The idea of volunteer vacations has become so popular so quickly that the word “voluntourism” has gained currency outside the travel and volunteer communities.
Lots of travelers are interested in spending part or all of their travels with their sleeves rolled up, but many aren’t sure how to scope out opportunities and select a project.
Photo: Alex Kehr
This weekend, while hosting a discussion on Facebook about travel writing and voluntourism for the Voluntary Traveler Book Project, I was asked by one participant:
“I am interested (some time in the near future) heading overseas and volunteering. What would be your tips in researching/finding international volunteer positions (i.e. credible organisations, experience etc.)?”
If you have the same question, three useful online resources can help you identify organizations around the world that are actively seeking volunteers:
1. Matador Travel:
Matador’s community blog has more than 364 organizational members in locations around the world. Enjoy cycling? See how biking is incorporated into voluntourism by checking out The Otesha Project’s profile. Want to go off-grid? Check out the Mirror Foundation’s profile.
You can search for organizations by name, area of focus, or location. Be sure to review how fully the organization has filled out its profile and whether contact information is provided. If you’re interested in the organization, reach out to the listed contact and ask if you can speak with a current or former volunteer.
2. Idealist:
Since 1995, Idealist has been the Internet’s go-to spot for information about jobs and internships in the non-profit field, and the recent addition of the International Volunteerism Resource Center makes Idealist THE definitive online reference for voluntourism as well.
The IVRC provides fact sheets on topics you may not even have considered yet: the ethics of voluntourism, the costs associated with volunteering abroad, and “in country dos, don’ts, and probably shouldn’ts.” Perhaps most useful is the IVRC’s list of questions to ask the organizations with which you’re considering sharing your efforts.
3. Voluntourism
Voluntourism.org blends the Matador and Idealist models, listing organizations seeking volunteers as well as providing tips for prospective voluntourists.
The best feature of Voluntourism, though, is its webcast/podcast series, The VolunTourist, which is broadcast weekly. The VolunTourist features interviews with organizational leaders, helping you learn more about the organizations listed on the site. At present, more than 70 podcasts are archived on the site.
Community Connection:
Have you been a voluntourist? What resources did you use to choose an organization? What questions would you ask before seeking another voluntourism opportunity? Share your comments below.
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8 Comments... join the discussion!
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It is important to do a personal assessment and lots of research whether you do voluntourism with a sending organization or directly with a charity on your own. Some of the questions to ask yourself are:
1. How much of my trip do I want to dedicate to volunteering and how much to travel?
2. How sensitive am I to deprivation, poverty, starvation, health issues, etc.?
3. What do I hope to get out of the experience? What do I hope to contribute?
4. Where do I want to go? Is there a particular continent I want to travel to? Why?
5. What are my strength and interests?
6. Do I want to be on my own or with a group?
7. How long do I want to go for and what time of the year?There are so many opportunities out there. This assessment will help you figure out what types of project you want to do and where you want to go.
Next, research and talk with past volunteers will help you choose the right placement for yourself (though no guarantees!)
Some questions to ask organizations are:
1. How long has the project been running for? Is the organization in for the long haul?
2. Do they work with a host country partner and is the project one which the host country wants or needs?
3. Do they have a policy on responsible tourism? Have them give some examples.
4. How are the funds used — do they contribute part of the program fee to the long-term sustainability of a community and its resources?Hope this helps you get started!
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This is all good information and I think it's great that if your reading this – you are interested. I'd like to add one thing which may appear to be a damper on the previous comments but I'm speaking from personal experience with an orphanage I'm involved with in Cambodia. If you wish to do some volunteer work with children at a grass roots charity, and can only spare one or two days, or a week then think about why you are doing it and who is going to benefit from it. One of the things about grass root places is that you don't have to pay upfront to volunteer, but consider their situation. Generally these small places live hand to mouth and need every coin available to survive. Having an extra in the way of a volunteer can be an advantage in knowing that they may get some form of financial donation from you. But if you cannot afford to give money, you may be more of a hindrance than a help. They have to feed you, transport you from wherever you are to their place, maybe even turn on a light in a room for you to work. This all adds up. So please volunteer by all means but try and leave them something in the way of food or money even if it seems a small amount.
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At PEPY (www.pepyride.org) we are working on a voluntourism self-checking tool – to help hold ourselves to the best practices in the industry. It will be coming out on voluntourism101.com in the coming days and will be useful for both travelers and operators. We’d love comments and feedback – so check it out and let us know your suggestions for improvement!
Thanks for this, Julie!
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I think travelanthropist’s questions are ones that everyone planning to volunteer internationally should follow.
I followed a similar set of criteria when I decided to volunteer in Peru in the summer of 2006. Having figured out what it was I wanted to do and what I wanted to get out of the experience, Idealist then guided me to the perfect opportunity for me – volunteering with Peru’s Challenge.
Too often people have high expectations about “saving the world” and set themselves up for disappointment. Sometimes a genuine cultural exchange is rewarding enough.
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Idealist was also how I find my organisation in Ghana almost four years earlier and then ended up working for them until recently. Idealist are fantastic.
Having been a volunteer and then managed volunteers, I can’t agree more with the advice in the post. Whatever you do, check out the organisation thoroughly before leaving or, if you’re on the ground, go spend some time with them before commiting.
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I did it the ‘old fashioned’ way. I asked friends what organizations they had used to volunteer abroad. I then researched the short list of companies they gave me. I ended up with Cross Cultural Solutions – it was a really nice fit for me. Don’t rule out the power of simply asking someone before you type it into a search engine!
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You are absolutely right! If you are volunteering it needs to be a benefit for the organization and not a cost to them. If all you can spare is a day or two, do a re-think.
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