An ethical guide to volunteering abroad: Volunteering abroad is without a doubt one of the best things I have ever done. If you are reading this you probably are looking to do something similar. Maybe you are about to start on a gap year, maybe you are looking for work experience, or maybe you are just looking to do something more meaningful with your holidays.
Whatever your reason for choosing to volunteer, I can guarantee you that you won’t regret it. I first decided I was going to spend my summer volunteering in Tanzania after missing out on making the Paralympic Games in 2016. At this time, I was heartbroken and my life and goals felt very up in the air. Volunteering abroad had always been something I had wanted to do and the experiences I had, the people I met and the things I saw changed my perspective forever.
Through my experiences of volunteering in Tanzania and in South Africa, I will share my knowledge and tips on how to avoid common mistakes and have the most rewarding experience for you and the community you are working with.
If you are planning your volunteering trip you might feel a bit overwhelmed – there are SO many organisations you can volunteer with, places you can go, jobs you can do. How do you know which is best for you? Which companies will allow you to make a real difference? What should you expect from the experience?
I will cover all of this in my ethical guide to volunteering abroad…
Why Volunteer Abroad?
Meet like-minded people
Travelling allows you to meet so many great people from different parts of the world and all walks of life. However, there is something special about the people you cross paths with whilst volunteering. Everyone you meet is there for the same reason – to help and make a difference. You have to be a certain type of person to give your time to volunteering, and in my experience, I got on with every single one of the volunteers there. I have made friends for life and you will too!
Back to basics
In most instances, your life and living situation during a project will be pretty simple. The luxuries and amenities of western life won’t be accessible to you. Toilets become holes in the floor, your commute to work becomes a 3 mile walk, and hot showers become a cold hose pipe! Living a simple life like this will do have two effects:
1. You will never take things in life for granted anymore. Every time you drive your car, sit down for a huge meal, cosy up in your double bed or visit your doctor for a routine check-up…you will be reminded how lucky you are.
2. You will begin to recognise how peaceful life can truly be when you go back to basics. When you take away a lot of the aspects of modern life, you realise how tranquil and humbling living simply is. A lot of the stresses of day to day life disappear and you enjoy the little things more.
Gain perspective
One invaluable lesson from volunteering is the new perspective you gain on the world, one which you only really get when you wholly immerse yourself in a totally new culture and community that is parallel to your own. Everyone will have their own unique experience volunteering, and take different things away from their time there. However, a common outcome for volunteers is that your priorities will change when you come back home. You will realise how insignificant a lot of your worries are in day to day life.
Through my experience of volunteering I witnessed many things, and one of them was poverty. I saw many who were struggling to feed their families, teachers who were educating with almost zero resources, children who could not access the most basic of medical care. This inevitably changed my view on life and what is really important.
I discovered that some of the most poverty-stricken people I met were also the most kind, generous, happy and full of life of anyone I had ever come across. The mother who barely had enough food to feed her family would be the first to offer me a plate. The teachers who had no access to books or whiteboards were the most passionate about education. The children who had nothing but a bicycle tyre to play with all day would be the most full of joy. This new perspective I obtained on life will stay with me forever.
Make a difference
The main reason most people choose to give their time to volunteering abroad is the desire to do something good and make the world a better place. IF you find a genuine organisation, choose the right project that fits your skills and experience, and research properly before then you really can help to make a difference through volunteering. Whether that means having a positive impact on one person, a whole community, or an animal – it is an amazing thing to be a part of.
Experience another culture
By volunteering in a community project abroad you will be immersing yourself in a whole new culture and experiencing a different way of life. I spent a lot of time with a Maasai tribe and felt incredibly privileged to have been able to experience and to learn about their traditions and culture. You will start to realise how incredible this big wide world is.
Get experience for your cv
I didn’t actually realise this at the time I volunteered, but volunteering abroad looks really good to future employers. Firstly, you get some amazing hands on experience – whether it be in construction, conservation, community engagement etc., which you can talk about when applying for jobs. Secondly, it also shows the sort of person you are and helps your application stand out from the crowd. Especially when an employer has hundreds of people applying who are equally qualified!
