Monday, July 30, 2007

Voluntourism

You're doing what?

Voluntouring. In Myanmar.

Could you...?

Explain? Sure. Instead of sitting on a beach for a week this summer, I'm helping build a school in Myanmar.

Yeees. You have carpentry skills?

Well, I can learn.

Have you ever worked on a building site in tropical heat?

That's why I'm doing it. Never have. Give some help to some people who were unlucky in where they were born.

Do you think everyone who lives in a poor country envies rich westerners coming into a poor country, parading their luck, shopping and saying they're sorry?

Well... There's a bit of give and take.

Yes. I've heard in some cases the volunteers receive more than they actually give. They have to be trained, no sooner do they learn something useful than a fresh lot come in and have to be trained.

Can you suggest something better?

I agree it's not easy to find discreet ways to be charitable. But how about buying a ticket and paying a skilled Bangladeshi carpenter, skilled, used to working in a hot conditions, to go?

While I lie on a beach?

Well, I'm not saying whoa there, don't go. There's heaps of very worthy projects. Just tread carefully, listen quietly and talk softly.
...

Labels: , , ,

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

<< Home