Sandrine Jacob asked 2 years ago My 17-year-old daughter is supposed to be going to Tanzania for a month this summer, working in an orphanage with Projects Abroad. However my daughter has just had a talk at school about volunteering organisations and the dangers of ‘voluntourism’. Apparently Projects Abroad is an enterprise, not an NGO at all. The money the volunteers pay ( and it is a lot of money) doesn’t go to the projects, we were told. I would like to hear from anyone who has volunteered with them, or who knows about the subject…. So far we have only paid the deposit so we could back out, but we have booked and paid for the flights already (ourselves). Many thanks in advance….
Daniel Großbröhmer Staff answered 2 years ago Dear Sandrine,
Thank you for your statement. Many companies offering volunteering positions are far from being NGOs. They are Travel Agencies selling very emotional services and are not interested in having a positive impact on the local level as it would interfere with their business model.
If your are interested to connect with former volunteers from IVHQ who are sharing their experiences I’d like to invite you to our Facebook Group that is open for discussion.
Best
Daniel