Is International Voluntourism Effective?

Philanthropic Travel is a Learning Experience; not a Service (Voluntourism) Trip.

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Tim Ogden PhilanthropyAction.com:
Each year, more than a million Americans, the majority of them teenagers or college students, travel to other countries on "service trips." Lasting for a week or two, the trips are conceived as a way for Americans to see developing world poverty up-close and to "help."

The help usually takes the form of some low-skill labor project like building a classroom or rehabilitating a small house.

Originally the sole province of church youth groups, the service trip has become increasingly popular as "a vacation with meaning."

Now that another million travelers have returned home and are back to their normal lives, the Wall Street Journal points out the myriad reasons why such trips are a bad idea.

The summary is that it is ridiculous to spend tens of thousands of dollars flying Americans to a foreign country to poorly perform a task that could be done cheaper, better and with more beneficial long-term effect by high-skill local labor.

My epiphany on the pointlessness of such trips came while spending a month volunteering at an international NGO's famine'relief operation in Ethiopia.

Despite my good intentions it was abundantly clear that I had no useful skills for the situation. Apparently this message is sinking in, the Washington Post ran a story this summer noting that many churches are abandoning such trips.

"The End of Service Trips?" by Tim Ogden 15OCT08

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Press Critique on Voluntourism:
Canada's National Post Newspaper: Is Philanthropic Travel the same as Voluntourism? A: NO
Wall Street Journal: Voluntourism Questioned
Smart Money: What I did on my Volunteer Vacation
Voluntourism: Hip or Hype?
Who gains the most from voluntourism?

GEORGE RUPP is the President & CEO, International Rescue Committee

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Q: What is the difference between Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel and Voluntourism? Will I be required to 'work' during my vacation? Can I work if I choose to?

A: Our non-governmental organization (NGO) partners specifically request that your learning visit result in a generous tax deductible monetary donation rather than your personal labor or ancillary gifts in kind.

Exceptions to the 'do no labor' NGO protocol include medical doctors, nurses, and technologists with hard to come by specific skills who are willing to serve at the NGO's request.

Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel has raised over 1 million dollars since 2008. 100% has been donated to high impact NGO's (non-government organizations) in destinations in the USA and around the world.

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Learn More:
Around the World with Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel
Member of the United Nations Foundation World Heritage Alliance for Sustainable Tourism
Vivanista.com: Philanthropy Trip: Living Well Doing Good
The Advent of Philanthropic Travel by Mark Lovett
Vacationing in Generosity: Philanthropic Travel
Your First Philanthropic Travel Experience

Philanthropic Travelers:
Baroness Caroline Cox Philanthropy Journeys
The Dream: Philanthropy Travel
John Legend: Philanthropic Traveler
The One's Who Do: Philanthropic Travelers

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posted by: dchamberlain