More Than Mission Trips

Volunteer trips are just a start; think long term to effect real change
By Cassandra Chew in The Straits Times, 20th April 2009

Overseas service learning projects, or 'voluntourism', have become increasingly popular among secondary school and junior college students. School groups generally visit sites in nearby countries to build homes, dig wells, paint murals and interact with the people - activities that make for the 'real' way to see a country, as some put it.

... no doubt the work these volunteers do in the few days does make a difference to lives of the people there. But I am also aware poverty is a result of systemic problems in a country, like corruption and weak governance; something a happy mural will not change.

... we should think of these 'sampler' trips as launch pads for thought and action in the long term about what we can do to effect positive change.

One model I have come across is a small Singaporean-owned social enterprise called Changiville, a guesthouse in Phnom Penh where girls from Riverkids learn hospitality through a vocational skills programme. This enables them to find steady jobs that pay at least US$65 (S$98) a month after they graduate.

Having job skills means they do not need to turn to prostitution for a living.

... While Changiville's programmes do not sound as glamorous as roughing it out in slums and brothels for months, they address the gaps that desperately need to be filled. In some ways, Changiville's strategic use of resources and understanding of the community's needs can bring about change more effectively than any short trip to an orphanage would.

The difference is in their end goal: to make the community self-sufficient.

All I ask is that on your next voluntourist trip, consider your volunteer site's long-term goals and find out how you can be an effective part of them.

Stuffed toys and tubs of Play-Doh are fun for a while, but when the dust settles, would you have left behind a legacy?

PRAY :
For yourself, your church, your organisations - to take transformation of society a step further than annual mission trips.

Advocate a cause. Bring lifestyle change. Educate through training. Equip with skills.

Ask God to help you start something concrete and viable in a country.