The naive fraud of helping abroad

Helping foreign third-worlders less fortunate than you is better done when you don't treat it like a vacation.

Erin Chesney

Silhouette Staff

It’s a few minutes before the lecture will commence. I walk into class, sit in my usual front seat and begin to prepare for the subsequent 50 minutes of note-taking and attentiveness.

That young, 20-25 year old man or woman with a huge smile and condescending attitude walks onto the podium and begins to yell at the top of their lungs, “G’day mate. Do you wanna volunteer abroad this summah?” They then go on to inform me that spending a week engaged in an African village or snorkeling in New Zealand is going to make me feel all warm and fuzzy because I am “giving back” to those less fortunate.

Wait up. Let’s back this up a bit. By going to a far-away tropical destination and essentially vacationing for an extended period of time, I get to be qualified as a humanitarian? That is a sweet deal. These representatives make these volunteer opportunities seem so appealing. However, I find the underlying morality to be a bit unsettling.

One of the problems in these ever-so intriguing proposals is in regards to money. So many honourable charities are in desperate need of money, and thus it is important to ensure that when we give money to charity, it goes to the right place. So how is it that many of these volunteer abroad opportunities pay for your plane tickets and leisure activities? Couldn’t the money being spent on snorkeling in Pacific go towards improving the supposed impoverished destination?

My next concern is sustainability. Yes, it is true that building houses for homeless or constructing schools for children who can’t afford an education are all worthy and honourable endeavors. However, laying down a physical structure does not ensure the maintenance of the building and doesn’t consider its surrounding social implications. Many of these programs do not involve locals, which is an essential aspect in ensuring sustainability.

I commend every individual who has enough passion and drive to give up their free time to go somewhere far away and try to help others. That being said, I do not believe that all these programs have the most honourable type of student interests in mind.

The key is to remember that we are all human beings. The fact that we live in a first-world country does not make us superior to others. There are many places that need help and it is incredibly generous and respectable to want to help. However, it is important to ensure that your time and efforts are being used effectively.