Gap-year students told to avoid aid projects in developing countries
The London News.Net
Tuesday 14th August, 2007 (ANI)
London, Aug.14 : A leading British charity has warned students not to take part in gap-year aid projects overseas, which cost thousands of pounds and do nothing to help developing countries.
Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) said that gap-year volunteering, highlighted by Princes William and Harry, has spawned a new industry in which students pay thousands of pounds for pre-packaged schemes to teach English or help to build wells in developing countries with little evidence that it benefits local communities.
It said that "voluntourism" was often badly planned and spurious projects were springing up across Africa, Asia and Latin America to satisfy the demands of the students rather than the needs of locals.
Young people, it added, would be better off travelling the world and enjoying themselves.
VSO is drawing up a code of good practice to help gap-year students to find genuine voluntary work abroad, The Times reported.
Taking a gap year used to be the preserve of only the wealthiest students, but it is now big business.
Up to 200,000 people do it annually, including 130,000 school-leavers. The average gap-year traveller spends 4,800 pounds, and numerous companies have sprung up to get a slice of the market by offering pre-packaged trips to projects for a fortnight at a time.
In most cases the price does not cover the flight, but in-country travel, accommodation and an orientation session on arrival is included.
Prince William went to Chile with Raleigh International in 2000 to help to build schools. The charity said that his work had sparked "a lot more interest" in its projects. Prince Harry worked with orphans in Lesotho.
Raleigh International backed VSO's call for caution.
"Students should be very careful about the voluntary work they choose," a spokeswoman said.
Wonder if this can be applied to local schools sending students on overseas community missions.
