Voluntourism, the act of volunteering while traveling, has become such a huge trend that it’s now a multi-billion dollar industry. Giving back to others in need sounds like a noble act, but there’s a lot of negativity surrounding voluntourism. Author Claire Bennett weighs in on the matter.

Claire Bennett is a co-author of Learning Service: The Essential Guide to Volunteer Travel, which is full of more questions to ask and advice about international volunteering.

The Voluntourist: Many critics of voluntourism have portrayed volunteers as self-obsessed selfie taking do-gooders with a white savior complex. How did this become such a common stereotype and do you believe it to be true?

Claire Bennett: Firstly, I don’t believe this to be true – I have no doubt of the positive intentions that fuel most voluntourism trips. On the other hand, it isn’t hard to identify where this stereotype has come from. The set of attitudes that underlie what we term the “white savior complex” are layered and multifaceted, usually absorbed from western society that is still structured around this implicit bias. Very few volunteers think “because I am white I am better”, but some of them may think “this place is dirty, it could learn a thing or two about waste management from [insert home country here].” White saviors ignore the complex roots of poverty and how global inequality, and perhaps the volunteer’s own country, has played a role in creating or perpetuating that situation. If a volunteer has not learned about and analyzed this wider context, they might assume that there are simple solutions to these issues (such as “Dig a well!” “Build a school!”) and, however subconsciously, make judgments as to why local people have not helped themselves. All this is to say that volunteers need to take an active role in their unlearning of certain mindsets in order to not fall into this pitfall.

RELATED: Volunteering Abroad Guide -7 Helpful Tips to Giving Back Responsibly

The Voluntourist: Volunteering in orphanages has become rightfully controversial due to many factors such as inexperienced people working with children, no background checks are being done on volunteers, kids are being forced to live in impoverished conditions and trafficked for the sole purpose of generating donations from unsuspecting tourists and so on. That said, there are well-run ethical orphanages that rely heavily on volunteers because they can’t afford to hire a staff to perform essential duties. Do you think people should never visit or work in one?

Claire Bennett: This is a controversial perspective, but it can be argued that in 2019 there is no such thing as an “ethical orphanage”. That is not to accuse the people running them of having bad intentions – it can be true that orphanage owners feel that they are doing the best they can for the children in their care. However research established decades ago that institutional care is harmful for children, and that family-based care is a much better alternative. Instead of the response to that being a decline, countries all over the world we are seeing an increase in orphanages, with them often being used as the first choice for care of vulnerable children – in fact 80-90% of the children in orphanages all over the world have living parents. The fact is, when we channel money and support into orphanages we are redirecting it away from more sustainable forms of care, such as supporting children to stay with their parents or other family members. Orphanages that rely heavily on volunteer support, or that have precarious funding have to ask themselves difficult questions about whether their model of care is truly the best thing for the children. Vulnerable children outside of their families need highly specialized, professional, stable care – can short term volunteers from a different culture really provide that? Because there are thousands of new orphanages chasing the tourism dollars, there ends up being some that are out-competed, and that can’t provide adequate care for the children. Sometimes they are forced to put them at risk by sending them to beg or asking them to perform for foreign visitors. It’s a hard truth but I can’t see a single argument for travelers to be able to interact with or provide services for vulnerable children.

The Voluntourist: In addition to orphanage volunteering, why do you think voluntourism is under so much fire right now?

Claire Bennett: Firstly I think just to recognize that voluntourism is an extremely young phenomenon. Overseas volunteering has existed for decades but it is really only since the late nineties that it has been possible to book a short term vacation that is marketed as a way to “help” the destination. The increased demand for this form of travel has also been accompanied by a market incentive to provide opportunities that cater to the experience of the volunteer, rather than the needs of the community, which is a situation wide open to corruption. Fake orphanages may be one extreme expression of how profit can drive out ethics in the industry, but places that allow volunteers to “teach” children for a week or paint a wall that was painted last week are also driven by the same forces. Finally I think there is rising consciousness of ethical issues in all sectors, especially among the younger generations who are consuming more critically and who have more awareness of social justice dialogue. Millennial and Gen Z travelers are asking more critical questions about impact and responsibility.

The Voluntourist: What needs to be changed about the industry?

