My Viewpoint on Volunteering

‘To have a sense of education and ethics is important.’ – Soleil Moon Frye.

Back in October 2012, H and I travelled to Ghana for two weeks to volunteer with Original Volunteers. At the time, it seemed to be a wonderful trip and I had a great time. However, since returning, my viewpoint on volunteering, or ‘voluntourism’, has changed. As a result, I’d like to offer my new opinion on volunteering and what I did in Ghana.

Volunteering may not be all that it seems

There is a firmly held belief among many travellers that volunteering through such companies as Original Volunteers is ethically wrong. You only need to go as far as the Lonely Planet Thorntree Forum to see that many people have very strong opinions on voluntourism and the impact it is having on the countries where it commonly occurs, such as Ghana and other African nations.

Like the fact that volunteering may take paying work away from locals, for example. Or the fact that quite often, the large sums of money that tourists pay to volunteer does not go back into the community so that locals feel the benefit. More frequently, it is fed back into the organisations pockets for their own private gain.

So why did I go to Ghana and volunteer?

I was so naive before I went to Ghana. I wanted to do good and I thought I could change peoples lives. Paying to volunteers seemed like a great thing to do. H and I would get a experience unlike your average holiday and we would be helping people and making a difference in their lives. What could be better?

I admit, we chose Original Volunteers because they offered everything we wanted at a low price. We paid a £125 initial sign-up fee and then £180 for the two weeks. On top of this, we paid for our own travel insurance, our flights, our travel jabs and other expenses associated with going to a reasonably remote location and volunteering for two weeks. It was the cheapest volunteering experience we could find. I think it probably remains one of the cheapest to this day.

Looking back, I cringe at all this. I’ve read a few dubious things about Original Volunteers since and although I don’t regret my time in Ghana, I do regret my naivety at that time. My priorities were all wrong and I was silly to think I would make a big difference in someones life. Needless to say, I didn’t. I daresay not one person that I met in October 2012 would think that I made any impact on their life. I came away from Ghana with a bunch of photos, a bit of a tan and a less rose-tinted perspective of voluntourism.

There is some good to be done through volunteering.

Despite the fact I have gained a more realistic perspective, I do still believe that there is good to be done through volunteering. You just need to be savvy. Don’t be naive like me and make the mistake of going in with those rose-tinted specs on. 

Huge companies are charging ridiculous amounts of money for the privilege to go and volunteer with them. You need to consider where the money is going, who the money is benefiting and whether the project is really for you. You have the potential to make a big difference in peoples lives, but you need to be realistic and do your research.

Companies offering volunteer projects aren’t all bad. If you have dreams of going it alone eventually, they can offer great support before you go ahead and launch your own project somewhere in the world. Go in with open eyes, armed with prior knowledge, and you could have a fantastic volunteering experience which benefits everyone – you, the charity and the local community you wanted to help in the first place.

Ultimately, despite my innocence and the mistakes I made, I had an amazing time in Ghana and we met some great people. We enjoyed every second of our trip and at least I learnt a few things from my experience…

You need to commit more than your annual leave allowance to even begin to make any sort of difference.

This is probably obvious, but I definitely didn’t think about that when I booked my fortnight in Ghana. Trust me when I say that two weeks is not enough time to make any sort of difference in the grand scheme of things.

Additionally, I was working with children who live difficult enough lives as it is, without random British people coming and going every week. Me popping up and then disappearing again was not going to help their attachment issues at all.

I met people in Ghana who were staying for much longer periods of time. They were building schools, helping children get the healthcare they needed or teaching long-term. I firmly believe that if you can’t commit at least four to six months, or preferably even longer, to volunteering, then you should reconsider your holiday plans. Especially if you’re hoping to volunteer with children.

You need to work out exactly what type of volunteering to do before you pick your destination. Choose what before where.

If, for example, you harbour a dream of travelling Nepal, but the volunteer projects you see there aren’t really anything you’re skilled in, then don’t go there to volunteer. Go to Nepal on holiday instead and volunteer somewhere else.

I didn’t really consider what type of volunteering I might be good at before I left and I wish I had. I ended up teaching classes full of kids and I am no teacher. My interests and skill-base lie with the environment – waste and recycling, water and conservation. I should have looked for projects that developed my interests and made use of my skills. Instead, I was blinded by the fact that I wanted to go to Ghana and I didn’t consider that there wouldn’t be any projects there that would really interest me.

Rather than basing your volunteering experience on the country you have dreams of travelling to, base it on your interests and skills, so that you’ll be able to help more. It’ll be much more beneficial for all involved.

If you would like to teach or work in a hospital or orphanage, you need some qualifications.

Teaching is hard work. The children won’t necessarily understand English that well and they will be mischievous and make trouble. Of course! They’re kids! They get bored, they’re in school and did I already say they won’t necessarily understand English? If you’re not qualified to teach the children age appropriate lessons, you’re not going to be helping.

Qualified teachers will be far more able to control a class and know how and what to teach the children. Me? I was abysmal. Why? Because I’m not qualified as a teacher. I’m not trained. I have no idea how to keep a class of children quiet and interested in a class for an hour while I teach them the most boring subject in the world.

Consider the experience and qualifications you have before you go volunteering and don’t step too far out of your comfort zone. Nobody will thank you for struggling through lesson after lesson if you’re not up to scratch. The kids won’t learn, you’ll end up frustrated with yourself and the whole thing will be totally detrimental for all involved. So if you’re a teacher, teach. If you’re an engineer, build something. If you’re a conservationist or environmentally minded, go and look after an endangered species. This is one occasion when you probably shouldn’t really mix it up.

Research the organisation you’re going to volunteer with.

Don’t be afraid to pay to volunteer, but try to find out how the funds are spent on the ground. Investigate the organisation you’re thinking of going volunteering with. You should know if the money you’re spending if being used to help locals, and isn’t just lining the pockets of the organisation.

Ask yourself – does the money get back to the communities you’ll be volunteering in? Will it benefit the local people you’ll be meeting? Is the company transparent about where the money you’re paying is going?

Volunteering has the potential to be the most ethical and moral thing you could possibly do. However, if you end up paying sums amounts of money to a company only for the money to be ‘lost’ in bureaucracy and admin, it’s kind of defeating the point. Ideally, the money you pay should be helping the communities you work with. You’re giving your valuable time to volunteer – the company should be committing your money to helping the projects you’re working on.

One of my biggest regrets about Ghana is that I don’t know where my money went or what it was used for. Did anyone other than the company benefit from it? I highly doubt it.

Look into working with smaller organisations or you could even go it alone.

I know that going to remote destinations can be challenging or even downright terrifying. Especially when you know you want to do some good and help out in a community somewhere. It can be hard to know where to begin.

It is great to use an organisation as a stepping stone to something more. You could spend a few weeks or so getting to grips with a new country and a new role with the reassurance that the company is there for you whilst you are finding your feet. While you have the company’s backing, you can take the opportunity to find your niche – something that you could do alone. Then, once your time volunteering with the company is over, if this was your aim, you would then be in a strong position to step out on your own or set up your own project. 

I met a guy in Ghana who started out volunteering with Original Volunteers, but ended up running his own project quite separate from the organisation. He built a primary school in a remote jungle village, which is an incredible achievement. As far as I’m aware, he is still out there for the majority of his time, maintaining his school and raising money to fund new school books, stationary and teachers. Don’t think that going it alone is not possible. It is. You just need a bit more determination to succeed and to be really passionate about what you want to achieve.

NB: This post was edited on 29th January 2019. You can read a little more about my adventures in Ghana here.