Open letter to Rob Meyer, Go Budget Travel.com:

Dear Mr. Meyer:

It was very interesting this morning waking up and reading your article questioning the business ethics of organizations such as ours and to hear you suggest the money our clients pay don’t to our communities. At first I laughed, but the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to respond to you.

I really can’t speak for other organizations. But I can give you my perspective as Executive Director of the non-profit Casa Milagro Foundation in Costa Rica.

We run a so-called voluntourism company, Tropical Adventures, in which we offer volunteer and tour opportunities to those with the desire to help and experience Costa Rica.

We started out by doing a six-month analysis of certain impoverished areas of the country. And we continue to perform analyses each year. This comprises difficult travel and meetings with untold numbers of communities and individuals. It was a beautiful process of “listening” and sharing from a compassionate perspective. We wanted to know what real needs were present and how we could be of assistance if we had some warm bodies in the form of volunteers to help.

The truth is, not all communities are even ready to accept volunteer help. It was a tough job narrowing down to just a handful of projects from our long list of serious needs.

Another thing we found was that tourism in Costa Rica, the number one industry here, had many negative effects on the people in the country. As a natural by-product of many visitors spending time and money in the country, inflation has run rampant. Because wages move at a snail’s pace, Costa Ricans get priced out of homes and can’t afford basics such as food.

Therefore, from the beginning, our objectives have been threefold:

1. Convert would-be tourists from inadvertently exploiting the country to volunteers who could make long-lasting, positive and eco-friendly impacts on the country and people.
   
2. Provide the volunteers with life-changing, positive experiences, so instead of returning home with just vacation photos, they can return having learned much more about the world and about themselves.
   
3. Use the money we are able to generate to keep inside the communities we’re trying to help.

As you mention in your article, some of the extra cost goes towards our providing in-country support personnel, as well as organizing the trip itself. What you left out was the cost of the wide range of other services, some of which include:

• Airport transportation
• Project Training
• Medical Insurance
• Free use of Cell Phone
• Orientation costs
• Assistance with Planning Excursions and Activities
• Free Guided Tours
• 24-hour in-country emergency service

Again, I can’t speak for any other organizations, but as a non-profit heavily invested in the welfare of our communities, we run at a loss (though we expect to be self-sustaining by 2009). We are very proud to say that the money we take in stays in the community.

Your article honestly makes it sound like 10-50% of the volunteer payment goes towards the community, whereas the balance goes into the pockets of these organizations. For us, what money is left over after these expenses are paid goes towards donations we give to keep our projects running, research, employee salaries and basic administrative costs. Besides a few costs such as advertising that is done around the world to attract volunteers, all of the money we receive stays in Costa Rica.

Apart from all of this, you didn’t take into consideration that the majority of individuals, communities and non-profit organizations in Costa Rica who are in most need of help do not speak English. So if a person has an interest in helping those in need here, how will they actually:

1. Identify who actually needs help and what kind of help they need?
2. Communicate with these groups about all the details?
3. Best prepare themselves for the trip and their time here?

Tropical Adventures and other such organizations handle all the details from A to Z.

You also suggested in your article that people take their money and donate it directly to local projects. In a perfect world, that is a great idea. However in Latin America (and elsewhere in the world), sadly, the majority of donated cash ends up in the pockets of individuals who either steal the money outright or have no experience in properly managing those funds. I’ve seen untold numbers of instances when people, organizations and countries donate money directly to communities where said money disappears without a trace. This is neither fair to the donor, nor to the communities.

I do have to agree with you there are many companies in the industry who do nothing but market voluntour programs and match them with other non-profit organizations. It’s a shame to see that money not going directly into the communities where the help is needed.

Therefore, I always suggest individuals considering an international volunteer program to consider the following questions before making their final purchase:

• Does the volunteer organization operate as a non-profit, or are they merely a tour operator?
• Does the organization respond in a timely and friendly way to your requests for information?
• Are they willing to let you speak with past volunteers to get an idea of what their experiences have been like?
• What kind of services does the organization have in place in case of an emergency?
• Is the organization from the country they are supporting?
• What is their refund policy?
• Will they customize your volunteer experience so you can get the most out of your time there?
• Does the organization accommodate any special needs you have (physically or dietary-related)?
• Are they set up to support family or teen volunteering?
• Are the employees hired from the communities in which they serve, or do they bring people in from other countries?
• Do the employees of the organization also participate in the volunteer work?
• Are you supported once you arrive, or are you just "dropped off" to fend for yourself?

I just thought you and your readers deserved a different perspective.

Sincerely yours,

Scott Pralinsky
Executive Director
Casa Milagro Foundation