Claire Bennett: I think there needs to be a greater transparency around what the main purpose and benefit of voluntourism is. Marketing it as a response to a need or a long term solution to problems in countries overseas is disingenuous. Instead, marketing these experiences as immersive learning opportunities and a chance to engage with and support local communities with their own agendas may ensure that volunteers go in with the necessary openness and humility about the places they are going and the people who live there.

The Voluntourist: What are some positive benefits to voluntourism?

Claire Bennett: For community partners, voluntourism can be a way of unlocking funds, offering a cultural or skills exchange and providing a sense of solidarity or motivation under difficult circumstances. The experience can also provide benefits to the traveler themselves by allowing them to connect with a community or explore an issue. It can be a learning experience that transforms perspective of the traveler and greatly influence their life in the future. However these benefits are not automatic. In fact, some volunteer programs seem to actively work against creating the circumstances for these outcomes, by, for example, closing off learning opportunities for volunteers or actively engaging in corruption. These benefits are also not unique to voluntourism – when done well, other forms of travel such as ecotourism or educational travel can also have similar benefits.

The Voluntourist: What can someone do to be a more responsible volunteer?

Claire Bennett: This is an excellent question – and really was one of the main motivations behind us writing the Learning Servicebook. Being more a more responsible volunteer starts with asking this very question, and when we have to answer the question with one word instead of 400 pages, we offer “learning” as the key. This learning starts with cultivating the self-awareness and attitudes that will help you be effective when trying to help others, but also extends to the need for researching the context, evaluating the opportunities, and being open to other perspectives throughout your journey.

The Voluntourist: There are many unskilled volunteers who have a sincere desire to give back on a voluntourism trip. What advice would you give them?

Claire Bennett: I would start by sincerely applauding their wish to do good in the world, and encourage them not to lose motivation even when making the impact they desire can sometimes seem more difficult that they originally thought. If they feel ready to buy a ticket to another country, I would suggest that they consider doing a learning journey or another kind of experiential trip, rather than one that frames itself as “helping”. This is not to say that young people aren’t able to make a difference – in fact I often contest the use of the word “unskilled” as I believe that everyone has skills. However, you need to be sure that you put your skills to best use by being as informed as possible about the situation and cultural context you enter and the problems you wish to solve – it is unlikely that you can do enough of that learning during a short term vacation. Instead of diving in to “help” immediately, take the pressure off yourself and see a short term trip as a way to add fuel to the fire of your passion, and understand how to contribute to long term positive change.

The Voluntourist: Many believe short-term volunteers don’t make a difference. What are your thoughts?

Claire Bennett: It depends how we define “make a difference.” In all but the most specialized cases, the presence of short-term outsiders is not fundamental to the success of a project. However if we expand the definition to include the impact on the volunteer and the actions they go on to take as a result of their volunteer experience, then there is a lot of social change that has been kick-started by a short stint of volunteering.

The Voluntourist: What are some red flags volunteers should look out for when researching responsible voluntourism organizations?

Claire Bennett: Look at the language and imagery that is being used to advertise the volunteer opportunities. Is it vaguely-guised “poverty porn”, showing misery and desperation? Does it claim that there is a great “need” for volunteers, or show them in positions of power like white saviors? Or on the other hand, is the language of tourism overused, making volunteering sound easy and fun, rather than complex and hard work? Another red flag is if you can sign up for a program and “buy” an experience in a few clicks, without there being evidence of skills-matching.

RELATED: 9 Things I Wish I Knew Before Volunteering/Interning with IVHQ

The Voluntourist: How can volunteers ensure their free labor isn’t taking jobs away from locals?

Claire Bennett: In researching our book, we rarely found situations where volunteers were directly “taking away jobs.” In most cases, volunteers were not doing roles that salaried locals were previously doing because the volunteers rarely have the skills or time commitment required to be a teacher, carpenter or health assistant. In fact, volunteers often bring money with them that can unlock resources – so volunteers may fund house-building projects that include salaries for engineers and construction workers to oversee the work, which creates local jobs. On the other hand, if potential volunteers are looking for the most efficiency in the way that they spend their donation money, then the answer will rarely be a team of foreign volunteers, who need flights and accommodation and a whole bunch of other services such as translation. Sending the money that it cost the whole “house-building mission” directly to employ local people will definitely be able to build more houses in the long run. The main thing to bear in mind is that as a volunteer you should never seek to do jobs you are not qualified to do or practice beyond your skill set. A good rule of thumb is that if you are not qualified to do it at home you are not qualified to do it anywhere, and you run the risk of replacing local people with the necessary skills and long term commitment.

