Dr. Samantha Nutt is critical of the growth in “voluntourism,” where people “spend huge amounts of money to private companies to go nail in boards” overseas.
“If you’re going to go overseas, you have to know—you have a duty and responsibility—of knowing what you’re doing, and has this been asked for by people on the ground.”
To help us become “educated students,” the founder of War Child includes an excellent section in the last chapter of her book, Damned Nations: Greed, Guns, Armies and Aid, on how individuals can help make a difference in the world, along with an extensive list of questions any responsible global citizen should ask themselves before taking action. There is also a list of online resources provided for further learning. Her book is available through the WMS Book Room.
I also asked Nutt for some of the most important questions to consider.
Presbyterian Record: You’ve mentioned that we have to ask ourselves the right questions before going on overseas “mission” trips. Since this is something many church people and congregations are involved in, what should we be asking before embarking?
Samantha Nutt: In general, at least the following questions should be asked:
- How involved was the local community in identifying this particular project and what is the level of local support? (e.g. local labour and financial or in-kind support, does it have the approval and endorsement of local leaders, is it inclusive of women and all religious or ethnic groups)
- Do similar resources and programs exist in neighboring communities and could there be a negative impact if one community has significantly more (e.g. school, health clinic, water project) than another close by?
- How was this particular project developed and by whom, and what level of experience does this group have both in the region and with development more generally?
- What was happening before you arrived and what will happen after you leave? (i.e. project sustainability)
- But the most important question is really this one: what are the potential negative or unintended consequences of this project? And if this last question hasn’t been asked and rigorously answered then it should not be undertaken. As a general rule, foreign volunteer labour projects (e.g. school construction) and handout exercises (e.g. book and clothing deliveries) should be avoided.
PR: We spoke about contributing to racial stereotyping by thinking of social justice as an act of charity, of “saving” people. You mentioned “if we’re doing diplomacy and aid and humanitarian action in the right way, it can be very productive. But we have to have the tools and resources to know what the right way is.” What, exactly, are those tools and resources?
SN: The most important thing here is to read, attend public lectures, take a course if you are really committed to this work. To remember that development requires expertise and critical analysis. It’s a vocation—one which requires training and consistent effort. Good intentions are not enough. A lot of NGOs also have a need for volunteers in their Canadian offices. This is another great way to learn the lessons of development. Getting on a plane should be the last in a series of steps, unless the objective is simply tourism, which can have its own benefits. But then no need to jump into busy-work philanthropy; just go to a local market and open your wallet.
PR: Lastly, if someone has zero experience in social justice work, in advocacy, in humanitarian action, but they feel called to do something, what can or should they do? In particular, what can say, a youth group or women’s group in the church do?
SN: One of the things they can do is develop a relationship with an organization that has experience and strong local contacts. They can partner with that organization to fundraise for the cause or even a particular project. They can hold information nights and invite NGOs to give presentations, mobilizing communities here at home. There is no harm in having representatives of a church or organization who have raised money for a project send delegates to visit that project (as long as the partner agency is on board for this and it isn’t a drain on their local staff and resources), but the aim should never be to take the work over, but simply to witness the progress and then return inspired to add to these good efforts. But there’s the risk of turning poverty and suffering into spectacle, so we always have to be sensitive to whose agenda we are actually serving when we engage in these kinds of overseas missions. There is no doubt that it may be positive, for example, for Canadian youth to do overseas missions. But is that also true for youth living within such environments and if we believe it is, how do we know? What effort went in to finding out?
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A Humanitarian Wonder Woman: An Interview with Samantha Nutt
