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Volunteering versus Voluntourism

Many people have asked me if there are fully funded free volunteer opportunities in Africa. Perhaps you are one of the people asking: Are there opportunities to volunteer for free in Africa?  The short answer is: not really. Affordable volunteering in Africa is widely available. Voluntourism is also an option for many. As systems evolve, there are more calls for ethical volunteering than ever.

Whichever you choose, know that you are making a positive difference, whether it’s to the individuals whose lives you directly impact, or indirectly, through the infusion of your travel dollars to the country’s economy.   And we welcome your contribution of time, energy, and increased awareness of the challenges that our citizens face.

Volunteering versus Voluntourism

Benefits of volunteering are countless and invaluable. Voluntourism is combining voluntary work with exotic vacation travel and is common among young people wishing to maximize their potential especially during their gap year. It is also a way of vacationing for many adults and senior citizens.

Group volunteering opportunities also exist in Africa. Voluntourism has over the years become a popular phenomenon contributing hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of dollars to the global travel industry. If your core reason for volunteering is to directly benefit malnourished or at-risk populations, identifying a trusted charitable organization and wiring funds for their use may have greater impact on the population that you wish to help.

Depending on the local voluntourism connection, you may find that your trip has resulted in more touring, than volunteering, or vice versa!   Selecting a local partner organization who facilitates an experience that matches your expectations is critical.

How can you make the choice that’s right for you?

There is no straight answer either.  You may be someone who gets passionate about an issue only if you confront it directly.  So coming face to face with the impacts of poverty, land conflicts and displacement, or gender inequities may be the catalyst that activates you as a life-long agent of positive social change.  But be warned, according to a recent conference on voluntourism ethical volunteering held in the United Kingdom, most ‘gappers’ are better off working at home than volunteering in Africa. But why?

According to Mark Watson, Executive Director of Tourism Concern, “Volunteers often have unfulfilling and disappointing experiences; volunteer placements can prevent local workers from getting much-needed jobs; hard-pressed institutions waste time looking after them and money upgrading facilities; and abused or abandoned children form emotional attachments to the visitors, who increase their trauma by disappearing back home after a few weeks.”

Other barriers are lack of cultural understanding, language and basic amenities to mention a few. The million dollar question: How can I make a difference in (or out of) Africa seeing the so much suffering that people especially children go through? Well, there are many opportunities to help and I will share a few of them:

a ) Fundraising and crowdfunding
Fundraising a.k.a ‘Crowdfunding’ is a simple work-from-home initiative that one can possibly embark on ultimately benefiting countless needy people. Helping an organization like Urunji Child-Care Trust with fundraising can make as great or even greater impact than doing odd jobs on site as a volunteer.   Giving porridge, cleaning dishes or helping distribute clothes is a job that can be easily done by locals, providing them with needed income, or enabling the local community’s contribution to a programme.   In short, you can definitely make a considerable impact on the lives of children by tackling more complex fundraising challenges right from your home, often for the price of foregoing one cup of coffee/week.

b) Translation and online volunteering
Most organizations want to reach out to other societies in which English is not commonly spoken. Online volunteering as a translator is one way of filling this gap from home – again, sparing you as a budding philanthropist the thousands of dollars in airfare, hotels, medical insurance and other expenses. This money, even if only a portion of it were to be sent to the institutions in Africa could make a huge difference and help lift people from extreme poverty.

c) Child sponsorship
Due to the complexity of family trees in Africa, technically there are no orphans. Extended families can easily embrace orphans and vulnerable children if they are empowered to support these children from a home than an institution. In Malawi, the extended family setup still exists and is fully embedded in the local culture and society. Sponsoring a child is a sure way of making an impact even with limited resources. You can choose to make a small difference in the life of one child immediately, rather than waiting years to raise enough money to help many. Most organizations have sponsorship programmes that start at $30 a month – an amount that is affordable by many in the developed world.

d) Starting a workplace giving programme
Workplace giving can be fun mostly because colleagues are able to share their experiences and stories within the place of work. It is also a great forum to encourage one another to give.

So, now you have a sense that there are many ways to help children and other at risk groups without actually having to raise thousands of dollars to enable the trip.   Switching hats, we have to say that Malawi is truly the warm heart of Africa, and whether it’s Lake Malawi with incredible beaches and hundreds of fish species, or our bush country, our coffee, or our children – it’s worth coming to see in person.   And if your thought is:

I still want to volunteer in person:  Now, how to choose the right organization

We live in a world where scammers and you name them seize every opportunity to exploit others and make money. Unfortunately the third sector has not been spared. There are so many bogus non-profits who are run by very subtle schemers. To avoid falling in the trap of these organizations it is best to do a lot of research before choosing where to volunteer.

1. Consider well established organizations
Institutions with a proven track record include those who maintain high standards of integrity and financial discipline. Would be volunteers would find an organization that externally audits their financial reports the best to work with than organizations not maintaining any credible records.

2. Ask other volunteers about their experience
It is often difficult to judge things from a distance. Asking past volunteers about their experience with the organization you want to volunteer with helps you to have a first-hand report of what happened on the ground.  

3. Be open about how you want to raise money for your trip
Sometimes the challenge may not be the organization but the volunteer. Setting clear lines of your planned activities helps the host organization to weigh the benefits of your presence. Being open about how much money you have raised and the support you have received for your volunteering trip allays suspicion of host organizations thinking you are making money ‘on their head.’

4. Consider group volunteering than individual volunteering
Group volunteering can make a huge difference than volunteering as an individual. Group volunteers can work on a sustainable joint project like community farming scheme, empowering women and minorities with tailoring skills and help raise the economic status of vulnerable groups.

Want to volunteer with Urunji Child-Care Trust, you are just a click away… Apply online on this link.

To be continued…

About the Author

Ian C Maliseni is the Executive Director of Urunji Child-Care Trust. He wrote this article in his personal capacity and welcomes suggestions, comments and/or contributions. He writes from his own experience working with Urunji Child-Care Trust. Credit to Linnaea K for editing this article. The author welcomes your feedback/comments.
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