They want to help and are harmful. “Demand creates human trafficking structures and exploitation.” Volunteering and tourism are just a seemingly good combination
“We believe that everyone can bring something special and we help to discover their potential.” “You experience unforgettable adventures and really change something.” “You want to be more than a tourist and give your journey meaning? We give you the opportunity to experience the greatest adventure.”
In this way, different service providers advertise volunteer practices abroad. What sounds like a good way to fill in a few free weeks or months, Sometimes it is not only useless, but it can even cause huge damage – local population or volunteers themselves.
– We consider the enigmatic and commercialization of offers as the main problems, because paying customers often have expectations – says Alien Spiller, a specialist in tourism and development and the head of the Tourism Watch department in the church assistance organization Bread for the World. This applies in particular to “volunteering”. It is defined as a combination of design work, holidays and free time – In other words, volunteering and tourism – usually limited to several weeks. Volunteering should therefore be clearly distinguished from traditional volunteering, he explains.
-Volunteering tends to be non-profit and is oriented for needs. The further you go towards volunteering, the more it becomes commercial and customer -oriented – continues Spiller. This can be a problem. – Volunteering always gives birth The question is whether work actually benefits local needs And whether local stakeholders are involved as equal partners, not just service providers.
This is not always the case especially when working in one of the most popular areas: children -oriented projects. – Volunteering is one of the the main drive forces standing behind the opening of orphans on the global south – explains Antje Monshausen, managing director of the Organization of Children's Rights Ecpat Germany. He continues: – These orphans are built because there are tourists who pay for visiting and supporting alleged orphans.
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UNICEF and other organizations assume that on average 80 percent children still have living parents – or at least a close family environment in which they could be accommodated.
“This can be observed in various African, Latin American and Asian countries, actually all over the world, but especially often near tourist hotspots,” says Monshausen. In the hope of a better life, fueled by false promises or financial compensation, parents place their children in orphanages. There are known cases in which attempts were made to recover children. Without success. Children had to be purchased, and families lacked the necessary funds.
“The demand from tourists creates human trafficking structures and exploitation,” says Monshausen. In addition, there are many short -term orders negative psychological influence on children, because they are not able to build relationships with reliable carers. Despite all the criticism, almost half of the commercial service providers on the German market still offer work in orphanages. Criticism, however, led to the fact that some projects are conducted under new names: now as “boarding schools” or “shelter” instead of “orphanages”.
Volunteering is not for everyone
Also in other areas, sensible volunteer work requires some reservations. – in the environmental protection sector We strongly advise against projects related to wildlife. For example, there is an organization in South Africa that recruits volunteers to the reintroduction station. However, the animals are caught especially for this purpose and are no longer able to survive at the wild after a long interaction with people – criticizes Alien Spiller.
How many Germans become volunteers every year? “There is no reliable data because statistics do not ask about travel motives,” says Monshausen. It is estimated, however, that every year from 15 to 25 thousand Germans participate in volunteering abroad in the commercial sector.
– We also observe an increase in the number of travel based on meetings [z lokalną ludnością — red.]not only as part of volunteering, but also normal travels. There are holiday packages that include one -day trips to schools or garbage collection campaigns – says Monshausen. Social media certainly play an important role here – they intensify “the desire to see your own contribution”.
The expert emphasizes that most people come with good intentions and want to help. He adds: – The term “white savior” describes the way in which privileged people from Europe or North America travel to less wealthy countries and present themselves as supporters of the right matter. There is little reflection in this and is happening at the expense of the local population.
European volunteer in Cameroon. Illustrative photoDavide Bonaldo / Shutterstock
The desire to reconcile with your own privileges and giving something from each other is essentially positive – but In such cases, it is overshadowed by self -promotionmentality of showing off and lack of information.
Former volunteer: it was not the perfect world that I was promised before
Lukas Albrecht (changed name) from Saxony-Anhalt admits that he has not informed enough before his stay abroad. That is why he now wants to explain that classic volunteering – scheduled for 11 months and subsidized by the state – can go wrong. Volunteering after graduating from school was an obvious choice for him. – I wanted to see something else, leave the house and I didn't know what I wanted to do yet. I came across this program and thought: “I will go to Peru. Cool there.” At least I thought so.
Ultimately, however, everything went differently. Potential difficulties have never been discussed at preparatory seminars. Albrecht says that he was warned about them only in Peru itself. – We were told: “If you wear gold jewelry, they can cut your fingers to get your ring.” He was also told that the crime indicator in the capital, Lima, has increased rapidly in recent years, and Violence using weapons plays an increasingly important role. “It was not the perfect world that I was promised before,” says Albrecht today.
His “hosting family” consisted of a woman and her 85-year-old, not reacting to her father's surroundings. The woman was a good friend of the local organization coordinator And she was apparently registered as a “host mother” insidiously. In the apartment, the boy found black mold, lack of running water, a rinsing in the toilet, a hole in the ceiling in the bathroom. – It is suggested that we will be accepted by the host family, we will live there and learn about culture. It is difficult if the host family consists of one person who works all day – says Albrecht.
-I am not an isolated case-emphasizes the 19-year-old. Gave up his stay in Peru after only three weeks, and In Germany, he met several former volunteers who had similar experiences. The reason for this was not the general standard of living on the spot, but no communication, supervision and support from the sending organization.
For this reason, he also sent a detailed report to the Federal Government Services Center. The responsible person wrote back that he realizes that the organization in question apparently accepts the fact that many volunteers end their service prematurely. For this reason, government financing is currently under review And, if necessary, canceled.
Volunteering? Consider the donation first
Everyone who wants to do good in a distant place should pay attention to several things, emphasizes Spiller from Bread for the World. – We recommend that work in the project lasts at least three months, and in the case of working with children at least six, so that there are multi -stage application processes and interviewsqualified preparation and subsequent activities, as well as ongoing support. It is also important that the project structure is transparent: where the means reach, who uses them and how.
Teacher with children at school. Illustrative photoMonkey Business Images / Shutterstock
In some cases, donations are simply a better choice. – You have to remember that the price I pay as a volunteer for help at school for two weeks, she could cover the teacher's salary for six months – notes Monshausen from the ECPAT organization.
The donation may therefore enable professionally qualified help, which in the long run will benefit local children. – Development policy consists in strengthening local structures and reducing dependencies. However, poorly organized volunteering strengthens these dependencies And that's why it is definitely not an instrument of cooperation for development.
