The Cost of Service Stephanie Richardson
I made some edits to make the article sound more personal and less like a research paper. I’m assuming that this article is to try to persuade readers to do this (or at least plant the idea in their head). If it is purely informative, then you may want to disregard some of my comments Humanitarian aid service trips are a wonderful way for volunteers to delve into meaningful travel, experience the world, learn about a different culture, and engage in
Cameron 10/7/12 12:04 PM Comment: I might try to change this intro sentence to be more of a hook (a story or situation perhaps). It’s a good intro, but it sounds a bit more like an essay for school than a magazine article
worthwhile causes. On these trips, volunteers have opportunities to go to foreign countries and work building homes, serving in medical clinics, working in orphanages, teaching English, and a variety of other projects. They come to find that what they gain from the experience of humanitarian service far outweighs what they spend financially for these trips. However, these trips can be quite costly. Just how much do these worthwhile trips cost? Though it is difficult to give an exact sum due to the variety of programs, countries, and trips one can take, this article attempts to give readers an idea of what they can expect to spend financially on a humanitarian trip, what is included in the program fees and tips on how to find a program that fits your
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financial budget. Nearly all humanitarian foundations that organize volunteer trips have a set of required fees. These fees can vary greatly depending on the location and duration of the trip, as well as the
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foundation that organizes the trip. Generally, these fees include everything that participants need
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to stay in the country: lodging, meals, work materials, and necessary transportation within the
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country. Some programs may include health insurance or language classes. By using the
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facilities and eating the food the program arranges, volunteers often spend less money travelling with a service program than they would spend had they gone to the country on their own.
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Program fees can range from a little more than one hundred dollars to a few thousand depending
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on the country, program, and length of time. Programs often have lower fees if they work with locals for their arrangements. Adam Richardson, a student at Brigham Young University, went on a trip to Tijuana, Mexico with the
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Charity Anywhere Foundation and paid $350 for a ten-day trip. The program fees were quite low because the foundation had made arrangements with locals for lodging and meals. The group stayed on the upper-floor of a Tijuana clinic and hired a local woman to be their chef. They slept
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on the floor and didn’t have hot water to shower with. Richardson commented about the trip, “It
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was cold and we really learned to appreciate the blessings we have. But the food was great, we
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had a great time, and…you can’t beat that price.” Cameron 10/7/12 11:43 AM
Generally, travel to and from the country and spending money while in the country are not included in the program fees; however, some programs will include airfare. Shereesa Maw, a 21-year-old from Ogden, Utah, went to China for four months to teach English with International Language Program (ILP). She paid a fee of $2,500 for the trip, which included everything previously mentioned as well as her flight to and from China. The only other thing
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she had to budget was for souvenirs and travel within the country for sight-seeing. For these, she
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spent a total of about $700 for the entire trip, and she felt that it was more than enough to do
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everything she wanted.
Cameron 10/7/12 12:04 PM Comment: She isn’t just seeing, you also mentioned she was getting souvenirs etc. too
Though at times these program fees can seem overwhelming, compare what one might
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spend at home or school compared to a semester serving abroad. Since most of these trips are all-
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inclusive, it is usually a good deal to travel with an organization and engage in humanitarian
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service. However, for those who have a tight budget and struggle to afford these trips, many
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programs offer tax-deductible fundraising options or discounts. Some programs offer discounts for students, and some have bonus deals like $100 if you bring a friend, half off the program fee for your spouse if you both go, or a few hundred off if you pay the whole fee up front. Through
Comment: I moved this sentence up because the Maw example summarizes both this and the previous sentence
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ILP’s donation and fundraising program, Maw was able to obtain nearly all of her program fees, and was left with only $800 to come up with on her own.
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Such a great variety of programs exist, that anyone can find a program that fits into any budget. Some countries have higher living and travel expenses, so spend some time doing a little research before you decide which program to choose. Going on service trips costs money, but people who go on these trips agree that the incredible experience they gain for going on these humanitarian trips more than makes up the cost of service.
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Cameron 10/7/12 11:53 AM Deleted: , some programs offer discounts for students, and some have bonus deals like $100 if you bring a friend, half off the program fee for your spouse if you both go, or a few hundred off if you pay the whole fee up front.
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I am still working on the info graphic table that will be Included in the article. It should hopefully be included in the article by the next revision. It will be a chart with a comparison of program fees (by country and duration) for the following organizations: ILP A Broader View Cross Cultural Solutions Global Outreach Project Hope Operation Smile Rising Star Habitat for Humanity Charity Anywhere International Volunteer HQ Help International
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Cameron 10/7/12 11:56 AM Deleted: are more expensive to live in, or travel may be a bit more expensive
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Cameron 10/7/12 12:04 PM Comment: Since this is a magazine article, talk to the reader rather than treat them like a possible ... [1] third person
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Comment: You’ve spent so much time talking ... [2] about how anyone can afford this, that reverting Cameron 10/7/12 11:57 AM back to how expensive they are seems to cancel out Deleted: all the work one you just did
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Cameron 10/7/12 11:58 AM Deleted: Some programs may be a bit expensive
Cameron 10/7/12 12:04 PM Comment: Take out most… it implies that some ... [3] people didn’t enjoy the trip. Though this may be the Cameron 10/7/12 11:58 AM case, it works against your angle that the cost of Deleted: service is wmost orthwhile