Friday, April 1, 2011

Volunteering in Bolivia: Why You Should Not Pay to Volunteer


My brother-in-law recently sent out an article that lays out quite nicely why you should not pay to volunteer in South America.  The writer discusses a number of problems with pay-to-play volunteer programs, including the following:

  • Voluntourism projects are often poorly managed
  • These projects offer few if any long-term benefits to the people who need it most 
  • Voluntourism "fosters moral imperialism"
  • Many volunteer agencies are taking advantage of eager but naive tourists, taking their money but not using it to benefit the people who need it
  • Many voluntourists try to be responsible in one way--by, for example, painting a school--but then ignore other more important responsibilities--by, for example, patronizing corrupt politicians instead of quality local businesses
In short, this is an excellent post on volunteering in South America that explains why you should do whatever you can to volunteer for free in South America.

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