Is Travel Volunteering a show off?

It goes without say that volunteering is one massive industry these days given it has become customary for people with the capabilities to afford travel, to want to do so by going to an underprivileged community around the world and lend a “helping hand”.

“Volunteering is described as an unpaid activity where someone gives their time to help a not-for-profit organisation or an individual who they are not related to“, according to Volunteer Action, Rotherham. (2017). The big question in my opinion is why do people decide to travel and volunteer? Is it the need to genuinely sacrifice time and uplift a community, is it just to adventure and see the world and not feel guilty about it, or better still, is it so we can post pictures on social media and tell our friends we have goodness in our hearts?

I am sure we know a have a friend who has dared and travel to Africa, South America or Asia to do some volunteer work and the feedback is always almost generally the same. “It is a life changing experience”. Then we feel the guilt of not trying to reach out and help people in communities we consider underdeveloped or poor.  The majority of people that travel abroad to volunteer genuinely want to make a difference. “So often in life, it can be hard to feel like we are making any real impact. Doing a good deed is always nice, returning a lost phone to a stranger, buying a homeless person a cup of coffee, helping an elderly person up a steep flight of steps, these acts all help somebody and make you feel good”. ( Crouch 2015). So does traveling miles to volunteer you time without pay.

I started EZ SPORTS TRAVEL earlier this year, then asked some friend to come with me to Africa and volunteer. Some were excited to jump on board, others were busy and had conflict of schedules. At the end we pulled it and I had a group which I led to Africa in June 2017.  Pictured below is Kim Amerell who without a heart beat accepted to go to Africa with me. We started a Go Fund Me, raise about $2,000, bought our flights and the group of 4 troopers were off to Cameroon. We spent 2 days at the Grace Tait Orphanage, supplied them with food, kitchen utensils, clothes and school needs. Then we went to Belo village where we worked together with the Makah Foundation

(Kim Amerell of Tampa, Fl poses with kids at the Grace Tait Orphanage in Bali, Cameroon)

With the many questions I asked earlier, I came to realized that it is truly a life changing experience even for me that was born to an average nurse in Cameroon, growing up with little. After we realized our projects, I felt very fulfilled and satisfied. Most important;y it was all a team of troopers that sacrificed out of pocket to get to Africa and do the work.

Now I understand why, I would so easily get on social media to post and show off what I had accomplished and be proud of that success. And now, I have decided to do this twice a year going forward and adopted the Grace Tait Orphanage to try and see the progress of the kids annually. If you are looking for a Travel Volunteer opportunity where you get on the ground and do the work, then EZ SPORTS TRAVEL is your go to reference. The additional perk is you get to socially explore the country abroad.

Reference:

Crouch M. (5th March, 2015). 5 Inspiring Reasons to Volunteer Abroad. Retrieved from https://www.goabroad.com/articles/volunteer-abroad/5-inspiring-reasons-to-volunteer-abroad

Volunteer Action , Rotherham (2017). What is Volunteering?. Retrieved from http://www.varotherham.org.uk/what-is-volunteering/