Have conscience, will travel

The world is full of dogooders. But does "free" volunteering exist? Kind of...

In a world of uncountable good causes there is an equal number of good citizens to pursue them. Volunteering abroad is popular among young people with energy and a desire for social justice. But navigate far enough into a charity website and you'll find a hefty fee standing between you and your role as samaritan. At first this seems bizarre. Why can't you volunteer abroad without paying through the nose? Surely your willingness to toil for the benefit of others is enough?

It is cold water on good intentions. Upon consideration, it is equally implausible to expect a foreign charity organisation to pay for your accommodation and living expenses, whether you're teaching them English and building schools for them or not. But the fee, in addition to the cost of flight tickets, can be up to two thousand dollars a month for doing your bit.

The reality is that charities need your cash more than they need your sweat.

Charity is changing. In the past, foreign donors donated regularly to a charity and received a regular brochure. This method is becoming less trendy. A more popular (and accountable) method is to sponsor an individual, such as an orphaned child or someone with a chronic illness. This way the samaritan receives regular news and personalised correspondence.

But to visit and spend time with those affected is something that appeals to a travel-happy and socially conscious generation. Find a company, pay the cash, and get picked up from the airport. Thus begins the volunteer experience. In the case of young people, parents feel assured by websites and photos that the organisation is legitimate, the volunteers are looked after, and the money well spent. For the volunteers, they experience another culture, have a holiday (some volunteer packages even include cultural activities) and help save the world all at the same time.

Still, it is difficult for some people to believe that “free” volunteering doesn't exist. Some try pounding the pavement. Arrive in a country and go knocking on doors. This way the volunteer can present themselves in person and offer their services.

But this can be risky; illegitimate charities find it easier to hide when they have no websites, phone numbers or testimonies. Marianne, a Canadian backpacker awoke to this grim reality after coming across an ad nailed to a tree in Goa, South India looking for volunteers. A “Christian” charity mission, a nun took her passport and told her to pay huge sums of money to get it back. Caroline from Argentina visited the same orphanage was offered a baby for a “good price” before her documents were taken, too.

Katmandu, the dusty, congested and terminally poor capital of Nepal, is full of charities, legitimate or otherwise. Tons of NGOs and charity middlemen make a tidy profit getting volunteers set up in the numerous orphanages and village projects in the valley. Most volunteers are Europeans who have borrowed lots of cash from Mammy and Daddy to be there.

Rajendra Subedi knows all about it. An experienced trekking guide in the Annapurna mountain range, Raj also runs a small house for Nepali orphans in the city. He set up his charity “Ocean Nepal” in 2005 with financial backing from western customers. A soft-spoken, smiling guy, Raj says “I just want to help a few children. And then a few more.”

He operates trekking tours to the beautiful peaks of Annapurna, and uses a percentage of the profits for the orphanage. Raj merged his knowledge of the mountain ranges with his sense of social obligation and came up with the latest trend in volunteering. Go trekking, marvel at the peaks, and when you make the steep descent back into Katmandu after your trek, hang out with the kids at the orphanage and help them with their ABC.

“Ocean Nepal” has no flashy website or fancy letterhead. It's a grassroots charity that involves little administrative work, just a phone and an email address. Raj says “I have no business training, so it is often hard to find trekkers and volunteers.” He is convinced that other “free” volunteering opportunities do exist “but with so many famous charities vying for your time and dollars, its difficult to know where to begin.”