Does voluntourism do more harm than good?

**SPEAKER_1** (0:01)
When that line dropped, it changed the whole hustle. Introducing the Sprite Living Tracklist. 50 tracks that shaped the culture from 6 decades of hip hop. Scan the QR code on a Sprite or Sprite Zero Sugar to see the full breakdown. Obey your thirst. Sprite.

**SPEAKER_2** (0:16)
Queen Carvania stood haloed by the morning sun. An army hung on her every word.

**SPEAKER_3** (0:23)
My champions, I have sold my chariot on Carvana to as a lovely SUV, an inexplicably queenly offer. They're even coming to the castle to collect it. Tonight, we feast.
An offer you can feast on. Sell your car today on Carvana. Pick up fees may apply.

**Bababam** (0:50)
Does Voluntourism do more harm than good?
Thanks for asking.
Voluntourism is the practice of volunteering one's labor to a charitable cause in a developing country, in return for a soul-cleansing, perspective-changing, CV-bolstering experience. Perhaps that sounds a bit cynical, but with good reason. Whilst it could be a mutually beneficial redistribution of wealth from the developed world to the developing, Voluntourism harbors a dark and exploitative underworld. In 2021, npr.org reported that the industry was worth an estimated 3 billion US dollars per year.
Can it really be that bad? One of the main issues relates to private orphanages. The donations they receive massively exceed what governments themselves are willing to contribute. The problem is that this creates a demand for such institutions to exist, commodifying the children inside and leaving them vulnerable to exploitation. In fact, George Mulhair, CEO of the Lumos Foundation, told the Huffington Post that more than 80% of children in the world's orphanages have at least one living parent, as well as other relatives. That disturbing figure makes sense when you consider that many parents are conned or bribed into handing over their children to orphanages for the promise of a better life. Children in orphanages all over the world are sometimes found malnourished, beaten, and forced into slave labor instead of school. Even if it were to be carefully directed towards ethically sound organizations, Voluntourism can still severely diminish potentially large sources of aid. Pippa Biddle, writer and former Voluntourist, told the Huffington Post about her school trip, where a group of privately educated 16-year-olds attempted to build a library at an orphanage in Tanzania, only for it to be covertly taken down and redone the same night by local laborers. The cost of the trip was $3,000, which explains why the orphanage allowed such wasteful practices to continue.
Further light is shed on the economic disparity of the situation in a study cited by the Guardian concerning the wave of Voluntourism which arrived in Honduras after Hurricane Mitch in 1998 When factoring in the overall costs accrued by volunteers from North America, such as flights for example, the average amount spent per house built was $30,000. Compare that to the $2,000 that local labour would have cost. The wastes generated by Voluntourism becomes starkly apparent. Is Voluntourism at all beneficial? Whilst the theoretical benefits are clear, the practice itself is and always will be plagued by selfish motivations of good deeds. For some the value lies in self-righteous selfies and mouthwatering CVs, and that's the service they pay good money to receive. The dilemma however is that the most sustainable and altruistic option is to simply donate and stay at home. But without the selfish motivations, would a significant portion of charitable donations simply dry up? Whilst awareness spreads of the problematic nature of Voluntourism, the phenomenon itself doesn't seem to be subsiding, for better or for worse. There you have it.
Now you know what Voluntourism is. In under three minutes, we answer your questions and help you understand the true meaning behind the trends, concepts and acronyms that are making headlines. Listen along and you will really know for sure.