Suggested Articles
Connecting the Disconnected: Online Learning for an Offline World
Access to the Internet is still limited to half of the world’s population, and the half that do not have access are overwhelmingly underserved in primary and secondary...
Very good article Cris! And very true, I can support this from the bottom of my heart…
I disagree strongly.
Getting people with money to visit people without much is the goal, not building some out house. Volunteers are the product, as they go home and donate so that what they did on an outing can be funded without them.
Spot on, I am from developing country, I had same thought before when I saw foreign engineerng students who can have a lot to offer, trimming/prunning trees in a school compound, using power hacksaw. Something local do without using power/ fuel.
Thanks David. I think it is a balance between feeling good and doing good.
Hi Muhamed,
Thanks for the feedback, especially from someone who has seen the issues first-hand.
Hi Tommy,
Tourism is a really important way of improving the quality of life of those in developing communities. Similarly, volunteering using difficult-to-transfer skills also has a big impact in raising quality of life. However, voluntourism is not a positive hybrid of the two. For example, someone pays $2000USD + flights for the “privilege” to work in a developing community, where they will help build a house. Most of the money will go to materials, accommodation, in-country travel, food and administration fees (in that order), plus their flights as well. Typically, a group of volunteers will have cheap, potentially self-cooked meals, and live in cheap accommodation (and in cases I’ve seen, away from the community that will be helped). They do this to save costs so that their funds have more of an impact (ie buy more materials). Then they spend all their time building the house, even if they aren’t skilled to do it.
If the goal is for people with money to visit those without much, that is, tourism to the community in question, why don’t they spend the $2k living with the community, paying locals to cook, pay for tours, tourist gifts and trinkets? If the aim is to raise funds and build a house, why fly there in the first place and not just donate ALL the money (including that for flights) to the community for materials and education so they can build their own house? Both tourism and volunteering are important, but voluntourism decreases the impact of both, plus fails to train the community to be self sufficient. A balance can be found, but it isn’t easy.
Interesting take on the three things, Cristian. It seems like there is a value in volunteering time in addition to donating money, and that’s probably the driving force behind “voluntourism.” But after thinking of it from your point of view, maybe the best use of money might be to send it directly to an organization working in the country that you’d like to help, like you said. And maybe the best use of volunteer time might be to volunteer in your own city or your own country. There are homeless people who can use a home in every country and volunteers itching to build homes for the less fortunate might consider looking next door rather than to a foreign country.
Completely agree with you Rob!
Best technical article I have ever read…best luck !!!
This is very important and valuable. How can i join this program
.
Voluntourism will help us to know what was really going on right out there and it makes us to improve some knowledge and working skills. engineering for CHANGE was doing a fabulous job in all aspects
Hi Praveensagar311! Going to a place to monitor and observe helps ensure opportunities are suitably identified and solution implementation is achieved appropriately. Going somewhere and learning how communities operate, even trying to do the same work to “walk in their footstep” is a great way of empathizing and understanding (plus learning new skills). However, going somewhere and taking away work opportunities from local communities members is the issue. You don’t need to travel to a resource-constrained community to learn how to dig a foundation trench, place the reinforcement steel, or mix and pour concrete. It would be better to ensure communities members learn those skills, so they can then increase their opportunities. It is about what you get AND what community members get (or don’t get).