A little observation of mine. Read with an open mind.

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This blog is a little different then usual. Its not about what I´m doing or how I´m going. Its about my observations. Observations from volunteering and from working among the groups that come to a country like this to help those in need.

I have been here less then a week so some people might say I have no ground for comment. I´m fine with that. Feel free to tell me otherwise in the comments area. However there are some things which strike me as ironic and totally disparate with the ethos of volunteering and helping those in need.

What is the goal of volunteers or workers who go to developing or poorer countries to help?

I would say that at its simplest, it’s to improve the condition and quality of life of those in need. Yes, I know volunteering and working overseas is also about the person volunteering and about how much they will personally benefit and grow as a person, after all that is why I’m in La Paz doing what I’m doing, but surely the needs of the helpers and the benefits they may obtain should come a distant second to what could be archived for those in need of help.

For example how much does it cost to raise funds for 20 people to come from America to help those in need by doing jobs that are mostly manual and labour intensive, such as sanding and painting desks, chairs and walls. These 20 people may then work solidly for 3 days to complete the project with the most basic of materials and limited resources.

Why not take one less person and use the thousand or so USA dollars (which is a huge sum of money in most countries) to buy or hire proper sanding equipment and power tools (if avaibale of course). In this way the project can be completed with a fraction of the people in a fraction of the time. The rest of the volunteers could then work on a second project or spend more time on their secondary goal, outreach or teaching or whatever.

Correct me if I’m wrong but aren’t they now doing twice as much work for those in need. Aren’t they now archiving twice as much as originally planned? Not only that but they are also putting dollars that would have normally gone to an airline into the local economy that they are trying to help. Not only that but the tools the money brought are now in the hands of people who really need them and can put them to good use in the future.

Why help a man take 40 hours to do a task, when you can give him the right tools and he can take 5.

If the second project that they can now take on is also manual labour intensive and could be shortened by buying the right tools or the hiring of a local tradesperson, then take one less person, buy the right gear, or pay the right tradesperson and do that job quicker and take on a THIRD project. Again you’re doing more with the time and money you have. Again the money is going to the right place, the local economy. You are now doing 3 times more work for those you came to help. How is this not what it’s all about?

I know there is also usually a large evangelical aspect to these trips but that won’t be compromised. Take the above example, the group of 20 has only been whittled to 18 or 17 people. Because the labour projects are now been done the right way, the quick way, the smart way, these people now have more time on their hands to preach and reach out to those in need with the word of god. They have more time to spend with those they came to help.

I know there is a balance that needs to be monitored. If you take the above example to the extreme, no one would travel to the country in need, instead all the funds raised would be given to a person on the scene to pay the local trades people to do the jobs that need doing. We all ready have lots of these types of organisations but we still need people to give their time and reach out to people.

What I’m pointing out is that when groups decide to volunteer and work overseas, they need to think about what they want to achieve and how best to archive it. This may mean taking a few less people to archive far far more. The fact that it is volunteer work or unpaid work or a self funded trip is not an excuse for not working efficiently and economically, in fact it’s precisely because it is all of the above that you should be looking at maximising every dollar spent and every second worked.

In the end, volunteering is often about sacrifice. Maybe the sacrifice should start at home by someone saying, ¨I will give up my place so that more good work can be done.¨. The person who makes this sacrifice has done just as much for those in need as the people who actually go over there and do the work.

Just something to think about... I do realise that any volunteering is better then none. That is obvious and should go without saying.

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