User:TheKingSloth/sandbox

== Critical View of Voluntourism ==

Question : Is humanitarian aid something that should be bought and sold on the market? What are the roles of Government and the Private Sector in combating humanitarian crisis?

Introduction
Western consumers, often students, engage in activity known as "voluntourism" or relief tourism. It is one of the most rapid growing trends in modern travel, with more than 1.6 million volunteer-tourists spending around two billion dollars each year.

Companies like GO ECO, Global Citizen Year and WWOOF have volunteers pay to have an opportunity to visit countries in need of aid and help the community through short term development projects. These projects can last from a few days to several months, ranging from housing projects to community economic development efforts. Though this seems to be righteous in nature, there are serious ethical concerns raised when companies from countries in the global north profit from disaster relief and humanitarian aid projects in the developing world.

Issues in Voluntourism
Some of the reasons why this industry is controversial:


 * High volunteering fees without transparency. There is no gaurentee that the money spent goes directly to the people in need.
 * Untrained foreigner involvement in serious projects like children welfare.
 * Volunteers taking aways jobs of locals and undermining local relief agencies.
 * Volunteer project scam. See Cambodian Orphanage Scam
 * Short term volunteering periods that leave the populations underserved and understaffed.

Voluntourism in the media
Madonna released the documentary "I am Because We Are" in 2008. In the documentary Madonna claimed that over a million children were "living in the streets, in abandoned buildings, and are being abducted, kidnapped, and raped." in Malawi. These claims were later proven to not be substantiated, leaving negative impressions and damaging the reputation of the country it purported to serve.

Who really is investing in Humanitarian Aid
A growing section of humanitarian aid comes from private firms rather than charities After the 2010 earthquake in Port-au-Prince, $6 Billion dollars in relief aid was sent to Haiti. From 2010-2012, Of $500m or so in aid contracts from the American agency for international development (USAID), roughly 70% passed through the hands of private companies. In 2016, for profit businesses had shown in increase in spending of 60% from 2008

Louis Berger Group, one of USAID’s largest contractors, has been found guilty of several cases of bribery and fraud. Its former boss, Derish Wolff, was found guilty of conspiracy to defraud USAID by faking timesheets, fined $4.5m and sentenced to a year’s home confinement.

Meanwhile, In August 2019, the United States President, Donald Trump has relases a statement that there will be a reduction in foriegn aid of $4 Billion.

Preliminary conclusion
While there is benefit to voluntourism, It is, at best, palliative relief for systemic issues within developing countries, and at worst an exploitative practice that propagates skewed western ideologies and promotes inaccurate and damaging impressions of disenfranchised communities.

Humanitarian aid is by definition material or logistical assistance provided for humanitarian purposes. This aid has historically been the responsibility of the government. With international humanitarian aid on the rise, and opportunities for profit in abundance, we have seen a shift from Public Sector aid, to Private Sector aid.

The profit generation of western companies through voluntourism gives a perverse incentive to keep developing areas in situations where they are dependent on aid. The efforts of voluntourism to provide market based solutions to humanitarian problems, subverts the role Governments in development projects and humanitarian aid.

This impacts social norms negativly by challenging the idea that governments are responsible for the well being of their people. Humanitarian aid and the dignity of people in need should not be bought or sold because it degrades the value of the work being done as well as the quality.

List of Resources

http://theconversation.com/volunteer-tourism-whats-wrong-with-it-and-how-it-can-be-changed-86701

https://aliving.co/travel/post/top-10-fantastic-voluntourism-organizations-for-your-best-impact#YgrCgr3eDDXfCsLw.97

https://www.worldlyadventurer.com/should-you-pay-to-volunteer/

https://www.gvi.co.uk/how-is-my-money-spent/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrZMwi0g-hc

https://stowawaymag.byu.edu/2016/10/03/history-of-voluntourism/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTnEQgndkdg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jr3Kp9v9j2g

https://rethinkorphanages.org/rethinkorphanages.org/problem-with-orphanage-tourism_volunteering

https://www.economist.com/international/2017/05/06/a-growing-share-of-aid-is-spent-by-private-firms-not-charities