The trap of voluntourism

VOLUNTEERING OR SHORT-TERM MISSION, WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE?

‘Take part in a volunteer mission or internship in any field anywhere in the world. All types of missions, all profiles, all durations,’ read some ‘voluntourism’ websites.

Are you looking for an internship, a short assignment abroad, or a turnkey humanitarian experience with a wide choice of durations, countries, and fields of action?

Be careful! These offers may look very attractive on paper, but they are likely to disappoint you and won’t help many people… except the finances of these travel agencies disguised as NGOs.

(Photo taken from the satirical campaign ‘Radi-Aid’)

The missions offered by these disguised tourism agencies ride the wave of all the latest humanitarian trends. And for good reason: their goal is to best meet the expectations of their customers, not to address real needs on the ground. Activities include working in a centre, rescuing animals in distress, ecological missions such as planting trees, etc.

The costs are often high, between €800 and €3,000 for 15 days, not including flights. Again, this is understandable: the aim of these organisations is not to help, but to make a profit. It should also be noted that although local staff are often reimbursed, only a very small portion of the trip price is actually donated to local organisations, if any at all.

“Sometimes, projects are managed entirely by our [salaried] teams. Our goal is to find partners who are self-sufficient. We don’t want to provide funding to partners who would become dependent on us. If we were to stop, we don’t want them to be unable to cope without us,‘ explains Bethany, client manager at Project Abroad. What this means is that local ’partners” don’t really need the help of volunteers who are sometimes as young as 15 and have no particular skills. And we understand why!

Conversely, Children of the Mekong benefits from VSI (Volontariat de Solidarité Internationale) accreditation in France. This is a status that is clearly defined and regulated by law. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of France ensures the reliability of missions, the training of volunteers and, above all, the seriousness of NGO’s.

A short mission is a catch-all term that is not subject to any control.

However, ‘if we send everyone, it means we run the risk of sending just anyone!’ explains Adrien Meaudre, director of volunteering at Children of the Mekong.

“Are you sure that not selecting volunteers is a good way to help effectively? Sending young people without training or selection not only suggests that anyone can do this kind of work, but also risks harming the children in the field.

By comparison, what would we say if volunteers who did not speak our language, had no qualifications and had not been selected came to teach in our nurseries or provide care in our hospitals?”