Educate Yourself! : Commitment, Not Voluntourism

by Christine Homan

When you apply to join the Peace Corps, one of the first things you learn is that it is a 27-month commitment.  Not a job or cultural exchange program that lasts 27 months, but a commitment.  After 21 months in Ethiopia, I now understand why that term is used. To do the kind of work we do, the kind that has the potential to improve lives on a long-term scale, we can’t just come for two or three weeks, build a house or play with orphans, and leave. Improving lives requires investing not just money into a community but large amounts of time and energy.

As a PCV, one of the projects I am most proud of is the weekly girls club I run. Because of this club, I have seen girls become more confident and challenge the ideas of what an Ethiopian girl/woman should be. This would not have been possible without the commitment I made to live in Axum for two years, and the help of the teachers who assist me every week. The positive changes I’ve seen in the girls is only possible because of the commitment made by the people involved with the club; the teachers, the girls and myself. Being committed has allowed me to give the girls important opportunities that they might not have had if I was only here for a short period of time. That’s not to say every project I’ve done has succeeded, but I don’t believe the few that have been successful would have been without the commitment made by the Ethiopians I’ve worked with and myself.

Because of this, I've come to believe that voluntourism, where people come to a developing country for a few weeks to do a service project, tends to do more harm than good. For instance, when people come to a developing country to build a house or other infrastructure, it seems like they are doing something worthwhile. Everybody needs a house to live in, every child deserves a school. However, when a team of foreigners comes to a developing country to build something, they are potentially taking jobs away from locals. Unemployment in Ethiopia is 17.5%, which means every job lost to a foreigner counts. Many times, the people coming from other countries to do this kind of work may be grossly under-qualified. It doesn’t make sense for someone who has never pounded a nail in his life to come and “build” in a developing country.

In the other common example, someone travels to a developing country to work in an orphanage for a few weeks. This may seem like an innocent activity; children who have no parents are getting additional care and attention. However, in some cases foreigners coming to an orphanage for only a short period of time can make things worse for the children. Stability is incredibly important for children, and having people come and go from their lives on a frequent basis can negatively impact their emotional well-being. In some places, children are even “borrowed” from their families so voluntourists can have “orphans” to play with.

Oftentimes the problems created by voluntourism/voluntourists are more subtle. For example, when I was in training in Bekoji, there was a group of teenagers who had come to do a service project in the town. While there, they went to the market, bought all the sugar cane they could and proceeded to give it to the children in town, thinking they were doing a kind and generous deed. But many of the adults in town were upset that the volunteer tourists had done this. While this didn't cause a major international incident, it shows how short-term voluntourists may not consider the long-term consequences of their actions. It shows how their short time spent in a community is not adequate to give them an honest idea of the community’s wants and needs, and may lead them to forego even consulting, say, parents about their own children. This split-second moment of “generosity” caused a problem that might have been avoided had the visitors been in the community long enough to better understand their “beneficiaries” and the sorts of help they would actually welcome and need.

These are just a few examples of how voluntourism can negatively impact the people it’s intended to help. Not all voluntourism is bad, however. Organizations that focus on providing skills/knowledge and that are run by local people can make a positive impact. In certain cases locals might not have the skills or knowledge to do critical jobs, such as highly specialized surgery, in which case it is necessary for foreigners to come and provide assistance. But these jobs are the exception, NOT the rule. Most voluntourists are providing services that are locally available.

Here are some things to consider before you become a voluntourist:

   1. Who runs the organization I will be volunteering with? – If the answer is mostly people from outside the local community, consider another organization.

   2. Could someone from the local community be doing this job instead of me? - If the answer is yes, find another group.

   3. What skills do I actually have to offer the group I’ll be working with? – If the answer is none, don’t participate in the volunteer activity, or find one that fits with your skill set.

   4. Will my contribution continue to benefit the community after I leave?  - If the answer is no, find another volunteer opportunity.

   5. Will I be there long enough to actually transfer skills/knowledge to the community? -  If the answer is no, find another volunteer opportunity.

   6. What do I know about the people I’ll be working with? How will my skills and abilities fit their needs?

The desire to do good in the world is admirable, but it’s important to remember to contribute your time and money wisely. Do your homework before you go, ensure that people will actually benefit from your involvement, and don’t assume that because you are from a “developed” country your benevolence is needed. Sometimes the best thing you can do is simply go to a developing country, see it, and be impacted by it. Tourism creates jobs and stimulates the economy, which helps people too.

Most people volunteer because they want to make a positive contribution to society, which is wonderful. But take a moment to think about the people who have helped you to grow professionally or personally. Were these people in your life for a day or week? I’m willing to bet most have been or were there for months or years. People and countries in the developing world need the same level of commitment if they are to grow, which is why voluntourism tends to produce such meager results. So, if you really want to make a difference, show people in developing countries the same respect you would show people in your own community and make a thoughtful commitment.