Many people with an interest in international cooperation seek the possibility of doing international volunteering in a middle and low-income country to live an experience of solidarity. Sometimes, even, this possibility is sought as a possible way to learn and gain some experience to apply later for jobs in international cooperation.
Although the best way to get into the humanitarian sector is usually to do national volunteering (or an internship), there are also (few) good opportunities for international volunteering, including actions in health. Alongside them, unfortunately, there are many other forms of tourism that do not respect the same principles.
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Voluntourism is not the same as volunteering
Two weeks of community service in an exotic country for anyone willing to pay?
Under the name of ethical tourism trips or volunteer tourism, many travel agencies (incorporated as associations or companies) offer interested persons the possibility of paying to travel for a few weeks to low- and middle-income countries. The usual claim is to live an enriching and unforgettable personal experience, without requiring any qualifications.
In many cases, these trips do not meet the needs of local communities. Moreover, they can be highly inefficient, consuming personal and economic resources that could be put to better use. Worst of all, they can even be dangerous for the volunteers themselves or for those who in theory should benefit from the volunteer action.
Not everything that glitters is gold in international volunteering
Some of these agencies exploit local needs by contributing far less than what could be achieved by directly hiring local professionals. No, there’s no need for anyone from abroad to go help build a wall in Tanzania or to assist women in Bolivia with cooking when they have been doing it for their entire lives.
Likewise, some of the tasks suggested for unqualified persons may be completely inappropriate. For example, it poses an enormous risk to child protection that the care of minors in some centers is systematically left to unqualified tourists. Even in the best of cases, these people generate strong, non-durable emotional bonds with the children. In addition, some orphanages are known to be a dishonest business, paying families who can and should care for the children to send them to the center. Similarly, it is unethical to offer students in training the possibility of volunteering to provide health care in places with few resources, without proper supervision.
This type of tourist trip generally does not comply with any of the legal requirements to be considered a real volunteer: insurance, training and accompaniment, safety conditions, and payment of expenses incurred for the performance of the agreed tasks. Furthermore, it does not add much to the skills or competencies of the person performing it, nor to his or her resume, despite its cost.
Some international volunteer programs have significant room for improvement
There are organizations (generally very small) that do offer volunteer opportunities adapted to local needs and the qualifications of the volunteers. In addition, volunteers are offered some training, support, and supervision.
However, they are often asked to cover a large part of the cost of the trip, or do not have the capacity or means to guarantee a minimum level of security and protection in the destination country. This is especially sensitive in many contexts that are riskier than they appear at first glance. In these cases, adequate medical assistance and repatriation insurance is not provided, or a good risk analysis has not been carried out to minimize the risk of illness, traffic accidents, theft or attacks.
The best options for international volunteering are scarce
Finally, there are international volunteer programs fully in accordance with national volunteer laws and the principles of cooperation, but they are scarce. This type of volunteering is usually qualified and directed to people with the appropriate academic background (including health personnel) and professional experience. In addition, all expenses (travel, accommodation, food, insurance, vaccinations, etc.) are covered to enable the volunteer to join an existing professional team in the country of destination.
Are you familiar with the European Solidarity Corps and UN Volunteers programs?
Possibly the best example of international volunteering for someone living in Europe is the European Solidarity Corps initiative. This program offers the possibility of humanitarian volunteering in safe countries, thus integrating the former EU Aid Volunteers initiative. Under this initiative, young people between 18 and 35 years of age with professional experience are offered the opportunity to volunteer in the field for several months to a year. This volunteering is also carried out with accredited professional international organizations, after receiving a complete introductory training. Other similar programs exist outside Europe, too.
Similar to this model is also the United Nations Volunteer Program (UN Volunteers), which offers different options, including youth and university volunteering (from 18 to 26 years old) and specialist volunteering (from 26 to 35 years old) and expert volunteering (from 35 years old).
This type of volunteering also provides unpaid professional experience that is well recognized by many humanitarian organizations and can help to access future employment in international cooperation. However, there are usually very few vacancies for international contexts. For this reason, it is necessary to pass a selection process in which it is highly valued to have done local volunteering before: all the more reason to start from your own city.
Volunteering for qualified and experienced health care workers
Finally, for health personnel authorized and accredited to practice their profession in their country of origin and with at least several years of professional experience, there are also some additional international volunteer opportunities.
Among these options is the opportunity to join national initiatives linked to the Emergency Medical Teams of the World Health Organization. These teams operate under their own national regulations. Typically, after successfully completing a selection process, a minimum of 10 candidates for each required position is added to a pool of volunteers. In the event of a humanitarian emergency, this pool is mobilized to deploy a complete medical team capable of providing health services in a field hospital with surgical capacity.
Preparation and training
External links
- European Union. European Solidarity Corps.
- UN Volunteers. Volunteer abroad.
- AECID. Equipo START.
- Voluntariado.net. Derechos y deberes.
- The Global Humanitarian. A Comprehensive Guide to the United Nations Volunteers Program (UNV).
- The Global Humanitarian. 10 Ethical International Volunteer Opportunities You Can Trust.
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