Voluntourism: Benefit or Harm?

Traditionally, being a volunteer involves working at disaster sites with emergency aid or providing professional skills to assist with third world development. Most volunteers spend more than three months, sometimes a couple of years working on their projects and are sometimes recognised as political/social ambassadors from their country.

A trend has started in the recent years, where more people want to be involved with volunteering abroad, without the full commitment required of a traditional volunteer. Many now want to include a short time volunteering while travelling, with the desire to experience something different.

The tourism industry has taken on this new challenge demanded by the new breed of travellers. Voluntourism is increasingly taking over the traditional holiday options for the young and the old, with many opting to volunteer their services as a GAP year option between school and between jobs, from a couple of weeks to as long as a year on voluntourism projects.

Voluntourism, according to Adrian Yalland, CEO of the Different Travel Company, means "combining travel and tourism with work on projects". These projects can be any length, any time, differentiating voluntourism from the traditional forms of volunteering. Often, these trips do not require the tourist to have particular skills. A lot of the work simply involves teaching at a local school or helping out on a farm. To a lot of people, this can be a novelty indeed.

Every travel brochure I flip through these days seem to offer such opportunity, to get out of the tourist trail, incorporating sometime working on communities sites as part of a tour package. It was only a while ago that I, myself, had joined a group of thirteen enthusiastic individuals on a volunteer mission to Peru. All of us, eager to help and make a difference, endured the harsh local conditions, believing that it was the only way, to show the world we cared.

As I recall my trip to Peru, I often wonder, exactly how much did we really put into the local community? On the hindsight, our presence in their communities may have done more harm than good. Sure, we have built them a toilet, but could a local labourer have done it better? Could our presence prevent someone from paid employment?

The real benefits provided to these communities visited from voluntourism are continuously being debated. Experts in the field as well as past participants in such projects all have different opinions on the matter. Unlike traditional volunteering, the work on voluntourism trips cannot guarantee sustainability, and are often more tailored to the tourists than the local needs. An article ran by the Sydney Morning Herald in March this year emphasised the 'feel good factor' in voluntourism, seeing this travel option as a way to relief "your conscience with as little as a week's voluntouring." This impression of voluntourism is common, luring kind hearted tourists into thinking that they are making a difference in the world, without the need to be totally committed. Is this a good thing? "Voluntourism can offer experiences which no other form of travel can offer" says Arian Yalland, "voluntourism can achieve very little if not structured well."

As much as most people still felt their presence had a positive impact on the communities, some past participants of such projects questions whether there are better ways to help. "Having spent so much time in South America I found so many other worthy causes more needy than what we did." Nicole, 29, reflects on her trip.

Is voluntourism really helping or are we just feeding our need for the feel good factor?

Firstly, there is the timing. Instead of going when it is needed, voluntourist take their trips when they want to. Tourists who wish to volunteer choose when to go and how long they want to go for, and often, on basic community building projects rather than skills specific projects. Many projects, although having negotiated with the local communities on the work to be done, only have a short time frame to suit the requirements of the tourists, and often, the work is left unfinished, until the next batch of voluntourists turn up to continue the work.

In Susan Ellis' article Voluntourism: Pros, Cons & possibilities (World Volunteer Web: http://www.worldvolunteerweb.org), she mentions "the biggest gripe about volunteer vacations is that they simply expand the trend of episodic volunteering," where those who sign up for voluntourism trips simply needed to satisfy their need for a 'feel-good' factor and trying to seek a 'unique' overseas experience, without fully understanding the overall impact and the benefits of their work to the local communities. Many, armed with a good intention, thinking that volunteering and touring in a foreign country, is their way of making an imprint on the world. "It is often noted that problems away from home can be more appealing to support than those close to home." As the tourism industry struggles to find appealing destinations for those seeking authentic experiences and the wish to travel outside the norm, voluntourism provided an attractive offer.