Have the best time of your life
Overall, you will look back on the time you spent volunteering as some of the best memories of your life. I had such a great time in so many ways. However cheesy it sounds you do ‘find yourself’ when volunteering. You learn a lot more about yourself, develop inner strength and confidence and realise what is really important to you. You will make friends for life, see some beautiful parts of the world and most of all have a lot of fun!
How to Volunteer Ethically?
Therefore, with all these amazing reasons to volunteer abroad you have now decided you’re going to go for it – but what next? There are so many organisations that you can volunteer with so it can be overwhelming when you first start looking in to it.
There are also a lot of organisations that will charge you hefty fees to volunteer, whilst not actually doing any good for the community or cause. Not every organisation offering volunteer opportunities are ethical, and unfortunately many take advantage of the good intentions of volunteers to make money. Unsuspecting volunteers who are wanting to do good will often not realise that they are being sold a feel-good ‘volunteer’ experience that actually does more harm than good. These experiences can actually make things worse for communities rather than better.
Therefore, it’s extremely important to do your research and make sure you are volunteering with an ethical organisation. This can sometimes be difficult to find so I have listed some tips and questions to ask yourself about each project you look in to to help make sure you are volunteering responsibly, using examples from my time volunteering at Hostel Hoff in Tanzania:
Does the price seem very high?
If the price seems very high they are probably taking money for themselves. Every organisation offering volunteering abroad should be completely transparent as to where your money is going.
When I volunteered in Tanzania it cost me £400 at the time for a month of accommodation, with 2 meals a day included and laundry etc. The hostel I stayed in worked with the community to put volunteers staying there in the best places to help. There was no money making for a company based somewhere else, no costs to give your time – just a small group helping in the community. Although, this isn’t to say that you shouldn’t pay to volunteer as many very reputable companies will still ask you for money. However, it should be either directly going to the cause or to cover basic costs of transport and accommodation etc whilst you are there.
Are you going for long enough to make a difference?
If a company is offering you a one or two week volunteering experience the likelihood is that this is not actually beneficial for the community. Especially if it involves working with kids! If a project constantly has a turnover of volunteers then this can be damaging and confusing for the children involved. If the organisation is responsible and ethical they will ask for a minimum stay period for this reason. For example, Hostel Hoff in Tanzania requires a minimum stay of one month for this very reason.
Are you taking work from a local?
If the work you are doing on this project allows foreigners to come in and ‘volunteer’ when actually this is something that a local could do then it is possible you are actually taking jobs and work opportunities from the local community. However, if your skills are required and you have something to offer that they are looking for, then you are likely doing valuable work!
One of the most important parts of volunteering is establishing that it is actually wanted by the local community. You should be able to tell this through your research of an organisation. How linked are they with local people? What examples have they shown of good and sustainable outcomes from their work?
What skills do you have to offer?
When you are looking to pick a project and organisation, the first thing to consider is what skills and experience you have to offer. What could you bring to make a difference? Do you have a medical background? Do you have any experience in care giving or teaching? Are you a skilled builder? Do you have knowledge in conservation and wildlife? Think about how you could be most useful and then look for projects that allow you to help.
Are local people involved in the project?
If you are volunteering abroad in a community you should be working directly with local people. If your contacts in a organisation are not based in that country, the people working there are not local or the project doesn’t involve local people that is a big red flag that this organisation should be avoided.
Are they asking for you to be qualified?
This isn’t always needed as it depends on what you are doing, but a sign of a good organisation is that they ask for people who are qualified in what they will be doing as a volunteer. This shows they are not just happy to take anyone in who will pay them money but instead their priority is what is best for the people, animals or community involved in the project. Another example of this is to see if they have a vetting process, for example for volunteers working with children.
Research the organisation in depth
Research, research, research, and research some more. Read reviews, contact others who have been and ask questions!
When I was looking into volunteering in Tanzania I had read about these companies making money off tourists and not helping and wanted to avoid this. I spent hours reading blogs, articles and researching ways of volunteering that directly helped. I came across a blog post by Where is Nikki? where she talked about her time at Hostel Hoff.
