UnXpected

Thank you, again, for your interest in The VolunTourist!

And a BIG Thank You to all who send us some great comments!

From the last issue of The VolunTourist, we have received several letters referencing the Feature Article: VolunTourism: Maintaining Its Integrity. One of those letters is featured in this issue's UnXpected.

This Issue's Reader Comments & Other Mail

David,

We returned from Costa Rica to our home on Friday, a month earlier than we wanted and expected. Returning early costs us a substantial amount of money, but there was no reason to stay in Costa Rica any longer.

My husband and I went to Samara to volunteer with Volunteer Visions (after doing extensive websearches & finding no warnings!). Unfortunately, we found that Volunteer Visions glitzy, professional-looking website is in no way representative of their operation in Samara.

We left behind six unhappy young volunteers who, for various reasons, had to "stick it out." All had paid a lot of money to volunteer, a few had quit jobs or taken a semester of university off, and none were doing the work they'd been led to believe they would be doing. None felt like they were making any kind of difference, and all felt overcharged, with no evidence of how their volunteer dollars were being spent.

I am particularly upset because after spending years volunteering on my own, I finally convinced my husband to come along to see first hand the value of volunteering. He now has no interest in possibly repeating an experience like this.

My goal now is to expose Lawrence Woo and his unscrupulous, fraudelent organization for what they are. What Lawrence is doing in Samara is a travesty. I don't want other volunteers to experience what we did. I saw your interview (http://www.voluntourism.org/news-feature233-Woo-QA.htm) and wondered if there was anything you could do to help or if you had any advice.

"We've contacted Paypal (see letter below), who will, with enough complaints, close Volunteer Visions's vendor account. I will do the same with VISA and have suggested the other voluteers do the same. I plan to file a formal complaint with Costa Rica's Tourism Board (the ICT). I would like to create a warning webpage, so that others who do a search (like my husband & I did) will be forewarned. Additionally, I would like to blanket the blog media (Lonely Planet, MySpace, Facebook, etc) with our experience. Are there any other stones that need over turning?

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Jessica Green

"Paypal Dispute: My wife & I came to Costa Rica to volunteer with Volunteer Visions based on website representations (volunteervisions.org). When we arrived, we found that the reality differed entirely from the website representations. Although the website states: "Depending on YOUR PREFERENCE (caps are mine) and the needs of the communities the following types of projects will need your assistance:

* Constructing houses for under-resourced communities;

* Painting and renovating community buildings;

* Building schools and classrooms;

* Renovating the kitchen of a child care center;

* Constructing water tanks and pipelines to create reliable water systems for local communities;

*Clearing roads and laying out asphalt";

"The ONLY job offered to me was one I should not physically do: shoveling dirt. In working with staff to find a substitute position, it became apparent that there are NO other projects & that the organization is poorly run, offerings are ineffectual, and the staff coordinator is incompetent. As the founder/owner of the co. was out of the country, I had to wait several weeks before pursuing a refund. Once contacted (via email) the owner refused to refund ANY of the monies paid to volunteer with his organization. We organized our own travel & accommodations. One of his staff did spend an hour walking us around a two street village as part of an "orientation package" after we bought her lunch. When we arrived, my wife was happy to start her teaching job after completing Spanish lessons. Considering the current situation, she does not feel this possible. The owner of this business (my understanding is that it is not a registered non-profit here in Costa Rica) insists that "funds be paid 91 days before the 1st of the month before arriving" (see website terms & conditions)--a little ironic considering Paypal's dispute policy timeline. My wife and I feel that this organization is unscrupulous and has treated us unethically."

Dear Jessica,

Wow! You have certainly said a great deal in this email. I am grateful that you were willing to share.

My plan is to take this letter that you have written, along with others that I have received, and place them in a larger article/case study for individuals to review. I also want to give Lawrence Woo and the Volunteer Visions Team a chance to respond to these letters.

As you can imagine, it defeats the purpose to simply provide one side of a story without an opportunity for all parties to express their opinions and perspectives. Fortunately, Mr. Woo has already responded to my initial query, as you saw in the article from the last issue. You will be able to read his responses to all of the letters and the Mystery VolunTourist report that came from someone that participated in a Volunteer Visions trip in the next issue of The VolunTourist.

If I think of other advice that may be able to serve you and your husband, I will certainly let you know. So far, I think you have done what you can. It does not serve any real purpose to "flame" Volunteer Visions. It will only assist their website in getting more traffic and higher search engine ranking. We, as people, are a very curious lot in this regard. Seemingly, we cannot stay away from something that is labeled - whether it be negatively or positively stamped. Indifference is the toughest nut to crack. It does not lead to publicity or recognition of any kind. Hopefully, by setting this up as a Case Study, individuals will be able to form their own opinions about the situation without any hard-leaning negative or positive sentiments. They will simply learn from what is posted and determine what to do with the information - - guided by their own thoughts on the matter.

In the meantime, thank you for your candid remarks and I look forward to hearing more from you in the future as this experience continues to unfold for you.

Sincerely,

David L. Clemmons, Publisher/Editor

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Hi I'm involve with a new NGO in Egypt in a small oasis & wanted to know more about  starting voluntourism ?

Do I have to contact the government in Egypt? Who needs to know ?

I've told some of the locals about the idea, but would like more info on how it works so I can discuss it more when I'm  back there in November 2007.

Thank you

M.H.

Dear Marie H.

Dear Marie,

I recommend that you connect with a couple of folks to assist you in your process. Elisa Sabatini is the Executive Director of Los Ninos, Inc., an NGO that operates in the U.S./Mexico Border Region. Her team has been designing VolunTourism programs for nearly three decades. I have cc'ed her on this email. It may be worth your time to come out and visit with her in advance of your trip back to Egypt.

Photo Courtesy Of The Pepy Ride, All Rights Reserved

Also, Dr. Nancy McGehee, cc'ed on this response, is offering a one-week class on VolunTourism from January 28 - February 3, 2007. I believe this could be an excellent way for you to understand the basics of VolunTourism and also experience a 2-day practicum in Tijuana, Mexico.

In addition, of course, you can review the material that is offered on the VolunTourism.org web site. The Archives of the Newsletter are an excellent resource as well as the other items listed in the Resource Section of the web site.

Let me know if these options serve you and how I may assist you further if necessary.

Sincerely,

David L. Clemmons, Editor/Publisher

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