GVI is a for profit organisation. Their business is development, conservation and sustainability, but it’s still business. For this reason some are skeptical about the morality of the projects volunteers pay to be a part of. Does a company like GVI exist because a proportion of westerners have the “Saviour” complex, which has been prevalent throughout history? What did British people think of colonisation in the 18th century?

“It’s ok we’re bringing those poor sods technology, Christianity and therefore salvation. In fact, having your country’s resources pillaged is a small price to pay in order to avoid an eternity of damnation…”

What did Americans tell themselves when they deployed troops to Vietnam?

“It’s ok, we’re here to save you from communism… not by convincing you that capitalism is more effective – by just being better off economically than communist states – but through meeting it with hard military force.”

What do volunteers who pay to go and do their bit to make a difference say? …Have I just compared Suzie and Billy, who want to go and teach English to some children in S/E Asia, to the Vietnam War? Shit. I don’t mean it like that. Just saying that westerners meddling in the fortunes of “less developed” countries is not a new thing. In fact historically it’s been a pretty bad thing. So what is the reality of the impact a volunteer has?

Devoting your time and money to a cause such as the one GVI has set up in Cocal is commendable. Without your contribution the classroom they’ve set up wouldn’t exist and there would be one fewer place for the children to be creative. There would be no playground and they would feel less connected to the rest of the world. You can never guarantee the motives of a volunteer for wanting to come and partake in a project like the one set up in Cocal, but already, just by contributing funds and being there, they’ve done more for other people than they would have if they’d stayed at home.

As I said in a previous post, the project in Cocal has been set-up alongside the local school to provide activities the children wouldn’t have access to normally. They’re not trying to be their sole source of education. More ignite their curiosity for learning. You’re not there to take selfies; you’re there to help the professional class leader run a class. The balance between helping and hindering communities through volunteering is a fine one. Poorly organised, poorly thought out projects aimed at extracting money from westerners through treating developing communities as petting zoos, surprisingly, is doing it wrong. Constant communication with the local community to discuss activities and how resources should be allocated is a good start. From there, building lasting relationships and committing long term support ensures projects are successful. The first people who made a home for themselves in Cocal did so 25 years ago. In lieu of government recognition, GVI has been helping the community grow for the past 7 of those 25 years.

If I look at my own motivations for going to Costa Rica, what did I want out of it? I wanted to go to Costa Rica for a start. I’ve had a healthy obsession with animals ever since my bi-weekly trips to Chester Zoo as a boy, and knew Costa Rican biodiversity was off the chaiiiin, so to speak. Also, my experience of having somebody outside of a classroom environment plant a seed in my head that there was more to life than the rat race… I’d quite like to be that somebody. The cocksure, future investment banker, London teens questioned me on my motives for leaving the U.K. and my Audi (Company car Josh. Calm down) behind. I told them my actions were justified by my contentment. I think the message got through. I wasn’t going there to save anybody, I just wanted more fulfillment from work than I’d felt before. Working in sales was one disingenuous encounter after another. I wanted something from the person I was talking to and they wanted something from me. Not a fan. In Costa Rica the relationships between people were real. From flamboyant Venezuelan, to caring Spaniard, to blunt American, to chicas malas loving Nicaraguan, the people were varied and genuine. People who you can surround yourself with safe in the knowledge that they will be honest with you, which is all you can really ask of people.

Anyway, volunteering, is it a good thing?

Money makes the world go round. Love it or hate it, that’s the reality. I’ve come to look at companies in two ways. The first way is they exist to make money and the product/service they provide is more a byproduct than the actual focus. The second way is a company who exists to provide a product/service backed by a passion for said product/service and the money is a byproduct (albeit a necessary byproduct).

An example of a company who existed purely to make money would be Enron… I’m not going to go into the gory details of this psychopathic institution but suffice to say they were willing to abuse their power, to make people suffer, to drive their own bonuses up, until they got found out and imploded spectacularly. Twats.

An example of a company that exists to provide a product/service with money as a welcome byproduct would be any company that people willingly wear on T-Shirts… Think Harley Davidson. For me it’s Hospital Records. I believe they’re providing me with the music I like because it’s the music they like, not because they want to make money, and for that reason I buy their T-shirts and LPs. Is this a naive view? Maybe. But it ties into a couple of theories out there about what makes a company successful over a long period of time. Simon Sinek is basically a business consultant who views companies chasing short-term financial gain as playing the “finite game”, vs. companies who have a purpose as playing the “infinite game”. When your company has an actual direction or purpose and isn’t panicked by drops in stock value, or any of that imaginary shite, then you’re more likely to have a focused, driven work force and be better equipped to survive in the unpredictable world of business.

Which one is GVI? I don’t know exactly where the money goes but I can talk about what I’ve seen. I’ve seen people work together to try and improve the prospects of a community. I’ve seen volunteers be affected by their experience to the extent that they’ve changed their chosen career path upon returning home. I’m going to stop saying “I’ve seen” now because I’ll start sounding like a fucking Dido record, but the point I’m trying to get across is that people came to help out Cocal and were simultaneously taught. Two way street. No saviours involved.

GVI is a for profit company that has helped thousands. The people I worked with believed fiercely in the work they were doing, and it was evident from their relationship with the community that they were appreciated members. Regular town meetings are conducted in the centre (that was built through volunteer funding) and local community members are the final decision makers regarding how resources are to be utilised. If this showing of personal understanding is a reflection of the values of GVI as a whole, than I’m optimistic that it exists as a company because it believes in the work it’s doing. Volunteers are a part of this, providing the funding required to facilitate projects around the world. A phrase I often hear during my work in environmental education is “think globally, act locally”. Hopefully an experience volunteering overseas encourages people who have acted globally to return home and think more about what they can do locally. Never a bad thing.

If you’re thinking of volunteering, do your research. If you’re thinking of taking a selfie with a child you’ve just met, throw yourself off a cliff.