I reached out to her by email and asked for her experience with Hostel Hoff: would she recommend, how could I help there, did she think they were ethical and lots of other questions. She gave glowing feedback, which is ultimately why I ended up going there. Since then I have done the same for others who ended up volunteering there and also had an amazing time.
Moral of the story – do your research, reach out to others, and don’t be afraid to ask questions. It will be worth it.
Types of Volunteering
It can be very overwhelming trying to find the right ethical organisation and project for you, there is a lot of options out there! Best first step is to browse through some useful websites such as Go Overseas or Volunteer HQ.
My favourite is Grassroot Volunteers, a database for small and ethical volunteering opportunities. You can search by type of volunteering, destination, price and more.
Some of the main types of volunteering out there include…
Construction
If your most valuable skill to give to a volunteer project is manual work there are lots of great opportunities for you to help build schools, houses and more. A good one is Pencils of Promise.
Teaching
Teaching is in demand all over the world! Searching opportunities on Grassroot Volunteering is a good start. There are also some good opportunities through organisations such as Agape Volunteers and International Volunteer HQ (IVHQ).
Medical
If you have a background in medicine, nursing or anything related you have a great opportunity to make a difference abroad, and also often get useful experience! Some great internship ideas and opportunities check this Volunteer Forever article.
Wildlife & Conservation
For me, this was an area I was interested in volunteering with as my background is Zoology and working with wildlife. One useful resource I have used a lot is Conservation Careers. This is great for looking for jobs in conservation but also shows volunteer opportunities and internships. I also volunteered with African Conservation Experience which allowed me to get some great work experience with a veterinarian.
Hostel Hoff in Tanzania
I volunteered in Moshi, Tanzania through Hostel Hoff working in centres for disabled children. This included some basic care, teaching and supporting the local women who worked there.
Hostel Hoff arranges projects within the community that are targeted around long term sustainability, with the needs of the locals always put first.
The projects are all run by and co-ordinated with the local people and community. You have an opportunity to make a real difference when you volunteer. My decision to volunteer with Hostel Hoff was honestly one of the best I have made and I can not reccomend it enough.
The projects they run include: Teaching, working in an orphanage, working with disabilities, manual work, clinical work and projects helping women. If you have any questions feel free to ask me and I can share my experience.
If you have any other examples of really good volunteer organisations or projects I could add please comment below!
What to expect when volunteering?
Culture shock
Nothing can fully prepare you for experiencing a culture totally different to your own! It might feel overwhelming at first, but embrace it, enjoy it and most importantly respect it. Before you go make sure to ask the right questions: are there special customs for elders, what is considered appropriate dress, are there any subjects that would be inappropriate to talk about?
It will be hard work
One thing many people might not realise is how hard volunteering can be. It’s not a holiday, you are there to do hard work; for this reason volunteering isn’t always for everyone. You also need to make sure that you are completely clear on what the expectations are of you before you leave. How many hours are you expected to work? Do you get days off? My days in Tanzania started at 6am, I was on my feet all day long and I was exhausted every day!
You should pack practical
Don’t bother bringing tons of outfits you probably won’t wear! You need practical clothes, medicines and useful things like torches or first aid kits. A good camera wouldn’t hurt either. Something I wished I had thought about bringing were more things to give to the project – ask your organisation beforehand what is needed out there and pack your case full of that rather than unnecessary clothes!
You can’t change things overnight
Lastly, the hardest part of volunteering for me was realising that you can’t change things that quickly and you won’t witness the outcome of your time there. It can take years for a project to really see positive change. When I arrived I wanted to be able to make big positive changes and help, but I soon recognised that the problems were much bigger than I was personally capable of changing and at times I felt very helpless. This is difficult and can be frustrating, however you will come to acknowledge that however small, every positive aspect you bring to the project is a win.
I hope you enjoyed my ethical guide to volunteering abroad! If you have any suggestions, experiences, or tips to add please comment below…
