Voluntourism Is a sensitive issue, though many may not know it. I say this because I did not always know it. I've found that a lot of things in life are unexpectedly sensitive issues.
I will prelude my experience with voluntourism with a story from my past.
As a youth I grew up in the enclaves of youth groups in a town where many had the most beautiful of intentions to help the world. With seven official church buildings, and seven official youth groups in a town of 2000 and a high school attendance (7-12) of 350, "outreaches" were part of the vocabulary of everyday life. But no matter how much I agreed with the philosophy of helping my fellow man and sharing love and good things, outreaches always left me feeling ashamedly uncomfortable. This was for variety of reasons that I never put words too until more recently.
Perhaps If I describe one such outreach you may understand as I will probably convey some sort of feeling through my written bias.
I was 13 or so. It was a friday night-- outreach week at youth. This week we were going downtown, a soup kitchen and prostitution outreach. Of course I was nervous, my mental projections of this "scene" was that it would not be anything but what I was used to, there would be poverty and social issues a plenty. But beyond that was just the fact that I would be expected to interact with other people--strangers. Never mind their "issues", they could have been high class business men and I'd be nervous all the same, in any other setting, why would we meet? But if I didn't talk to them my "outreach" would fail. I would fail. So, off I went, courageous in those days.
The soup kitchen was awkward but manageable, those brave enough actually talked to the attendees, the rest just enjoyed a free meal with friends. The guys got to bond over some floor hockey (jealous).
Then came the prostitution outreach portion of the evening. I will never forget this experience. Fifteen teen/tweenagers piled into a minibus, first class tickets to the real life prostitution exhibition. I am surprised we didn't have to pay an entrance fee.
The point was for us to drive around and hand out hot chocolate. But with 15 kids and 1-2 prostitutes per stop, and 'safety issues' what could we really do? Well? Press our faces to the window to sneak a peak at the destitute souls. Me, I wanted to crawl into a hole and die; pretend I wasn't a part of this transgression of boundaries, of privacy. And I did at least shrink down in my seat. If I wasn't in the midst of the most insecure stage of life I might have barked at my friends to stop whispering and jockeying for a better view. Imagine yourself as the prostitute, they already suffer from the stigma surrounding their job, already feel judged my the world and then a van full of upper middle class kids (although they told us to dress down) comes in a van to stare and whisper while the driver offers you some hot chocolate.
Now, a good ten years later, I am out in southeast Asia, mingling with the world of NGO's. These (wonderful, wonderful, beautiful, helpful) places are often hot-spots for short term volunteer groups. Feelings of yester-year have at times come creeping back to memory as I observe, and am at times involved.
I got the impromptu chance to join a short term volunteer group in their slum ministry in Chiang Mai. With little idea of what this excursion would involve, aside from face-painting (yay!)<--that is not sarcasm<--that is also not sarcasm, I took this chance eager for an experience and to hang out more with this group of lovely<--(I mean that) people, yup I did it for me, not for any slum dwellers I'll admit. When we arrived I started to get nervous. I thought there might be building where parents could bring their kids to get face painting if desired. Rather, a group (much too large) of us walked down the side streets, peering into houses to find these poor children. When we found some the two people with brushes painted the kids faces, while the rest of us became 'the kids in the back of the bus', observers to the inner lives of slum dwellers, whispering and jockeying for a better view.
No no no more back of the bus for me! I'd rather stay home! When some guy started yelling, "How dare you...!", I both wanted to shout, "Amen brother!", and also to hide under a rock.
If unskilled, short-term volunteers go places and are not needed they tend to become voyeurs (minus the sexual connotation of the word). Ie, a group of ten goes out, there is only enough labour for two, and the other eight end up the kids in the back of the bus. In the words of one NGO worker, any number over twelve is a tour group, guess who's on display?
More seasoned NGO workers are well aware of this and many stop accepting short term groups, or are very selective, based on skills and need and size of group. One worker from an NGO dealing with trafficking victims shared with me a dream that one of her girls here in Cambodia had. She saw their building as a street full of traffic. The traffic itself was not a bad thing but it was leaving a trail of mud and the place was getting dirty, mud was starting to get on the girls and furthermore the girls began to look as though they were on display.
I told the worker, after she shared this story, that it really connected with what I had been feeling on this trip and that sometimes I wonder if I should even be here. Seasoned NGO workers seem easily defensive (still not sure why) and later I wondered if she took me to imply that she should not be here, she should not have come. To this I say no no no way! The time and work and skill she has put into being here, LIVING HERE building relationships that last, partnering with the people, creating opportunities for them. She has invested. She should be here.
For the rest of us, maybe the next time we think the only way to help an issue is to go out and do it ourselves, for three weeks, maybe reconsider? Maybe what would really be helpful is a cheque, or a couple years and a university degree.That may sound harsh. Oops. I write this just to make one think, not to say that volunteering is bad. It's great! So great! Super super great! So needed! IF its needed. Yeah that is right, it is so needed if its needed. As in, volunteers are in high demand, but a certain kind of volunteer--Skilled, long term volunteers mostly. Many, formerly myself included, have been under the subconscious impression that volunteers need not have skills--"NASA is understaffed, lets go volunteer to fly the rocket!". Well they might let you if you also offered a good portion of time to training, I'm sure they'd be happy not to pay you in the end. Ha!
And don't get me wrong I am no expert. There must be a reason why so many NGOs still accept short term volunteers. They can be very useful, like to teach a workshop in photography, or screen-printing, heck you could come teach me that for free any day! Or building a house, digging a well, picking up garbage, hells ya! And yes, some are just tired desperate for the man power. And yes some want to raise awareness for their NGO and hopefully get more funding. But if you want to go hug a poor child to make yourself feel better and send pictures back home like a world vision commercial (kick myself in the foot I just did this) just think again for an extra second. Because these kids have plenty of foreigners to come hug them and take pictures for two weeks and then leave them. Coming and hugging and leaving and coming and hugging and leaving. And these NGOS have plenty of foreigners coming--and getting sick--and having jet lag--and not knowing where to go--and taking up time and energy--and taking away from the focus of their work.
Voluntourism is not always bad---just sensitive. Not that it shouldn't be done, but that it be done with care.
Think it through. Find a place where you are needed, and if you can't...just go for a holiday! Spend your money in that countries economy! Or if that country's government is overly corrupt, send the organisation of your choice a cheque in the mail. And if you still want to go, if your heart is calling you to go, do. Do go. Yes, good can come of it, and God can use your time, and little blessings and miracles and doors of hope can be opened, even in a short time, and no maybe those kids won't be scarred for life if you are the 100th person to come and hug them and leave them. Yes maybe they will even be better for it. For those who have already gone, you have done well and good can come from your experience. If nothing more; a greater appreciation for the world, culture, and a break from the western bubble that may change your perspective for the rest of your life. It would be a shame for me to negate your precious experience with one biased blog post<--not sarcasm. Is this the same person writing? Yes! And I mean every word!
To go or not to go? That is your question! Choose wisely, and do your best not to become a kid in the back of the bus.
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