The new pop culture term, “Voluntourism”, is a portmanteau coined to describe the earnest but ineffectual approach many take to volunteering in foreign nations. Two women who identify as former ‘white saviors’started an Instagram account, Barbie Savior, to lampoon and bring attention to the problems Americans create when we try to insert ourselves into the fabric of foreign places.
Of course, many of these initiatives come from religious organizations with good intentions, so a distinct theme of Christianity runs through the account. For example:
Does your church do mission work overseas that you feel uncomfortable with, or have you managed to avoid this type of approach? Even professionals can unintentionally make situations worse, as the devastating cholera epidemic in Haiti, linked to the UN, demonstrates. Do you know any faith-based organizations or churches doing overseas work that avoids these problems? What do you think sets them apart?