Tag: voluntourism

Volunteering: Ethical Considerations

February 5, 2019

Before I left for a three-month volunteer teacher position working with Burmese migrants in Ranong, Thailand (which subsequently turned into 15 months) I pondered some of the issues raised in my last blog: We Need to Talk About Voluntourism: A Commentary Was I doing the right thing? Was I really needed there? What would the impact of having someone from another culture and no knowledge of the local language be? Were my experience and qualifications adequate to do the job I was tasked with? Rather than become part of the problem, I wanted to empower, build capability and inspire. … More Volunteering: Ethical Considerations

We Need to Talk About Voluntourism: A Commentary

January 31, 2019

A while back a friend sent me an article written in The Spinoff entitled “We need to talk about voluntourism”. ‘Voluntourism’ or volunteer tourism, is based upon the concept of doing something good while travelling, and has been gaining popularity in recent years. NGOs connect people wanting to give something back with projects (usually) in so-called developing countries. This may include assisting with construction, conservation and environmental projects, teaching English and the oft sought after orphanage tourism. While it is often possible to help for long periods of time – months or years, tourists often dedicate part of their holiday to a project, say a few weeks. … More We Need to Talk About Voluntourism: A Commentary