omg Im so glad this article exists, this seriously drives me crazy. This is the most crucial quote, In fact, medical volunteerism often breaks down existing local health systems. In Ghana, I realized that local people weren’t purchasing health insurance, since they knew there would be free foreign health care and medications available every few months. This left them vulnerable in the intervening times, not to mention when the organization would leave the community. The same thing is true of building houses in Mexico, a common activity for Christian teens. Tons of studies show how great this is for the volunteers, and no one even stops to consider how it effects the Mexicans. And guess what? There are no construction jobs in the region because no one pays to get their house fixed. They just let it collapse knowing a bunch of Americans will come build a new one. By the time they fly down there it is a massive waste of resources compared to just paying Mexicans (who actually know what theyre doing, btw) to build someone a house, which would result in those workers being able to actually feed their familys.
Posted on: Tue, 24 Jun 2014 19:52:48 +0000