24
Structured & Self-Funding Volunteer Programmes :
Selection & Eligibility
And, weighing in with the final word, Robert Driver who volunteered in the jungles of
Belize, chose to volunteer with Trekforce Worldwide (p115) for two different reasons:
They are a registered charity and, for me, this had two benefits. Firstly, being a charity they
would have a real focus on preserving the environment as opposed to being partly focused
on profits. Secondly, it meant I could fundraise to contribute towards the cost of going on
the expedition. The number of people who took an interest in what I was doing and sup-
ported it was really encouraging.
All in all, there’s a lot to be taken into account. This chapter examines many of the issues
raised here in more depth and looks at other key deciding factors in choosing a sending
agency or liaising directly with a local NGO or charity.
Ethical Volunteering
The ethics of international volunteering are complex, particularly with development work.
On the surface it sounds like a match made in fairy tales: you help local people to help
themselves; you benefit; they benefit and you all live happily ever after.
Of course, the reality may not be quite so ‘charming’. The more you find out about
international volunteering, the more aware you become of some key ethical issues. When
this happens you start to ask yourself more questions and, hopefully, ask more questions of
the organisations you are researching. This is a healthy process, as getting answers to some
key questions is exactly what is required to ensure that everyone benefits for the long term
from your volunteering experience.
Below are some basic questions you might have swirling around in your head. Responses
follow, although they are often more ‘grey’ than ‘black’ or ‘white’ (reflecting the complexity
of some of the issues involved).
Q1: how do I know if the host community or country will really benefit from my
volunteering?
That’s a crucial question. There should only ever be one reason for a volunteer programme
to exist, and that is to meet the needs of a local community. Just as importantly, all volun-
teer programmes should do this in a sustainable way.
For instance, there’s little point in a one-off placement where you’re parachuted into a
school, orphanage, community centre etc to work for a month or two and then leave. What
happens to the work you were doing? How is it continued? Has your departure created a
vacuum that no-one can fill, and your work therefore been more of a hindrance than a help?
Of course, there are exceptions to this rule. Perhaps you had a specific aim to achieve and
you trained a local person to take over from you. That would be useful and classified as a
sustainable volunteer project. However, you are more likely to find sustainable projects with
sending agencies that have a long-term relationship with their partner programmes.
So, the bottom line is this: if you volunteer on a properly run programme (whether you
apply through a sending agency or go direct) you will make a contribution that should be
of benefit to those you wish to help.
Q2: If I only have a short amount of time to give, will I be able to ‘make a difference’?
This is a tricky one and is discussed in more detail on p29. The answer very much depends
on the aims and objectives of your project. The shorter the time you have, the more spe-
cific your project needs to be. For instance, volunteers with the faith-based charity Habitat
for Humanity (p199) go overseas for two weeks and help build a house for a low-income
family in great need of shelter. At the end of the two weeks they have achieved something
tangible and worthwhile.
Q3: am I actually doing more good by volunteering than just donating my money?
The two short answers to this question are ‘yes’ and ‘no’. All organisations working
overseas need money to implement their programmes. But sending yourself, as opposed to
sending your money, means you are making a very special contribution.
The organisation that fixed my placement was not willing to look at my background
and skills (even though they had my CV) and match what I had to offer to the volunteer
programme. Instead, I felt like I was given ‘any old’ placement and it was only when I
turned up that the people there really asked about my history and tried to use my skills and
experience. By this stage it was too late. Any 18-year-old with good Spanish could have
worked very usefully in the day centre. I felt my skills were underutilised.
On the other hand, when Jackie Bowles was looking for her placement with street children
in Rio de Janeiro she was choosy right from the start:
I looked at several different projects but chose Task Brasil, as they have such a well-
established volunteer programme. Some others I had researched were in great need of
volunteers, but didn’t really have the network to support them. In other words, I felt that a
volunteer could build up relationships with the children and then suddenly leave the chil-
dren on their own. With Task Brasil there is a healthy balance between the volunteers that
help and the educator, so the children don’t suffer when the volunteers leave. I volunteered
for five months then returned for a further three months on a part-time basis because I
missed it so much!
The key message here is that all organisations are different and work to varying standards.
Many are excellent but some, like Ian Flood’s, will dish out ‘any old’ placement with little
consideration for you or your host programme. It’s crucial to do your homework and check
the credentials of any organisation you’re considering volunteering with. Good credentials
are what attracted Kate Sturgeon to Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF, Doctors Without
Borders, p145). She remembers:
I primarily chose MSF because it’s got such a good reputation. I liked its charter – that it is
independent and not affiliated with any religion, culture or government and that it receives
most of its money from donations. I liked the fact that they work where the most vulner-
able people are and that they’re often the first NGO in and the last out.
As well as checking out credentials, you need to feel that you share the philosophy and
ethos that drives the sending agency you ultimately choose. This is what initially attracted
Deborah Jordan and David Spinney to work with Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO, p94):
We knew about VSO and how it works in partnership with governments and NGOs in
developing countries. We looked forward to living in a local community at a similar level to
our colleagues, and working with them to achieve shared targets. We liked their approach
of ‘sharing skills’ rather than giving out money or things. Their approach was not that of the
‘do-gooder’ with poor people overseas, but a much more professional commitment to work-
ing with skilled individuals in their context to bring about sustainable change.
But there are many other factors that may influence your choice of agency or programme.
Emma Campbell who volunteered with VentureCo (p115) in South America says:
I searched under ‘responsible travel’ on the Web. I was looking for a company that was
carbon neutral and that included Spanish lessons. I also wanted to be part of a group with
mixed ages and backgrounds.
As volunteering can often seem expensive (see p30), the cost of a particular programme or
placement is also a deciding factor. Ann Noon went to Peru and volunteered with the Inka
Porter Project:
I spent a long time looking for the right project, as I wasn’t keen on the idea of paying a lot
of money, particularly as I am suspicious about what proportion of the (often substantial)
fees organisations charge actually trickles down to the host project.
Sarah Turton, who volunteered with the Junior Art Club (p183) in Ghana, was also influ-
enced by price as well as her interests and the environment in which she would be placed:
I searched the internet long and hard. I was influenced by cost and what was on offer. My
main interest was Africa and art but I was also keen to go somewhere very remote and not
be surrounded by Westerners and live as the Ghanaians live.
25
experIenCe 02: ChoosIng Your Volunteer
Arranging a Worthwhile Placement
