Voluntourism: a dirty halo?

Jimmy Strainge investigates the impacts of the growing voluntourism industry

Just an hour working with the Argentinian charity Botines Solidarios in Buenos Aires ignited a fantastic feeling of altruism throughout all 50 boys on rugby tour. Helping the deprived young children of the slum forget about their surroundings created a real sense of giving-back to society, whilst also giving some perspective on life.

But, had we really helped?

The idea of voluntourism is far reaching and has many modern connotations, projects such as the Moldova trip and the True Adventure expeditions are examples of how voluntourism has now become part of the Abingdon school calendar.

This concept is now a growing and has become an ever present part of the tourism industry. The meteoric rise that this genre of travelling has seen has led to the fact that it has become a commercially viable product in the developed world. However, it is clear that the intentions of flying abroad to a completely unknown, potentially hostile country, where you do not speak the language are founded on strong moral groundings. Evidently, developing countries experiencing the voluntourism can benefit from the actions of those looking to help.

For instance, the work of a company called Global Volunteers that claims to have engaged more than 34,000 international volunteers in more than 200 communities in 35 countries on six continents since 1984, has worked tirelessly to build over 20 community buildings since its establishment.

On the other hand, according to a lot of recent media the impacts of the so-called voluntourism industry have actually been more negative than the intended charitable outcome. The criticism of the industry has come in the form of aggressive attacks on selfie-induced, self-indulgent teens looking to satisfy their need to feel good about themselves. These attacks have been backed-up by JK Rowling who has previously said that she “will never retweet appeals that treat poor children as opportunities to enhance Westerners’ CVs”, due to her view that many orphanages have become money making machines. This view was founded in the fact that in 2009 a report made by Save the Children showed around 4 out of 5 children living in so called ‘artificial orphanages’ were not actually orphans. Furthermore, after the results of recent investigations, psychologists have used the socalled term ‘white-saviour complex’. This refers to the impulsive feeling many white teenagers of the

Volunteer at an orphanage in Kenya

developed world have experienced forcing them in the direction of this type of tourism.

Overall, clearly, the idea of voluntourism, closely linked with the concepts of charity and altruism, is in itself wholesome and morally justifiable. Nevertheless, the third party flogging and commercialisation of this idea is ultimately the reason why most people consider that this halo has been tarnished.

So, with gap years and summer holidays on the horizon, will you take the heroic leap abroad and become a voluntourist?

“self-indulgent teens looking to satisfy their need to feel good about themselves”