Volunteering & Development

“Development is empowerment: it is about local people taking control of their own lives, expressing their own demands and finding their own solutions to their problems.”

Most of us who volunteer abroad do so for a variety of reasons. Amongst the chief reasons we hear from people who are interested in overseas volunteering are to “give something back” and to “help others” in the developing world. What we argue, however, is that in order to achieve this and maximise your impact, it’s best to see your volunteering experience as part of a continuum in which you develop awareness within yourself, in the institution or organisation you’re working in, and at home when you get back. We believe that by doing this, and by seeing your volunteering experience in a long-term context, can you really effect change.

Part of this raising of awareness is placing your volunteering experience in the wider context of development and the structures that affect it. A good starting point is to look at some of the concepts of development, including the Millennium Development Goals. The next step is to examine the relationship between globalisation and development, which includes looking at who the major international institutions are and at the links between the debt crisis and trade. To bring a global development perspective to your work as a volunteer, it is vital to have some knowledge of these topics. They form the wider context within which your experience will take place. Having some knowledge of the bigger picture will help you to understand the forces that might shape events at the local level of your placement.