Volunteerism: A Potential Trojan Horse for the Locals We Aim to Help

Volunteerism: A Potential Trojan Horse for the Locals We Aim to Help

After deciding to delve into the world of voluntourism I quickly noticed one overriding fact; the majority of academic journals I came across focused on the positive effects that voluntourism had on those travelling, rather than the positive effect these individuals were having on those they had set out to help. With this in mind I started to reflect on my past experiences with voluntourism. Two years ago I travelled to South Africa for the soul purpose of volunteering. I spent two weeks working at a Cheetah rehabilitation centre, and two additional weeks volunteering at a kid’s sports development program on the outskirts of Cape Town. Along with these programs I collected and donated over 400 pounds of used soccer equipment while traveling around South Africa. More recently, this May I worked with a friend who lives in Paraguay to organize the donation of over 100 pounds of soccer equipment to the children of an underprivileged township on the fringe of Asuncion. And most recently spent the day with the children of a favela here in Curitiba donating soccer equipment once again. Needless to say, I have fallen into the trap of voluntourism. And like millions of others I have neglected to focus on the effect that my trips have had on the communities that I have volunteered in, but rather focused on how they have affected me. With eyes newly opened to the possible effects of voluntourism (volunteerism) I feel it necessary to look back and reflect on the whole story of my trips, since the opinion of the volunteer only represents half the story. 

donating soccer equipment on the streets of South Africa

Donating used soccer boots to a school in Johannesburg

Volunteering at a cheetah rehabilitation centre

Volunteering at Cheer for Peace in Curitiba

Although not a new phenomena, Voluntourism has expanded exponentially since 1990 with more the 1.6 million travellers a year defining their vacations as having a volunteer component. With this rising popularity researchers have been compelled to examine why so many individuals are willing to spend money to benefit others. Joseph E. Casey a research psychologist explains his take on the situation within his journal “A personal Journey in Volunteerism”. Casey states that volunteering allows people to “acquire new knowledge, develop new skills, hone existing skills, advance ones career, and make new acquaintances”. Casey then furthers his argument by explaining the more complex needs that volunteerism fills. He discusses how in the western world those of us who are successful owe it partly to the hard work of others who have helped us along the way, and with so many others helping us it is almost impossible to repay them all. This is where volunteerism comes into play. Casey states that volunteerism is a means for western professionals to gain the “satisfaction of paying back [those who have helped them] with [their] readily available and highly regarded currency of expertise”.

Casey’s understanding of why people engage in volunteerism is not far from how other researchers explain its popularity. And it is this understanding that is so harmful. Daniel A. Guttentag’s journal “The possible negative effects of volunteer tourism” discusses the many ways that research into voluntourism has overlooked the destructive effects that come with it. Throughout his paper Guttentag outlines 4 main negative effects all of which stem back to the westerners heightened perspective of themselves as being able to save the lives of those less fortunate simply because they are Westerners, or “professionals” in one aspect of life.

The first possible negative effect discussed by Guttentag is the chance of neglecting the ideals of the locals. Since many volunteerism projects are put on by private companies they rely on the income that comes from the paying voluntourists. This can become detrimental when the tourists wants do not coincide with what is best for the local community. The second chance for harm comes when unskilled workers volunteer in positions that they are not qualified for, which may cause “a hindering of work progress and the completion of unsatisfactory work” (Guttentag). The third issue discussed is the decrease in a need for paid local labour jobs and an increase in the dependency of locals.  Next Guttentag explores the issues related to “othering” the locals. This stems from the use of the locals as a group by which we can juxtapose ourselves to make affirming conclusions about our own culture. Finally the problems associated with culture change are discussed, which results from the fact that many volunteer programs connect wealthy travellers with poorer regions. By doing so the local regions are exposed to a way of life that is often out of reach, initiating a longing for a lifestyle that is unfeasible.

