Responsible Volunteering

Volunteering has many potential benefits for all concerned. The best volunteer placements work with the local communities, helping them to implement projects that they have identified, supplementing their skills and resources, and leaving the community better able to take care of itself after the volunteers have left.

By contrast, inappropriate volunteering can undermine local people’s confidence, impose the volunteer’s agenda, increase the dependency on outside help, and create more problems than it solves.

Here are a few simple tips to help you get the most out of your volunteering experiences, both for you, and for the communities you wish to help:

• Plan ahead – think about why you want to volunteer, what you want to achieve, how long can you volunteer for?
• Research volunteering opportunities and make contact with your chosen organisation in plenty of time
• The sooner you get in touch, and the longer you can stay, the more options you will have, and the more successful your placement will be, especially if you plan to work with children
• Make sure you are committed and prepared to follow the rules of the project
• Work with, not instead of local people. No volunteer placements should ever take away jobs from local people
  • If you book through a volunteer programme:
    • Ask what has been achieved by previous volunteers
    • Look at their responsible tourism policy
    • Ask how much of the fee goes to the project(s)
  • Be wary if they:
    • resist putting you in touch with previous volunteers or local people
    • don’t clearly explain where and how you fit into their overall plans
    • don’t ask many questions about you (except how you’re going to pay)
• Find out what you can about Cambodia before you arrive. Research on the internet, or reading some of the many travel books, will pay dividends, especially in understanding local customs and in avoiding innocent misunderstandings
• Be sensitive to the Cambodian culture; dress and behave appropriately. Wear modest clothing nothing skimpy; particularly women. Khmer culture is very conservative in the way women dress. Men should always wear a shirt whilst teaching, for example
• Try to ensure that your stay benefits the local community:
  • Help the local economy by buying local products in preference to imported goods
  • If you want to make a donation, ask what your chosen organisation needs – it’s best not to assume and just buy things before you arrive
  • Environment
    • Use water sparingly – there is an ever increasing demand in Siem Reap
    • Play your part in the government’s attempts to keep Siem Reap clean – dispose of your litter carefully
• Remember you are a role model and ambassador for yourself and your home country. Set a good example at all times in the way your dress, your behaviour, and your time keeping