Written by The case against voluntourism
Recorded at a Bristol Hub event at University of Bristol on 2 March 2017, this brief talk outlines in 13 minutes the reasons why I do not believe in voluntourism and why I also distinguish this from volunteering.
In short, I believe that voluntourism is exploitative of everyone involved in the process – those being attracted to “do” voluntourism and those communities where voluntourism takes place alike. I feel that there is a lack of effort toward local capacity-building and that there is no local ownership involved in this process. Finally, I emphasise the importance of being strategic and selective in seeking-out volunteer placements and permanent roles in non-governmental organisations.
Dr Gilberto Algar-Faria 