Many Americans desire to travel abroad, and increasingly businesses have cropped up offering those with cash this opportunity through volunteer projects.
The effectiveness of this rising trend, “voluntourism,” is questionable.
Voluntourism has existed since the founding of Volunteer Services Incorporated in 1958 and the establishment of the U.S. Peace Corps in 1961. A majority of these volunteer vacations appeal to high school and college students who want to travel with friends, add to their resumes and gain world experience.
These volunteer vacations provide the unpaid helpers with an opportunity to see how the rest of the world lives. The trips can increase international awareness of poverty and relief methods while possibly providing a life-changing experience – at least for those volunteering.
Business management senior Adam Feola has never been on a mission trip but finds the idea appealing. He recognizes there can be problems.
“People want to help others, but they often lose sight of how useful their method of help can be,” Feola said.
Most of these volunteer trips are organized through religious groups or travel agencies. Some of these same groups and agencies have been accused of catering to the wants of the volunteers instead of the needs of the countries being visited.
A large part of “voluntourism” work sends Americans to third-world countries. These places are continuously in need of donations of food, clothes and building materials. Some of these orphanages have connections to volunteer organizations that supply a specific amount of money per year which is expected to go towards improvements. When volunteers come and work to improve the living conditions of these orphans, some of the money given to the orphanage may be pocketed by its caretakers.
This behavior is not prevalent in volunteer vacations, but it happens. For example, the United Nations Children’s Fund estimates that only one-third of the money received by orphanages is used for children’s care.
Also in question is the sustainability of the work being done. Projects are often started by volunteer groups and then left to the locals to finish or keep up with significantly less resources. While building a house for a starving family seems gratifying, if that family lacks the financial resources to keep that building in shape then the work becomes a wasted effort.
The largest problem with voluntourism is the lack of communication between the volunteers and those they are helping.
Volunteering can make a real impact when done consciously and for the right reasons. There are plenty of volunteer vacation opportunities in the Baton Rouge area easily accessible online or through local churches.
Mission trips are similar to other volunteering experience except they focus more on the connection with the people they meet while still physically contributing to the area.
Voluntourists may mean well, but it is sometimes corrupted by poor planning and monetary problems. These volunteer vacations can be more than traveling experiences; they can be life-changing for volunteers and the underprivileged alike.