Comments on: Volunteering and Voluntourism: The Good, The Bad, and The Questions You Should Ask

By: Audrey Scott

Audrey Scott — Fri, 07 Jun 2019 10:50:00 +0000

In reply to Danielle. Thanks, Danielle! This certainly is a complex and complicated subject so we tried to tackle and break down the various issues and considerations the best we could. Glad you found the article informative and hope the resources were useful!

By: Danielle

Danielle — Wed, 08 May 2019 02:01:03 +0000

Just wanted to say thank you for this post! It’s such a tough subject to approach, and I keep diving deeper and deeper into it. This was an amazing post for someone who is already researching this topic but also someone who has maybe never thought about this before.

I will definitely have to check out the resources listed at the bottom as well.

By: Audrey Scott

Audrey Scott — Sun, 24 Feb 2019 20:56:23 +0000

In reply to Kimberly. Kimberly, great point you make regarding spending resources on training locals or even sending them abroad for training vs. bringing in foreign volunteers. That is so much more sustainable and those skills will stay in the community, even if the person decides to transfer jobs or organizations. Thanks for sharing your experience!

By: Kimberly

Kimberly — Mon, 07 Jan 2019 12:03:25 +0000

This is a really important point. I work for a non-profit that manages development programs in 12 countries. We rarely bring in volunteers because it changes the local cultural dynamic. If it is a community that really needs certain outside expertise, it can be a great experience for all. Otherwise we focus on training the locals in whatever necessary skills – even sometimes sending them internationally for education and training.

By: Audrey Scott

Audrey Scott — Sun, 19 Nov 2017 18:06:22 +0000

In reply to Grace Lui.

Thanks, Grace! Glad you found this article useful and comprehensive!

Good question you ask re: authorship. All articles are touched by both of us. Usually one person will do a draft and the other will edit. As we have different styles of writing, this allows our readers the best from both of us 🙂

By: Grace Lui

Grace Lui — Sun, 19 Nov 2017 07:37:45 +0000

Hi Audrey, I really loved the article you wrote talking about te stakeholders and the overall way to approach volunteering. You also addressed the arguments about volunteering abroad and I just have one question: Since this website is by you and your husband, so was this article written by only you or by both of you?

By: Audrey Scott

Audrey Scott — Sat, 08 Apr 2017 10:46:19 +0000

In reply to Nathan. Nathan, thanks so much for your kind comment and hope that this article can help explain some of these complex issues to your clients or other people. As you said, it's great to see good intentions and we hope that these only grow, but there needs to be greater awareness of the different ways that the desire to "do good" and really do short and long-term harm. Education as a way to fight poverty. YES!!!

By: Nathan

Nathan — Fri, 07 Apr 2017 00:08:07 +0000

Hi Audrey, great article on a very complex and hard to explain topic. I run an adventure for a cause company taking people to Tanzania & Kenya. Explaining the above is one of my biggest challenges so I’m glad I found this article because now I can refer people to it. I think for all the great intentions people have when they travel or volunteer in developing countries, they really don’t realise how much long-term harm they can cause; mostly because no-one has ever educated them. Thank you for taking the time to provide such an in-depth analysis.

My challenge to anyone who wants to make a substantial difference in a developing country… sponsor a student to complete their education. By doing this, you’ll empower these young people to solve the issues that they face everyday. This is the greatest gift you can give these children, their families, their communities and yourself – especially when you visit on graduation day. Education is without a doubt the best way to fight poverty.

By: Elise

Elise — Wed, 22 Feb 2017 01:10:59 +0000

In reply to Audrey Scott.

Firstly, I just want to say how much I enjoyed this post! Absolutely spot on. I have saved it to share in the future when I inevitably get entangled in debates on this topic!

Claudia – I understand what you mean, but the problem is it’s not skilled, useful volunteers who are looking for placements, it is 18-25 year olds with no applicable skills who want to volunteer (particularly with animals and children). For this reason, many small NGOs charge fees as it is the only benefit they gain from having a transient, untrained worker for a few weeks.

By: Neža

Neža — Tue, 27 Sep 2016 19:52:35 +0000

Great article Audrey. Thanks for your thoughts and so many useful links 🙂

All the best,

Neža