Volunteering overseas? Cut out the middleman

The ‘voluntourism’ industry
does little to help communities in
need, says a s h smyth

Trying to save Africa is a commendable western hobby; but the reputable Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) recently pronounced that well-intentioned students would achieve more if they stopped trying to redeem mankind and just travelled for fun. Now, a decade too late, questions are being asked about amateur-aid-work safaris and the companies that provide them.

'Voluntourism' companies like gapyear.com profit from the nexus of African poverty, youthful dreams and parental fear. Their exorbitant product is neither Grand Tour nor Wilfred Thesiger, and the sincere zeal of most 18-year-olds has little obvious impact in terms of Making Poverty History.

The accusation is made that voluntary programmes are tailored - surprise! - to suit the customers, not the recipient community. Dark stories abound of schools being built where there is no money for teachers;

Indulge your middle-class white guilt if you wish, but don’t kid yourself there’s a charitable dividend

generations of volunteers endlessly replicating the same statistical surveys; and one student discovering that her do-gooding placement cost a local teacher his job.

You don't gain much either: £2,000 for a couple of months abroad is not a gap 'year', it's an over-priced holiday. Indulge your middle-class white guilt if you wish, but don't kid yourself there's a charitable dividend. Some voluntourism organisations imply that their fees are steep because the money goes into community projects. But, as Olivia Harris reported for The First Post two years ago, the kick-back to the host community is a negligible percentage.

You can teach in Africa for little more than the £500 airfare. Try to find a school that will pay you a little and give you food and board, which at least suggests your contribution is worth something. Above all, resist paying for 'training' or visa-processing: even i-to-i can't get you into Darfur. Besides, part of the 'experience' is sorting this stuff out yourself: how will you survive the dismal continent if you can't handle the Kensington consulate?