It is increasingly difficult in this ever shrinking world where men have boldly gone before, to be seen as a human being rather than a cash cow. A recent month in Ethiopia was a hard lesson.
I personally would relish any initiative which would give me the chance to properly interact with locals and do a good honest hard days work. It is more beneficial to everyone if I use my skills rather than reaching in my pocket.
As glad as I am for their presence, I am not always sure that aid and volunteer agencies use resources in the best way possible. I'd welcome the opportunity to try something like this.
It's about time a trend like this took on and people stopped using helping others for their own selfish reasons. To help others is in fashion and it is misused by many for pure self-promotion.
I have a negative experience like that myself. I didn't want to start my career path straight after my university studies and was looking for some volunteer work in Latin America to help with problematic teenagers, kids poverty and homelessness. It was almost impossible to find an organization who wouldn't want to charge me up to thousands of dollars for my year's stay, if I promised to work for them for unspecified number of hours per week (I'm sure the number wouldn't be big, given the price of the programs). In exchange, I would get basic accommodation, three basic meals and - as they promoted the hardest - great experience to be proud of in my life. Many of the organizations' website were filled with pictures of American 20-something volunteers doing their volunteer routine, but mainly having fun during their free time. Very few of these organizations remembered to mention their projects, achievements and the progress of their work. As a fresh student, having paid for part of my studies myself, I had no financial means to do so, and even though my devotion was really high, I almost had no chance to succeed and be accepted.
Making people pay for such camps not only attracts the wrong people but also has much less effect on those in need. First people who join these paid camps quite often do so for the wow-effect during the story-telling to their friends afterwards. Second, they also do not expect to work as hard, since they feel they already helped by paying for it.
The world would be a much better place if money and self-promotion was the last thing on our mind when helping others.
I believe this sort of exchange serves communities, travelers and the earth. It calls for a longer, more substantial interaction across cultures - and facilitates skill building around sustainability and food issues.
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It is increasingly difficult in this ever shrinking world where men have boldly gone before, to be seen as a human being rather than a cash cow. A recent month in Ethiopia was a hard lesson.
I personally would relish any initiative which would give me the chance to properly interact with locals and do a good honest hard days work. It is more beneficial to everyone if I use my skills rather than reaching in my pocket.
As glad as I am for their presence, I am not always sure that aid and volunteer agencies use resources in the best way possible. I'd welcome the opportunity to try something like this.
It's about time a trend like this took on and people stopped using helping others for their own selfish reasons. To help others is in fashion and it is misused by many for pure self-promotion.
I have a negative experience like that myself. I didn't want to start my career path straight after my university studies and was looking for some volunteer work in Latin America to help with problematic teenagers, kids poverty and homelessness. It was almost impossible to find an organization who wouldn't want to charge me up to thousands of dollars for my year's stay, if I promised to work for them for unspecified number of hours per week (I'm sure the number wouldn't be big, given the price of the programs). In exchange, I would get basic accommodation, three basic meals and - as they promoted the hardest - great experience to be proud of in my life. Many of the organizations' website were filled with pictures of American 20-something volunteers doing their volunteer routine, but mainly having fun during their free time. Very few of these organizations remembered to mention their projects, achievements and the progress of their work. As a fresh student, having paid for part of my studies myself, I had no financial means to do so, and even though my devotion was really high, I almost had no chance to succeed and be accepted.
Making people pay for such camps not only attracts the wrong people but also has much less effect on those in need. First people who join these paid camps quite often do so for the wow-effect during the story-telling to their friends afterwards. Second, they also do not expect to work as hard, since they feel they already helped by paying for it.
The world would be a much better place if money and self-promotion was the last thing on our mind when helping others.
I believe this sort of exchange serves communities, travelers and the earth. It calls for a longer, more substantial interaction across cultures - and facilitates skill building around sustainability and food issues.
Sounds like the way forward to me!
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