Volunteering Abroad: Criticisms, Dilemmas, and How Friends of Senegal Does It Differently

The Promise and the Problem

Volunteering abroad sounds noble. You travel, help a community, and come back changed, feeling like a world citizen. For many, it’s a first step toward a career in international development or social impact.

But over the past decade, a growing chorus of journalists, academics, and former volunteers has pointed out the dark side of “voluntourism”, programs that combine travel with volunteer work. When poorly designed, they can do more harm than good.

At Friends of Senegal, we welcome this debate. It keeps us focused and helps us ensure that our programs truly empower individuals and communities. Let’s look at the main criticisms, then at how our model is different.

Five Real Problems With Volunteering Abroad

1. Poverty Profiteering

Many “volunteer” programs operate more like travel companies. They charge thousands of dollars, but very little of that money reaches local people. Instead, profits enrich the owners of the company that promotes the volunteer programs. Community projects become nothing more than a backdrop for a tourist experience, rather than an effort to truly provide assistance to a developing country. 

Source: Doing Good or Doing Harm? A Critical Examination of Voluntourism

2. “Orphanage” Programs That Exploit Children

In some countries, so-called “orphanages” actually pay financially desperate parents to allow their children to be boarded away from home, posing as “orphans”, in order to meet volunteer demand. Unsuspecting volunteers feel that they are being helpful to these children, but in fact, both the child and the volunteer are being horribly used for the financial benefit of the company and its owners. To make matters even worse, children form emotional attachment to the short-term volunteers, only to be abandoned over and over again, often causing lasting trauma to the child. 

Source: Guardian Investigation into Orphanage Voluntourism

3. Skills Mismatch and Safety Issues

Sending skilled construction workers, or experienced farmers, for example, to a third-world country for an extended stay to work alongside locals can be very productive for both the volunteer and the local community. However, sending young students with no training to build schools, teach, or provide medical care can be a drain on a community in real need of assistance. Without proper supervision or skill matching, volunteers can undercut local workers or leave unsafe infrastructure behind.

Source: Global Brigades Blog on Voluntourism

4. Short-Termism and Superficial Impact

Two-week or “gap year” trips often deliver more benefits for the volunteer than for the community they are sent to. Projects are often started and quickly abandoned, relationships are shallow, and the needs of locals go unmet. Having very young students participate in such volunteer projects is often pushed by well-meaning parents who want to ensure that their child’s resumé will meet the requirements of colleges and universities that the child will eventually apply to for admission, but the harm done to communities in economically struggling countries is overlooked. 

Source: LSA Michigan: The Paradox of Voluntourism

5. Neo-Colonial and “White Savior” Dynamics

Some programs frame Westerners as “rescuers” rather than equals. Rescuers feel inherently superior to those they want to save, an attitude that is immediately perceived by the individuals in the community being “helped.” This attitude of superiority is most often felt by religiously oriented organizations, but it can also be a problem in other organizations. If local individuals consciously or unconsciously buy into the volunteer’s attitude of superiority, they can be left feeling worse about themselves and their abilities than before the volunteer arrived. Such volunteers often leave communities feeling dependent on external “solutions”, rather than feeling better about themselves and what they are capable of doing. A critical question that all potential volunteers should ask themselves: Does the work of the volunteer organization that they are considering focus on the volunteer, or on the community in which they are working? 

Source: Wikipedia: International Volunteering

Why These Criticisms Matter

These aren’t fringe complaints. They’re reminders to ask hard questions:

• Who designed this program?
• Who really benefits?
• Are volunteers qualified?
• Is there long-term follow-up?

We’ve asked ourselves these same questions at Friends of Senegal. The answers shaped our approach.

How Friends of Senegal Does It Differently

At Friends of Senegal, we don’t place unskilled volunteers into sensitive roles. We don’t run orphanages. We don’t profit from poverty. Instead, our model puts the dignity and self-sufficiency of the individuals in the community that we serve at the center of our work.

Community-Led Design: We partner with Maison de la Gare (MDG), a fully vetted and registered Senegalese NGO. All of our work supports the local managers of MDG and the people they serve. Both Friends of Senegal and Maison de la Gare are dedicated to helping local communities. 

Skills-Based Contributions: Volunteers bring specific expertise in business, communications,  education, sports, teaching, and other skills, and always work alongside local professionals.

Zero-Interest Microloans and Training: Friends of Senegal and Maison de la Gare are not in business to earn a profit. We help entrepreneurs build sustainable businesses. Our volunteers teach, mentor, and most of all, listen to our clients and their needs and dreams. 

Transparency and Evaluation: We measure impact for both volunteers and participants. Our goal is mutual benefit and lasting relationships.                  

Behind every loan, there is a story. This is the story of Ousseynou Ka, who lost everything trying to reach Europe, then regained hope thanks to the support of FOS and the respect of a volunteer. His journey reminds us that helping is not only about financing, it’s about restoring confidence and dignity.

Ousseynou Ka

“FOS gave me back my life.”

“My name is Ousseynou Ka. I sell second-hand clothes in Saint-Louis, a very common activity in Senegal.

After my father passed away, I left my region of Kaolack to look for work. I started with almost nothing, selling various  items on the streets,and little by little began to create a business. 

In 2015, I was able to establish my own kiosk, and my business was thriving. I had found my place until everything changed: when the COVID pandemic hit and business got worse, I sold my belongings to attempt the journey by a small  boat to Europe. My dream failed, and I lost everything. At that point, I had nothing left, no money, no hope.

Thanks to the support of FOS, I was able to buy my first bundle of second-hand clothes and start again with dignity. But what touched me most was not the money; it was the respectful way a volunteer looked at me.

He told me I was a courageous, dignified, and persistent man, capable of continuing to support my family despite the hardships. ‘You keep moving forward, and that is a real strength, ’ he said. Those words deeply moved me, because for the first time, I didn’t feel like just a recipient, but like a man of worth and respect.

In our conversations, I felt listened to, encouraged, and seen as someone with value. That mattered as much as the loan itself, because I had lost all hope.”

In that moment, Ousseynou became convinced he had knocked on the right door. He felt recognized, understood, and supported, not as someone receiving, but as a partner building his future.

“Today, I run my shop thanks to a second loan, and I can truly say that FOS has restored my confidence and dignity. Most importantly, I can help my family live better. When you respect the people you help, they feel it deeply.”

Every donation is a gesture; every volunteer is a light.