be addressed. But they don’t in any way detract from the value of other projects or the volunteer programme as a whole. Noven Purnell-Webb, Deakin University, Australia Related: Are there too many sustainable development goals? | Carla Kweifio-Okai Volunteers have much to offer Volunteering overseas provides an opportunity for passionate individuals to utilise their skill sets in order to contribute to sustainable development around the world. Yes, there are instances when volunteer positions are abused by fun-seeking individuals who are more intrigued with the idea of experiencing exotic locations and foreign cultures. However, these foolish examples should not detract from the advantages of providing firsthand assistance to vulnerable populations in whatever capacity possible. Volunteers have the potential to offer much-needed services with an array of expertise that may be lacking in the developing world. Therefore, more rigorous screening and acceptance of volunteer applicants could potentially lead to more qualified individuals, as the volunteers dutifully provide essential services, instead of using the position as an excuse to vacation or possibly take work away from unemployed locals. Furthermore, capacity building between the volunteers and targeted community may lead to increased cooperation involving governmental and NGO entities. Patrick Rulong, University of Waterloo, Canada Volunteering is a form of grassroots development Volunteering can be a force for good but it depends on the approach. It’s important that volunteers adapt and are more of a “helping hand” rather than trying to reshape cultural values and norms. The community I volunteered in, Nuevo Gualcho in El Salvador, now has a tourist route that is run by the community which British and national volunteers worked together to create. Volunteering should acknowledge the skills that communities have and give them the knowledge and the opportunity to utilise those skills. The cultural exchange gives volunteers the opportunity to learn and work with people they otherwise would not have met. However, volunteering abroad has become commercialised and has reached a staged where many people do it to tick off their bucket list or add to their CV. The humanitarian spirit can be easily lost in the mix of self-centered characters. However, the greatest impact that volunteers make is the relationships they build with locals. The impressions they leave are unforgettable and, speaking from personal experience, we truly do make friends for life. When a volunteer’s heart is in their work, the impact they can make is priceless. There are different ways to bring about change and volunteering is not always the solution. Volunteers need to be careful and research what their role will be while volunteering, as many companies are out for their money and sustainable development can be used as a tool to attract them. Victoria Poku-Amanfo, University of Exeter, UK Volunteers beware I’ve travelled a lot and have never volunteered. I don’t think I’ll ever volunteer. For me it has never seemed worthwhile, when weighing up my options. I don’t think you need to volunteer to have a good time or feel like you’re doing your bit to stop human misery. Does volunteering really help the people you’re supposed to be helping? I don’t know. But what I do know is that volunteering is big business, and those who choose to volunteer shouldn’t be condemned for the sins of the industry. I’ve met volunteers who were not allowed to leave the area they were helping out in. I’ve met a volunteer who caught the programme coordinator pilfering funds from an orphanage in Kenya. I’ve met plenty of volunteers who seem worn out, dissatisfied and ready to go home. Volunteering is shamefully expensive and can be exploitative. $2,000 for two weeks in India doesn’t add up. $2,000 in India is big, big money. Then again it’s probably better than $2000 for two weeks in Europe on Contiki [tour holidays]. Declan Quali, University of Wollongong, Australia ‘What harm have we caused?’ I have read many articles and heard many people claim that travelling abroad to volunteer in industries such as health care, education or building services does not bring about any benefits to those we are trying to help. I wish people who believe this would justify themselves. I cannot think of any harm being brought to a community by individuals from the western world building wells for a community so that they are provided with clean drinking water to prevent the spread of cholera, or helping to improve a child’s English, which will benefit their future education and job prospects. It isn’t until you volunteer to do this work yourself that you realise what a massive impact you are making on people’s lives. I discovered this last summer when I travelled to the poorest region of India for five weeks to build 10 new homes for orphaned families. The families, the builders and the community in general could not have been more welcoming, friendly and grateful for the work we were doing for them. As a result, each family had a new, cement-built home with running water and electricity instead of a wooden hut held together with sticks and rope. Now I ask you, what harm have we caused? Alison Lannon, University of Glasgow, Scotland Does volunteering abroad have its merits? Or is a rethink required? Share your views in the comment thread below. |