There is a word that has been flying around my group since my trip here in
Nepal began. Maybe I've been on island time for too long, but before
arriving in Kathmandu, I didn't realize that what I am engaging in is,
in fact, a part of this whole world of 'voluntourism'- a way to travel the
world while (hopefully) giving back in some
way to the community that you are visiting.
I met up with my group the morning after my first night in Kathmandu.
There would be just 4 of us on this particular volunteer
trip. Lynn from San Francisco is coming on the trip at the beginning of
her 4 month solo journey through Nepal, Tibet, and India. I am the only
long-term volunteer of the
group, committing just under 3 months of my time to live and work at
the hostel. Then there is Pearl who works for
Lush cosmetics, out of Canada. She is a
corporate employee of the company and
works to guide Lush employees on
international volunteer trips around the
world. So this is cool- Lush cosmetics has a great program for all
employees where
they will pay for half the cost of any of
their many voluntourism trips and allow
employees to pay the balance over 5
paychecks, making it financially
possible for virtually all employees to
engage in international 'voluntourism'.
She is here with Edge of Seven scouting a possible
Lush employee voluntourism trip to
Nepal for next year. (And what a
dream job she has).
Finally, Sarah, the director of Edge
of Seven has come on this particular
trip as well.
After a bumpy and somewhat
terrifying flight from Kathmandu
to Phaplu, the 4 of us, along with
2 staff members from a local non-profit,
trekked another
45 minutes to arrive at the hostel.
In our first few days here, we helped
to construct an addition that will
eventually house more girls who
are pursuing their
bachelor's degree at the college that
is located about a 20 minute walk
from the hostel (and is the only
college in the entire Solukhumbu
region).
There are about 15 local men and
boys that are working on the
construction and it is from them
that we have been learning how
to build using the earthbag
building technique.
I have to admit- I feel somewhat
ambiguous about 'voluntourism'
in general and being a part of it.
Yes, I am helping to construct
the hostel which will
eventually house girls who would
otherwise be unable to attend college.
But it is clear that were I not here,
the hostel would still be built in my
absence.
And are Lush cosmetics employees
experts in earthbag building?- probably not.
What I am beginning to see is
that the benefits of voluntourism
are often
unrelated to the specific task at
hand, and more related to the
shared experience between the
volunteers and the local population.
Some benefits I have seen so far:
The program fees that volunteer
participants pay go directly toward
worthwhile international projects.
Real people are benefitting directly
from Edge
of Seven's infrastructure projects
and volunteer fees are a big part
of the funds that are made available
to pay for these projects. These trips also
promote cross-cultural understanding-
something that even the most
open-minded of us can always improve on.
Finally, the project manager of the
construction brought it to our attention
that when the community here
in Salleri sees foreigners coming who care
enough about the cause that they
are willing to travel across the world
to support it, they may see the
project in a larger context and pay attention
to and value the hostel project as well.
Social change takes time- expecting
immediate results from development
projects is not responsible, and often
negatively effects communities in the
long run. However voluntourism
may have a place in socially responsible
long-term projects. Most importantly,
these trips ensure continuing awareness
and interest from the west. They also
provide funds, and yes- a work force-
that is virtually never-ending.
I definitely see this as part the answer
to development issues.
As Lacey put it, a volunteer that
has been living at the hostel since
January, all development projects
cause some harm and some good.
In other
words, Everything comes at a cost-
whether it's the pollution of the
planes it took to fly me here, the
resources that I use while I am
here, the cultural
intrusion that I represent. But
that as long as the benefits
outweigh the costs, then a project is
worth pursuing. I don't think
there is one yes or no
answer to whether voluntourism
is worth it. But I do think looking
at projects in these terms gives
us a framework to think critically
about them.
This week I began teaching
the girls who live at the hostel.
This is where the voluntourism
ends and the volunteerism begins
for me. I
don't know what kind of long-term
effect I will have on the girls
that choose to spend time
learning with me. But I can
hope that I am doing more
good than harm, and try my
best, with love, to do so.