The Voluntourist: How can volunteers continue to make a difference after they return home?

Claire Bennett: In the Learning Service philosophy we say that, however long someone spent volunteering, or however effective their placement was, what they do after their time spent overseas is the most important part of their experience. The cumulative effect of the actions and choices you take over the period of our life can be enormous. This can include everything from whom you choose to vote for, how or how much you consume, the career you go into, and how you treat people around you. If volunteers see their placements as the first step in leading a life of positive change then you can make a difference every day.

You can find out more about Learning Service from their website: www.learningservice.info or follow them on Facebook, Twitter orInstagram.

A well worn saying claims that if you like laws and sausages, you should never watch either one being made. When you see what goes into making some things, it can really spoil the enjoyment. The same should be said about the complexities of trying to help some at risk children. Most people have no idea how frustratingly difficult kindness can sometimes be. What is a beautiful, loving, and positive thing on the outside, is grinding and painful once you see what goes on in the background.

By: DJ Schuetze

DJ Schuetze is the President of Door of Faith Orphanage: Changing lives through serving others; President of Strong Tower Ministries: Helping people fulfill their life’s purpose; Author of: Reciprocal Missions – Short-term Missions That Serve Everyone.

I’m aware of, or involved with, a few examples of bureaucratic quagmire that are currently taking place in order for good people to help children in need. There obviously needs to be laws in place to guide and protect at risk children, but what happens when those children, through no fault of their own, land just outside of the parameters of the laws created to protect them in the first place?

There are two couples that I’m aware of that have jumped through ridiculous hoops and accomplished something that is very rare. Two different American couples have adopted children in Mexico, including one boy with special needs. There were lengthy, expensive, complicated procedures, interviews, background checks, etc. It’s not unlike adopting in the US, but both these couples accomplished something everyone said was impossible. These children have been legally adopted; in the eyes of the law, they are the children of these two adoptive families. After this complicated and frustrating process is when the bureaucracy kind of caves in on itself.

RELATED: The Dangers of Short-Term Mission Trips

Although these children have been adopted, they are not US citizens. They can not legally enter the US. Everyone wants to help them, but this situation is so rare there is no system in place on the US side to recognize them as adopted. These families are stuck in a weird place not being able to bring their own children home. There is just no path set up for visas in this situation, no forms to fill out, no appeal process, this falls JUST outside the system. Even professional US immigration attorneys are at a loss. Good people are doing great things who are getting ground up in the system designed to help. Human Sausage.

The next example is even more complicated; Two sweet young sisters, one fourteen, one fifteen, are currently in Tijuana. One of them is pregnant through assault. They escaped abuse in their home country and traveled across Mexico alone with many of the migrants hoping for a better life in the US. They are now living in a crowded migrant center in Tijuana. Many people in our area want to help them but are stuck in a bureaucratic maze. Several local orphanages wish to take them in and help them, but technically they are not in Mexico legally, so helping these girls puts the orphanage licensing at risk. The local child protective service wants to help them but since there is no paperwork the government workers don’t know what to do, and they are not chartered to help foreign children. Politicians and highly placed government workers from both the US and Mexico are aware of the girls’ situation but have been unable to find a way through the dozen agencies involved in “protecting” these girls. The girls have shelter, they are being fed, but none of it is legal. A situation has come up where these girls fall JUST outside the system designed to help the at risk children who fall through the cracks of society. Human Sausage.

RELATED: Orphanages and the Crazy Cat Lady Syndrome 

Talk to anyone who works in foster-care in the US. You will generally find good people doing their best to help at risk children, often handcuffed and frustrated by a mountain of bureaucratic roadblocks that grow larger every month. Many children are helped; some fall through the cracks. Human sausage being ground up by the system.

The point of this rambling complaint is to encourage you to support those who battle the system every day to help the at risk children who society has left behind. Until you’re in the middle of working to help children, you have no idea how soul-crushing it can be some days.

The second point of this ramble is, strangely enough, meant to encourage those who are in the middle of these types of frustrating circumstance. Please know you are not alone. What you’re doing is worth the headaches, the lost sleep, the skipped vacations used to help others who’ve fallen through every last safety net society has in place. Keep it up; it matters.

If you can get past the idea of what goes into the making of sausage, you know how enjoyable and unrecognizable the end product can be. All of the grinding, at the end of the day, changes lives. Keep it up.