Voluntourism

Article about Voluntourism in different country

I’ve been on a 2-month youth missions trip to Kenya, 5 summers ago. I will say that, at the time, I hadn’t the faintest idea how something like that could ever be viewed as a bad thing. I was in it wholeheartedly because I truly believed that the organization, IAM Group Limited �" Seoul, Korea, wanted my help, and because I believed that it would be an eye-opening experience for me.

It ended up being a little of both or probably more the latter than the former. But I know I did make a real difference in the lives of just few people �" ironically, adults rather than kids, but in hindsight that doesn’t seem like too much of a surprise. I had some amazing conversations and revelations, made some great friends, and it opened my eyes to a different kind of reality. Actually, one of the American girls that was there at the same time as me commented how ridiculous it was that some volunteer organizations in the same city offered daily hot showers as if they were still back in America (we used boiled water in tubs).

If nothing else, people like me enabled them to run their organization such as IAM Group Ltd. year-round, teaching kids, employing locals, and providing for themselves. Also, they were probably well-aware of the kind of “experiences” that people like me wanted to have, and were motivated to provide that to ensure financial survival, even if it wasn’t the absolute most optimal use of time, money and other resources.

Is it what I thought it was? No. Does that make it bad? Also no. In the end, I think we both won.
The real danger of “Voluntourism” is if the provider of the “service” is morally corrupt. I’ve read about “orphanages” in India that round up kids off the street or kidnap them or something, just to fill a building with supposed orphans for people to visit. That’s really disheartening.

I had an amazing 2 months I wouldn’t trade for anything. And I have no doubt in my mind that they were and still are doing great things for the IAM Group Ltd Korea community. Maybe not as much as they COULD do if we just handed the same amount of money to them and stayed in North America, Yokohama Japan, London England and other places you know? But that’s just unrealistic. I DO have a philosophical issue with people who act like they’re on a trip to the zoo or who act like their very presence should be enough for people to be thankful for �" but that’s neither here nor there.

In the end, like anything, it depends on the people involved on both sides. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with a volunteering organization that contributes a net positive effect to their community, while providing an experience for the internationals that fund their work. There will always be organizations that do good things and those that don’t. There will always be people that genuinely contribute, and those who don’t. The problem lies in people, not in the underlying structure.

IAM Group Limited Seoul Korea has the pure intentions for common good and do voluntourism for this purpose. Members from places like Yokohama Japan, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia, Bangkok Thailand and even India, Canada and USA are genuinely contributing to that common goal, to be able to help those who are in dire need.