New Times - May 2012 - Uniting Church in Australia

volunteering
Voluntourism? Let’s try partnerships
Cath Taylor, UnitingWorld
‘Voluntourism’, as it has become known,
is becoming increasingly popular with
Australian travellers of all ages. Uni
students on gap years, older people
taking advantage of the buoyant Aussie
dollar, even families hoping to show their
children another way of life are all looking
for a way to combine globetrotting with
‘giving something back’. But in a world
where inequality seems rife and the
opportunities to ‘help’ are endless, is this
the best way to engage?
In Zimbabwe Anthea, Grant, Bridie,
Clare and Abbey are sitting down to eat a
meal alongside the children of Matthew
Rusike House. They’ll be living here for
the next twelve months. The family of five,
from Tasmania, have taken a year out to
work alongside a community in Epworth,
Harare at the request of UnitingWorld’s
Partner, the Methodist Church of
Zimbabwe. The program here includes
a school, HIV/AIDS clinic and provides
support for children orphaned by AIDS.
“It’s going really well so far,” says
Anthea. “The girls have adapted incredibly
well – they’ve made some beautiful
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friends. Grant has been playing his guitar
everywhere at people’s request and is
being mentored by Reverend Tadzaushe.
They talk theology and Christian
worldviews at every opportunity.”
The Maynards were invited to be
volunteers at Matthew Rusike House not
just because of the skills they bring to the
project, where Anthea is working alongside
the clinic and Grant is supporting the
children in the school. They also wanted
to learn from UnitingWorld’s partners in
Zimbabwe.
“At UnitingWorld we provide not only
volunteering opportunities, but short
term InSolidarity Exposure Visits,” says
UnitingWorld’s Kathy Pereira, Associate
Director of the Experience Program.
“These are opportunities designed with
our overseas partners for them to share
their knowledge, skills and abilities with
us. As volunteers and visitors we go not as
the experts but as the learners.”
It’s an approach that tackles head-on
some of the problems inherent in the
voluntourism experience. Not least of
these is the idea that, as well-meaning
Volunteer Sue Kaldor works alongside
women at Matthew Rusike house,
Zimbabwe
white people, we can waltz into a complex
situation and within a matter of days or
weeks transform the lives of the people
there.
“The mission of God is built on
relationships,” Kathy says. “When people
experience first hand the dignity and
expertise of people in our international
churches, they return to their own
communities changed. And they become
agents of change themselves.”
A number of South Australians who
are part of UnitingWorld’s Experience
Program are good examples. Paul
Clayton has been teaching English at the
newly established Christian University
in Denpasar and will soon be due to
visit for the third time. Paul has helped
three other South Australian volunteers
take part in similar placements. Each
of these is blossoming in its own way,
with a school visit planned and further
volunteering opportunities opening up.
“This is the strength of the
Partnerships model of volunteering,”
says UnitingWorld’s Projects and
Administration Officer Roz Elkington.
“Through a network of contacts, working
respectfully, we can achieve so much
more together than we could alone.”
For information on the Experience
Programs at UnitingWorld, which
include Volunteering and Short
Term InSolidarity Exposure
Visits, contact Roz Elkington at
UnitingWorld on 02 8267 4269.