Comments on: Voluntourism 101

By: Hannah

Hannah — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 20:59:41 +0000

There was recently a really good panel discussion on this topic on TravelBlogs.com. You can view it here: http://www.travelblogs.com/articles/volunteerism-vs-voluntourism-are-they-synonymous

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By: Laverne

Laverne — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 01:06:59 +0000

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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By: Sherry Ott

Sherry Ott — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 15:51:38 +0000

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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By: G Pescud

G Pescud — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 16:55:40 +0000

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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By: Michaela Potter

Michaela Potter — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 23:33:01 +0000

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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By: Daniela Papi

Daniela Papi — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 19:01:21 +0000

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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By: Cate

Cate — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 05:18:21 +0000

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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By: travelanthropist

travelanthropist — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 16:27:29 +0000

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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By: Hal

Hal — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 19:00:28 +0000

These are 3 great places to start your search for a volunteer org. Another site I found useful (I believe it's how I came in contact with my current opportunity in Bolivia) is ” target=”_blank”>http://www.volunteerabroad.com/search.cfm. I found it useful to search by country and then view the results starting at the end of the list, as this is where the small-scale, local orgs were more likely to turn up. There's a volunteer spot out there for everyone. It just takes a little effort to find sometimes. Good luck!

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