Young people from wealthy countries are volunteering in poorer countries. What are the reasons & who benefits more?

Question

More and more young people from wealthy countries are spending short time doing unpaid work, such as teaching and building houses for communities in poorer countries. What are the reasons for this? Who benefits more from this, the communities or these young people?

Answer 1

It is universally observed that there is an ever-increasing number of young people from well-off nations who are dedicating their time to partaking in short-term voluntary work in less developed countries. In my personal opinion, this trend can be ascribed to numerous justifications, and I hold a belief that it is the young who will be more beneficial rather than the society.

To begin with, the reasons for this tendency vary. The foremost reason would be to polish the young’s CVs. to be more particular, in hopes of getting a decent job with a handsome salary these days, it is advisable that one should optimise their resumes with these volunteer activities to compete with other job seekers. Social contribution would be a second driving factor that leads to the success of individuals’ further academic performance. It can be seen that most of the prestigious universities and institutions worldwide tend to lay more emphasis on how students devote themselves to better the world, especially the needy places in the world. Therefore, the more charitable activities one person engages in, the more opportunities of gaining scholarships they can acquire. 

Voluntary work is undoubted of great importance to the development of both the young and society. From the young generation’s point of view, travelling to impoverished countries for volunteering campaigns could provide them with a new outlook on life. In effect, they could be exposed to different cultures as well as people from all walks of life. As a result, all of these would enrich their knowledge about cultures and customs, and thus, their self-esteem would be boosted in tandem. Regarding the poor communities, albeit temporary, those campaigns from richer areas would open up an opportunity for children to get access to basic education and healthcare. Consequently, not only do the have-nots get chances to turn over a new leaf, but the young haves also reaps great benefits pertaining to their schooling.

In conclusion, there are a host of good reasons why young people opt for less developed countries to assist those who are living under the poverty line. However, it can be seen that social issues in underprivileged countries remain slightly unchanged as short-term volunteer work can only mitigate the problems to some extent.

Answer 2

It is true that an accelerating number of young volunteers are now doing unpaid work to help communities in developing countries. This trend can be attributed to some reasons, and both the youngsters and the communities benefit from this.
Several reasons can shed light on why young people from developed countries spend some time doing voluntary work in communities in poor countries. First, they gain invaluable experience and develop practical skills which they can, in turn, add to their CVs. This experience will certainly help them when landing jobs down the road. Second, the motivation of idealistic youngsters should not be underestimated. The desire to help others less fortunate than themselves comes from a feeling of wanting to give without  reward and share hardships, experiencing what it is like to live in a poor community.
Both the host community and the young people can take advantage of these activities. The community benefits as these young people bring their enthusiasm and knowledge, as well as their physical endeavor. Hence, the youngster may be able to teach literacy and numeracy skills, or they may be strong and energetic to help with building houses for those who have inadequate shelter. The young people benefit through the life experience which they gain, living and working alongside those from a different culture. Without exaggeration, it is a life-changing challenge and the youngsters will return to their homes with a much more mature and broader outlook on life.
In conclusion, there are some clear reasons for this volunteering trend and either the community or the youngsters benefit from this, it can truly be said to be a win-win situation.