Is Voluntourism Fruitless?
Voluntourism. The act of traveling overseas to volunteer, a hotspot of controversy and, to some, the modern manifestation of imperialism.
I’m definitely not the first to admit voluntourism isn’t the beneficial act it’s often portrayed. Living in Cambodia — a country infamous for orphanage volunteering — taught me that while voluntourism can be rewarding, it can also be exploitative and good intentions can have adverse effects. Voluntourism does have its positives but they aren’t the most obvious or easy to achieve. And though it’s easy to blast voluntourism, doing so does not provide any solution to the issue and, honestly, simply isn’t making a difference. Despite the recent backlash, there’s no evidence that suggests voluntourism is going extinct or even declining. If anything, it’s doing the exact opposite. As of July 2014, the industry was garnering around $2 billion a year from 1.6 million volunteers.
For those of you against voluntourism, it’s important to consider the potential advantages before promoting its destruction. Voluntourism, though largely associated with unskilled volunteers, can be valuable when the volunteers are trained. Accredited teachers can educate local children, professionals can train people for specific fields, and doctors can treat communities lacking medical resources. These are just a few examples of the rewarding work voluntourism offers. However, for those of you that do partake in voluntourism, in order for it to be effective you must abstain if you do not have such experience. If we want other countries to gain long-term stability, we should implement the same standards we do here in the US.
Another advantage of voluntourism — also contingent upon how it’s conducted — is the opportunity for exchange and interaction (cultural, economic, religious, etc). I have privileged friends that credit mission trips or similar experiences for broadening their perspectives, inspiring them to convert religions, and educating them about the world. And many locals I met in Cambodia loved interacting with tourists to learn about their home country. Travel really is an incredible opportunity when done respectfully. However, too often, Westerners arrive in third world countries without bothering to learn about the community and its genuine needs, armed only with assumptions and a “white savior complex”.
They also assume that the community wants to interact with foreigners or that they bring something new to the table. Often, entrances to schools and orphanages are like a revolving door and it’s more or less the same kind of people that arrive for the same, short amount of time.
It creates short-term, band-aid solutions to places that deserve long-term development and stability.
One last thing I want to encourage is the consideration of a certain group: those in need at home. The contributions of nonprofit organizations and local volunteers have been incredibly constructive in many issues within the US: Assisting the increasing homeless population, providing disaster relief following hurricane Katrina, and more. Self-improvement is both empowering for communities and ensures the necessary developments are implemented. Diverging from the negativity sometimes associated with voluntourism, nonprofit/volunteer work within the US is incredibly effective. It’s a great way to contribute to your own community and avoids the ‘imperialism’ label linked with voluntourism. It’s also far more cheap and accessible!
If you’re against voluntourism, don’t limit your argument to “don’t voluntour”. Instead, begin to discuss the most responsible ways to voluntour and mention the implications that concern you and how they can be avoided. And those of you who are voluntourists need to be cognizant of how and where you volunteer, ensuring it’s in a manner that genuinely benefits, not exploits, the community.
Voluntourism isn’t entirely fruitless. It sure has a plethora of issues and is very complex but purposeful effort and awareness from those who participate combined with the proactivity of those who see the flaws will help transform voluntourism into the productive, valuable activity it can be.
