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How does hosting volunteers impact the local economy?

Volunteering is well known as a means of helping underprivileged communities, but what does it do to the country financially?

It’s understandable to want the best for your country. For the more wary amongst us there has arisen the fear that volunteering can mean less employment, a weaker economic system for the local people, and a help that is often surplus to requirement.

Surely this could never be? We all know volunteering to be a great way to give help to endangered species, dilapidated buildings and to benefit under privileged people all over the world. This all relies, however, on a good project.

The ingredients for a good project

Badly organised but nobly intentioned programs can end up not being as useful as they’d like both on a financial and a personal level. To make a project really useful there are some very essential elements;

Country knowledge; the company setting up the project must have an in depth understanding of the country they’re working in. This will ensure that the running of the project is actually benefitting the local people. It would do no good to run a project providing English Teachers if a region is full of well staffed and funded schools. Project must provide something that is sorely needed to the community they are working in.
The best way of ensuring a project is needed is to work in partnership with a scheme set up and initially run by the community itself. If the scheme has been set up by the community then it will definitely be something the community needs, as well as getting local people involved and giving them the chance to physically contribute to something that will benefit their community.
It’s important to make sure that the project does not impact negatively on the community you’re working with, working with a local project will ensure this but so will cultural understanding. It is important to respect a countries culture and to make sure the contribution you’re making is entirely positive.
Consistency; one of the few criticisms of volunteering is that a short period of time is not enough to make a difference. Well researched projects mean that the in country staff will know exactly what the volunteers need to do while they’re to make real progress. Having in country staff will also mean that the people you’re working with will always have a familiar face and a sense of stability.

Money talk

According to the John Hopkins University Report, 'Measuring Civil Society and Volunteering', released on September 25th 2007 not for profit volunteering in a wide range of countries contributes as much as do the construction and finance industries and twice as much as the utilities industry . Projects set up by communities often require funds their government can’t afford. Developing the standard of living and education are big priorities in any country but budgets can only go so far and all too often a very small proportion reaches communities further from the city centre. Volunteers who come to assist with such projects are providing very necessary help; if a project is near closing because it can’t afford to run, volunteering will be of great economic benefit to the country.

This doesn’t mean that projects facing closure are the only ones that benefit from the contribution of volunteers. Volunteering provides immeasurable benefits to the people and the places the schemes are set up for, whether it be academic, personal or physical (like putting a new roof on the library!). Helping hands willing to work for free are a huge financial benefit in themselves, as well as allowing companies to provide materials that are sorely needed. You’ll also often be staying in locally owned and locally run accommodation which makes a small but no less important contribution.

Generally no matter which project you decide to volunteer with you will be making a valuable contribution, whether it’s to the country’s economy or just to the lives of a few people! Choose your company carefully and you should be able to do both!

http://www.ethicalvolunteering.org/downloads/ethicalvolunteering.pdf

http://www.i-to-i.com/about-i2i/money-goes/

http://www.vergemagazine.ca/articles/05winter/whypay.html