Then, there are the requirements of the market. Competition between voluntourism operators increase overtime, with more operators offering attractive and better accommodation and comfort options, volunteers going with unethical operators abroad may risk doing more harm to their host communities. Operators whose focus is not on the actual development projects and the help to the communities, but to emphasis on volunteer enjoyment "may not deliver the maximum benefits to the communities these people are working in", criticised Judith Brodie, UK director of Voluntary Service Overseas said, in an interview conducted by World Volunteer Web. There is simply no guarantee that the work is welcomed by the locals.

"A lot of people have very unrealistic expectations about overseas volunteering," says Janye Cravens. As an independent consultant in volunteer management and a volunteer herself, Jayne's concern that there are a general lack of understanding on what volunteering entails and many people are asking for unrealistic compensation such as getting paid and provided with shelter and food by the local communities "and they want to be there for only a month or less and have no skills that are critically needed in the developing world."

Currently serving in Afghanistan as Communication and Reporting Advisor with United Nations Development Program, Jayne's concern on volunteers' skills, is not invalid. "The priority for sending volunteers to developing countries is to fill gaps in local skills and experience, not to give the volunteer an outlet for his or her desire to help", states Jayne on her consulting website. It is important to empower and hire local people whenever possible, giving them employment and helping them to sustain.

Yes, voluntourism projects should be based on the sustainability of the communities. "Sustainability is the ability of a development activity to delivery substantial benefits for an extended period of time after financial, managerial and technical assistance from a donor finishes." says Sacha Bown, Program Manager of World Youth International, a NGO taking volunteers overseas for their development projects. It is a common critic to the voluntourism industry that, projects often are left unfinished and unusable by the local people, and can diminish throughout time. To ensure the works of the volunteers will provide that sustainability of the community, the organisation need to design their projects according to local expectations and that "the project does not introduce technology or methodologies that are alien to the local populace." He also projects the concern that "there is a lot of development that is useless and is based on erroneous assumptions around what is 'best' for the community or country," comparing the mentality to the colonial days when Western countries forced the local indigenous cultures to abandon their practices and adopt to the western way of living.

Comparing the idea of voluntourism to colonisation maybe too extreme, but it is not to say the concept is valid. Dr Kate Simpson also asks "Is international volunteering the new colonialism?" (Volunteer - A Travellers Guide to Making a Difference Around the World,Lonely Planet) She argues "If volunteers travel in the belief that they have little to learn and a lot to give, then they do risk being little more than New age colonialists." It is largely down to attitude. Voluntourists who are not well educated in adapting to the local culture, may risk bringing in possible conflict of interest and wealth comparison, and show the "I am better than you" attitude. Those who wish to take part in a voluntourism project, should research thoroughly on the local culture and languages, so not to offend the hosts.

So voluntourism is not an answer for those with good intentions wishing to take some time off work to undertake volunteer projects, however, when trips are carefully chosen and planned, and all cultural and social considerations taken, it is not to say it does not have its benefits. The industry need to ensure, certain standards and policies are met by all operators.

Unfortunately, there currently is no international standard for the voluntourism industry. In Australia, the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) sets operation procedures, outlining how Non-Government Organisations (NGO) should conduct and how the projects should be run. These standards unfortunately are not enforceable, nor do they extend to the operations of profit making travel operators.

"There should be no separation between NGOs and private tour agencies" emphasises Sacha Bown, "The UN should have an arm that specifically deals with development and works with individual countries to form strategies for beneficial development." And due to the lack of these standards, it is unfortunate there are operators out there simply cashing in on tourists' good wills.

"Companies that sell tours with volunteer options should always work in partnership with a recognised and reputable local NGO" continues Sacha Bown, who holds passionate viewpoints on the topic of voluntourism.

It is not to say, voluntourism should be discouraged. If the projects are well planned and evidence of benefit can be shown and strict ethical guidelines and policies are followed, voluntourism can bring the world closer and a chance for all of us to learn about another culture. International voluntourism can increase cultural awareness and understanding; offering new skills and knowledge to assist their sustainability; and mostly to the volunteers themselves, learn to appreciate the world we live in. Those participated in voluntourism projects often come home a different person with different perspectives in life, and sometimes, even with new skills, as long as the trip is well planned and researched to ensure your trip achieves what your good intensions had wanted.