With a new understanding for the potential dangers of volunteerism, my reflection on past trips has become tainted, as I now see the potential flaws in the structure of organizations I have participated in. In regards to neglecting the ideals of the locals, I can say without a doubt that my time spent working at a Cheetah Rehabilitation centre in South Africa did not fall in line with the immediate needs of the locals but rather was based on fulfilling an experience that many voluntourists (myself included) desired. And to further the harm done, my lack of experience with large cats caused my time spent there to be more hindering than beneficial. In comparison, the many child sports programs I’ve taken part in, including the one put on by Footlball for Kids Foundation this past Sunday have allowed me to have a more productive role due to my “expertise” in the sport of football. Unlike my lack of knowledge with large cats I can say I have a decent knowledge and ability to play football, which has been a gateway to forming true mutually positive relationships with the many kids I’ve encountered. Regardless of whether it’s been in the townships of South Africa, a fringe town of Paraguay’s capital Asuncion, or the favelas of Brazil one thing stands true, football is still the same game I’ve grown to love. Despite your location fancy foot work will always be admired, a nutmeg (caneta) will always bring laughter, and juggling a ball will always bring out tricks that will be celebrated  by all. Through the use of football I was not only able to act as an expert, but I was also able to avoid othering of the locals.

Lack of expertise with Large Cats

Playing soccer in Paraguay with the locals

When comparing this Sunday to past trips I can say that the program had put in important measures to ensure that the division between the volunteers and local children was limited. This was done by providing activities that were mutually enjoyable. The first means of integration that I noticed was the sharing of food. Rather than providing different meals for volunteers and the children there was one meal provided for all to share. This instantly created a commonality between what could have been seen as “us” the volunteers, and the “others” and allowed for the formation of bonding to start. However, more importantly the use of sports is what blurred away any lines of division. Through the use of football as a full day activity we were able to relate to the children as fellow footballers, rather than view them as objects of pity due to their under privileged situation.

The two areas where I felt there was room for improvement came in potentially encouraging dependency on volunteers and encouraging culture change.

During my stay here in Curitiba the most shocking information I’ve received came from a fellow classmate who lives here in Curitiba. She stated that our donations made in Curitiba would go unappreciated since it is a very common practice here to donate to the poor. She also hinted to the harm it did by explaining that the people in many of the favelas have come to expect these donations rather than work to further their own lives. However, during my time in Vila Torres I did not catch on to many hints that this was true. Most of the children did not have shoes but rather wore old worn out sandals. Their clothes were by no means clean but rather were decorated with stains. Based on these observations I found it hard to believe that these kids often came into contact with donations. However, this could be my own ignorance and desire to believe that I have done something good that blinds me to these facts.

Finally the concept of culture change, is where I believe that we may have caused more harm than done good. On the positive side I believe that by giving out a single type of jersey to all the kids we created a sense of uniformity, which did not initiate jealousy between the children. However, the donation of the football boots to only a few of the children is where I feel we may have caused harm. By giving out pairs of boots to only some of the children we have created division between those who have and those who do not, and as explained to us by a local volunteer, these are the types of goods that these children long for but, are often unrealistic desires. By donating boots to some of the children we have made these desires a reality for some, but also increased the pressure on others to adapt to new social standards, which they may never be able to achieve.

When reflecting on the project our class took part in this past Sunday I can feel both ashamed by the flaws of our actions and proud of the overall way that the event played out. Although we could have put in more effect to insure that we didn’t impose culture change on the group by putting more thought into our donations, I have a positive feeling towards the work we did, mainly because of the attitude I approached our volunteer efforts with. I did not attend the event put on by Football for Kids Foundation with the intention of changing the lives of the children of the favela but rather as a chance to learn from the children and form positive relations with them, which, I believed was fundamental for helping to avoid harming the local community in the ways outlined by Guttentag.  

At the end of the day there is no way I can be sure how my involvement with foreign communities has affected them. As much as I’d love to believe that I have done enough to positively impact the life of a child, it is egocentric to believe so. And as such it is only fair for me to send out a genuine thank you. Thank-you to all the communities that have welcomed me into their homes and allowed me to form sincere friendships. Thank-you for teaching me to change my perspective on life, you have made me a better person today than I could have ever dreamed of being.