Avoiding Volunteer Tourism

As a student who is passionate about global public health, I face a lot of ambivalence. On the one hand, I am commended for my dedication to helping others. On the other hand, however, I am ridiculed for the lack of impact my efforts have. During my trip to Ethiopia, I received the following comment on the picture below: “Take plenty of pictures with underprivileged children,” as if my only motive for joining Public Health Without Borders was for the photo opp. This is a widespread societal mindset as “volunteer tourism” is gaining speed. People travel to developing countries to satisfy their own needs, rather than actually helping the communities they touch. This is a huge problem – it not only undermines the credibility of public health professionals, but it does nothing to help those in need.

Admittedly, I have fallen victim to volunteer tourism in the past. I visited a Burmese refugee clinic in Thailand for three days. Did my time there change the situation at all? No. What actually came of that experience? I was selfishly exposed to extreme poverty and distress. My life was enriched at the expense of refugees. I did absolutely nothing to better their situation, and this is a source of embarrassment for me. After joining Public Health Without Borders at UMD though, I realized that interventions should be ongoing, and collaborations need to be strengthened in order for real progress to be made.

I loved that PHWB has been working with the communities in Debre Berhan for three years now. I love that we have people to contact continually, and projects to expand upon. Although each member of PHWB may not travel to the community each year, the club aims to prevent volunteer tourism that could potentially cause harm. This trip was so much more satisfying than my trip to Thailand because I know that continual strides are being made to actually benefit the community. Obviously, a lot more work needs to be done but we have a good platform to build on.

Pictured above: an elementary school garden that PHWB has been helping to develop. Fortified seeds were brought, and proper cultivating techniques were taught. This is now a "demo" garden for future elementary school gardening programs that PHWB is helping to foster.