Eventually, about a half a year ago, she went to Ghana on a philanthropic program where she would volunteer at an orphanage with several other volunteers from around the world. She came back with an incredibly new perspective on the world along with hundreds of pictures and stories that she was all too willing to share. In short, from what I've gathered her experience was transcendent, eye-opening, and simply astounding. She had no negative stories to share and it was clear she made a difference in many childrens' lives.
What brings me to discuss this topic is actually a tweet-of-the-week nomination our class had one week which pointed out negative effects of volunteer-abroad organizations. Upon further research I've found that these were the most common complaints:
- These volunteer organizations are for-profit and therefore motivated by financial gain,
- The comfort of the volunteers come before the comfort of the locals,
- Local communities are unsure about who or what the volunteers are or what they are supposed to be doing in their tightly knit communities and;
- Volunteers do jobs that locals could be doing.
These are all viable concerns. However, I found many positives while researching as well:
- Local programs have more labor power
- Provides financial support
- Offers opportunities to hire local support staff
- Improves facilities such as schools, parks, etc.
- Volunteers typically remain involved and invested in the host community
- and most of all, volunteers inspire others and give a voice to their host communities
I've found that these volunteer opportunities elicit a special type of philanthropic contribution. It makes the world a smaller place. The volunteers who return give a voice to those we wouldn't be able to understand otherwise. My friend came back with a mission to tell her story in order to inspire others to contribute whatever they possibly could into the world. Whether it be money, their time, or their intrigue. She wishes to affect her change by making Ghana a relevant country for her friends to think about, and then perhaps one day they may be able to affect their own impact into Ghana.
Though one must be able to understand the positives and negatives of this type of philanthropic work. While exercising your ability to do great things in areas needing help, you may need to stop and think if your way of helping is truly needed in that form.
Though one must be able to understand the positives and negatives of this type of philanthropic work. While exercising your ability to do great things in areas needing help, you may need to stop and think if your way of helping is truly needed in that form.
So this is my way of spreading my friend's message. I hope you all find an opportunity to give back to the same degree that my friend did.
Hi Andrew!
ReplyDeleteI have always had mixed thoughts about volunteering abroad. Like you mentioned, I think there are several positive and negatives of the situation. One of the bigs topics that stuck with me from a Path Appears was the idea that sometimes the children you see in the posters and websites to attract volunteers and donations aren't orphans but are used a prop for their advertisements and to attract more money to their county. Obviously this is not the volunteer's fault and they can't do anything to fix this, but this is important to think about when choosing where/how to volunteer. This is also mentioned in this article: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/nov/14/orphans-cambodia-aids-holidays-madonna.
Another issue I have with volunteering abroad is the fact that the people going on the trip might not make a large difference. I believe that groups like Engineers without Borders or Doctors without Borders can make a big difference in these countries, but if I were to go on one of these trips I would have no idea how to build a library or fix a well or help a sick child. There's a similar article to the tweet of the week article from Huffington Post that comes up on my Facebook newsfeed pretty often about Volunteering aboard that has an interesting take on the idea :
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/pippa-biddle/little-white-girls-voluntourism_b_4834574.html
That article has some strong opinions so take what you want from it, but it is still important to think about.
Andrew,
ReplyDeleteI had a similar experience as your friend had. Instead of Ghana, I went to Honduras, in Central America. Our task was building and repair public schools, and we have been greatly successful. I have gone twice in the past, and intend to go again in the future.
I think an important thing to consider when talking about the impact of these types of trips is the establishment of the organization in the place they are going. Many organizations plan trips to areas where they go in the the country, do their work, and then leave. This I believe is where the issues arises where there is disturbance in the community. I believe it is important for the organization to have a foundation in the community in which they serve, in this case abroad. If they have a foundation, they will know the communities needs, and know better how to navigate the culture of the community. In my case, the organization I went with has been in Honduras for 12 years and has become a pillar in the community of Tegucigalpa. They know what the community needs, how to accomplish their goals, and how to do so in a way that does not negatively impact the community.
As in everything, there are right and wrong ways to do international service. When a group does something that has negative repercussions on the community they intend to serve, that sheds negative light on international service. However, when it is done in a positive and effective way, I believe that the impact on both the local population and those serving is almost unmatched. While international service is understandably a contentious issue right now, I firmly believe that, when done right, it is necessary and extremely valuable.