Derick quit his job at Wal-Mart!

[Alyciabaleesha]

I guess it's possible that there are areas where a steady stream of overseas volunteers is better economically. If that's the case, then I would not be against short-term aid trips in those circumstances.

But usually, the $2500 used to truck one person (usually with no training) down to Haiti to paint houses or whatever could be used by the non-profit to hire multiple locals for the same amount of time. And considering Haiti's minimum wage was $4.50 a day as of 2014, you could hire quite a few and pay them very well. Again, there may be cases where it doesn't work like this, but I have a hard time imagining how, for instance, ten high schoolers are going to be able to help as much as fifty local workers would be able to.

I want to note that I don't advocate saying "Voluntourism sucks. I'm gonna go buy a new bike/PlayStation/whatever." I think it would be great if, instead of raising $2500 to go on a mission trip, someone donate $100/month. Or, if they don't have that ability, if they arranged a fundraiser for an overseas non-profit and raised $500 or $1000 that they could donate. And, if they are really passionate about a certain issue or group or whatever, I would definitely encourage them to get the actual training needed to help address that problem (becoming a nurse, a licensed therapist, a teacher, etc.), get educated in the culture they feel passionate about, and going there long-term to help address the problem and train other people locally to do the same.

EDIT: Oh, and I think local volunteering is better because it doesn't cost a ton of money in overhead to do so-- it is actually free. You should still look into the organization you are working with, of course, and make sure they are actually helping. And I think it's best if you can get involved with a group regularly (which, full disclosure, I am not right now... I'm new-ish to the area and haven't plugged in).

Oh, another note! For people who want to help overseas but don't have a ton of money-- see if there are any US offices for that charity. I know in my small-ish hometown, there are two local offices that are involved in overseas charities that always welcome volunteers. I was employed at one for a while, and we really appreciated our local volunteers.

I'm honestly really interested in this discussion, and I was wondering how my own experience would be seen.

I spent a couple of summers in Mexico studying Spanish (at a language school for college credit, so everyone was paid and that was the purpose of the trip). While I was there, I spent some time in a very, very rural area an hour or two further in the mountains teaching English to women for free. The volunteering was set up by a local small nonprofit that works on giving microloans to women in these communities to help them establish a business, and also teaches them business and communication skills as part of the deal.

I'd never thought about the fact that my volunteering could be hurting rather than helping, but I understand the discussion and see how training local people rather than ferrying in overseas labor is a better option. I guess I'm just wondering if the nonprofit that I volunteered for would be seen differently since they do operate locally and work to train people local to the area in order to help them build stronger communities (but often through the use of outside help, like volunteer English teachers from the US or Canada)... or if they're just part of the problem, too. This discussion is really making me think differently about volunteering overseas, and I don't mean that in a snarky way at all.

[2manyKidzzz]

Because of his education and that his family is definitely more mainstream I had high hopes for Derick. It seems, if indeed they are going overseas, that he does not have good judgment, taking his infant to a developing country ravaged by en earthquake. So, I will wait and see, but this is really disappointing.

[PrairieGirl]

Walmart released a statement that Derick indeed quit his job and was not fired:

http://radaronline.com/celebrity-news/d ... peaks-out/

Eeenteresting.....

[SassyPants]

Because of his education and that his family is definitely more mainstream I had high hopes for Derick. It seems, if indeed they are going overseas, that he does not have good judgment, taking his infant to a developing country ravaged by en earthquake. So, I will wait and see, but this is really disappointing.

He has proven that he's not the brightest bulb in that chandelier.

The Duggars belong to a cult.

Dillard now belongs to and is controlled by the cult.

22 Duggars

4.5 Josh Duggars

2 Dillards

1.5 Seewalds

13 adults + GM- and not a one with a job.

[happy atheist]

We're going to fold this discussion into the main Jill, Derick, Izzy thread: viewtopic.php?f=87&t=26270