The International Volunteer

Some 20 years ago, I got on a plane from the US to Europe as my first stop. On the plane was a group of typical, happy-go-lucky teenage American “volunteers.” They were going to help build some houses or a school, something like that. Basically, they were going to provide labor¹

Which made me think: the math didn’t really add up. These folks would probably spend more on travel expenses alone than what someone there makes in an entire year. If they really wanted to help, wouldn’t it have made more sense to simply send the money to a local employment agency and have them hire people from the community? You could hire experienced builders who already live there, speak the language, understand the local conditions, and, frankly, would probably get a lot more work done than these kids.

Couple of days ago I encountered bunch of ads on Youtube about the same thing, American volunteers is some countries where people there barely make \$10-15 a day. Which reminded me of the of old story I had larking in my head for all this time. But this time I decided to ask my friend Chat about it. I asked:

Why do organizations hire international "volunteers" in foreign countries despite the fact it is much cheaper and economically viable for them to higher locals. And here here is what I got.

Chat, gave me bunch of detailed reasons², such as donor demand, revenue generation, marketing and recruitment, perceived legitimacy to foreign audiences, institutional relationships, Volunteer expectations, control and accountability, colonial/charity assumptions, and visibility.

Reading these categories, I felt that my suspicion about the math not adding up was right. So I asked: It seems that most of the the above land in one category, gimmicks! And here is the answer to that I got back:

1 - I am not talking about skilled work, like doctors and firefighters. I am talking about "labor".

2 - Here are the categories that I got back with their explanations:

• Donor demand: Some organizations depend on donors who specifically want to fund or participate in “volunteering abroad.” The foreign volunteer is therefore part of the product being sold to donors, not merely a source of labor.
• Revenue generation: Organizations can charge volunteers substantial participation/program fees. In some models, the volunteer program itself subsidizes the organization’s other activities. A local employee would be a cost; a foreign volunteer can instead be associated with revenue.
• Marketing and recruitment: “Send volunteers overseas” is an easily marketed proposition. It can attract paying participants, donors, churches, universities, corporate sponsors, or grants.
• Perceived legitimacy to foreign audiences: Having people from wealthy countries physically participate can make an organization appear tangible and successful to prospective donors. This is an organizational incentive even when the work itself could be performed locally.
• Institutional relationships: Universities, churches, NGOs, and companies may have established programs built around sending their own people abroad. Once those arrangements exist, there can be institutional pressure to keep them operating.
• Volunteer expectations: An organization may be responding to what its paying supporters want to do rather than choosing the cheapest labor arrangement for the recipient community.
• Control and accountability: In some organizations, sending their own personnel gives them a greater sense of control over how a project is carried out or documented. Whether that actually improves outcomes is a separate question.
• Colonial/charity assumptions: Some international-development organizations have historically operated on an implicit model in which outsiders are presumed to be the people who do things for communities in poorer countries. That can persist institutionally even when local hiring would make more economic and developmental sense.
• Visibility: A foreign volunteer can generate photographs, testimonials, social-media content and personal stories that are useful for fundraising. A locally employed worker doing the same job doesn't necessarily produce the same fundraising narrative for an organization targeting wealthy-country donors.