Paying... to volunteer???

Altering wheelchairs in Tam Ky

While I travel I meet a lot of other travellers, at hotels or restaurants (often taking pity on me while I dine alone.... and starting conversations!). The topic of conversation often leads to how long are you travelling? 9 months, then I have to explain why I have been in Vietnam for 3 months already and not seen much of the country! Because I volunteer in Danang.

This leads to a discussion about the sort of volunteering and how it all works. Usually to people being surprised  that I "pay" or telling some story about how they were going to volunteer doing construction (or whatever) because they just finished some course about construction, but the people wanted $600 for the 3 weeks and so they decided to not volunteer. This was after they discussed how they have been travelling with their buddies, but it was much more expensive then when they travel alone - and they spent $5000 in 4 weeks!!

So, my opinions on "paying" to volunteer

1. What exactly does that include? For me the fee includes a beautiful house, all my meals cooked and ready for me, transport to and from the various locations everyday and a selection of resources to use with the kids (albeit a selection needing augmentation!). When I think of the costs of staying in a hotel, eating at restaurants (which would also be lesser quality food!), taxi's to and from the orphanages everyday.... that all adds up super quickly!

Kids at the baby orphanage

2. What sort of English speaking support are you getting? The truth is.... unless you have learnt to speak FLUENTLY the language of wherever you are,  you are going to be a hinderance to the local workers.
I have been working at the Redcross orphanage for 2 months, I understand the routines and the jobs that need doing and can do these with no assistance. But then, the mothers will be trying to ask, has this one been fed? or that one? I have picked up enough that with poor Vietnamese and sign language I can answer... kind of. But It also helps that I have translators on hand to ensure the kids all get fed!
And that's after 2 months. If you just turn up somewhere and try to get involved... without being able to talk to the people there, you will get in the way, take up their time while they are trying to show you, do things wrong, generally make their life harder! This is especially true if you are only planning to do 2 weeks of work during your backpacking holiday... or whatever.

It is also vitally important to have the translators for explaining those things that just seem really weird and wrong. Example: one of the girls who was tied up all day. For the first month, I never saw her tied to her cot. Then suddenly, she was roped in. I untied her played for a while, went to change more nappies.... and then looked back and lo and behold - she's tied up again. Eventually I asked and it was explained that while we had lots of volunteers around she would stay in the orphanage. But when it isn't busy with people, and she stops getting attention she often wanders off and once was found on the main highway, just wandering. So for her own safety, she is tied up. This is terrible and sad, and could easily be fixed by CLOSING THE GATE and adding a latch up high. But at least I understood, and I stopped untying her until I could go and spend time playing.

Play with the kids after our English lessons

My fees also cover some of the wages for three Vietnamese locals to run the business, transport us, come to orphanages and translate, and I know that they go and help out in orphanages even when there are no volunteers! This money goes to local people, who will spend it on other local people.


If on a construction site, or in a school - you are going to need just as much instruction or assistance from an English speaker as I do in my orphanage (no doubt more, especially if you are only there for a few weeks!). That person needs to be paid, chances are the person who speaks English isn't a construction worker but has in fact been hired purely for the purpose of helping volunteers. The cost of hiring an English speaking guide is probably more than the cost of one of two extra workers that would be doing the job you are going to do.... So just remember that you are probably less useful than you think. By no means am I saying don't volunteer.... but be willing to pay the wages of the people who have to be there to support you!

More post-English lesson games!

3. Remember all the other costs.....
There seem to be huge amounts of paperwork that need to be completed for the Vietnamese government EVERYtime a new person comes to volunteer. Or an old person comes back a second time. This adds a lot of admin time as well as various fees.

Plus you must have found out about the volunteering opportunity somehow - do they advertise? do they run a website? all these things cost money.

My point is:
Volunteering is an amazing experience. You will learn so much about other cultures, your own culture, yourself. You will be helpful to the place you go and you will help make kids happy and healthy. You will gain new skills and probably have an amazing holiday/volunteer-iday that you will never forget! I would 100% recommend that if you think you would like to volunteer - GO FOR IT!

But do it right - Be willing to pay for the people who you need to support you.

 (but be wary of how much you're being asked to pay - and is that going into the pockets of some big company based in America, or Australia or where ever.... Or is it going to local people and to pay for the things you need - in country support may mean people with you all the time and who are also helping out themselves - changing nappies, doing therapy. Or the option to phone someone who sits in a office all day whenever you need help.).