Volunteering is a substantial resource for developing countries in Africa. It is through a workforce of volunteers that thousands of projects to improve the quality of life are completed every year. The good news is that this is set to continue, as a recent study by Marriott Rewards found that 84% of millennials would be happy to travel abroad for volunteering opportunities. Is it really helping the developing countries though? And are the opportunities available actually ethical?

Volunteering needs to benefit the community, not the volunteer

Voluntourism is big business - many people pay money, up to $2,000 a week for the privilege of volunteering abroad. This is an industry that is worth over $2 billion a year. In fact, volunteering in Africa is the second most popular type of project that is searched for online. Not all the companies that are offering volunteering experiences, are doing this for the benefit of African people though. There are some that are simply fulfilling a demand for “voluntourists.” These projects are created purely to get you to part with your money and leave feeling good about yourself. They are of little benefit to the community and can actually stifle development.

When you are looking for volunteering opportunities, make sure you are using an ethical company working to complete projects that the community itself has requested. These are the ones that will truly have a meaningful impact. For instance, Develop Africa runs a computer training project that has been incredibly beneficial for both children and youths. Students have graduated and moved on to gain employment, all with the help of valuable volunteers.

Be cautious about working with children

Many people have aspirations of working with children when they volunteer in Africa. Volunteering in African countries can be of enormous benefit to the future of children in terms of being able to build better homes and better educational facilities. Consider this, however - if you were in America, you wouldn’t just be able to turn up at a school and start teaching the children. You would first be subject to security checks and criminal record checks. The school would want to make sure that you were right for the job and properly qualified. Any voluntourism company that doesn’t check the volunteer’s backgrounds should be avoided, for the safety of the volunteers and the children.

You don’t have to work directly with African children in order to make an enormous difference in their lives. For instance, the workforce empowerment project has helped students affected by a mudslide and also provided essential school supplies to a number of vocational schools, including sewing machines, and hairdressing supplies. This is directly supporting their future as they move into the world of employment.

Empowering the community

The most successful way that we can help empower the communities when volunteering is by completely embracing the local cultures. Volunteers should only be welcomed into communities when they are not taking the jobs away from local people. They should also not be forcing the perspective of outsiders onto others or telling them how things should be done. Instead, a good volunteering project respects the values and culture of the community, encouraging positive relations. If there is a good dynamic, then the work that volunteers do has a greater ripple effect and is meaningful to everyone involved.

When voluntary projects start with a need in the community, they can be of real benefit. When you are choosing to travel to Africa, pick a company to volunteer with, that is honest and transparent about the opportunities that they are providing, and also about where the funding goes. Then you can be certain that the project that you are volunteering for, is truly empowering for the developing country.





By Jane Sandwood