The end of the volunteer era?

Funded by their governments, a number of development organisations send out volunteers to assist and support the poor in the underdeveloped world. They use different names not only to depict the purpose but also to ensure acceptance from recipient countries. They are commonly known as volunteers, experts, development assistants or workers depending on the agency posting them.

Development workers may have been relevant and appropriate 30 years ago, when the Kenyan expertise and human resources were limited in diverse if not all areas. But do we still need volunteers? Do we need a scenario where project resources are invested in customizing a volunteer struck by cultural shock in Turkana? I think not.

I strongly believe that local people, their cultural values, efforts, and resources are the real means to development and external means the ingredients to oil the engine. For this reason I see the strategy of deploying development workers as misplaced. It undermines the process of developing and utilizing existing human resource and social capital.

Many organizations request for volunteers not out of a need for expertise but as a strategy. They believe that having a "white face" in the organization will enhance their institutional confidence and comparative advantage especially in fund raising. The community strongly believe that "Whites" are better than the project holders at fundraising and managing resources. I have worked with Maasai, Rendille, and Samburu Pastoralist communities and they see a "Mzungu" as honest, superior, non-corruptible and having lots of money. This is of course related to the superior/inferior discourse introduced by the colonial regime and perpetuated by earlier approaches by relief and aid agencies. Local organizations with "white faces" are seen to be ahead of others at the same level. I’m tempted to argue that the presence of a volunteer threatens the sustainability of an organization.

The belief in white superiority (that may not be held at all by the volunteer) poses a challenge and risk that may affect the future of the organization. Project holders tend to easily dismiss and let go of their own ideas and adopt the ones introduced by the volunteers. Since it is believed that he or she is an expert with worthwhile ideas, project holders rarely challenge and criticize the volunteer organizational advisor. They tend to have major expectations of and over-confidence in the development worker – you can’t avoid hearing, "he or she is an expert". Gradually other key actors in the project withdraw leaving the work to the "expert". In the process the project owners become passengers and the volunteer takes the driver’s seat. In the end the original vision of the organization may vanish and the problem is noticed when the volunteer eventually takes a flight home!

Engaging a development worker, airlifting his belonging, his family, and sustaining him is very costly. By the time (s)he recovers from cultural shock and starts mastering the working language in the community, the 2 years lapse is over. In the process of trying to create small "Denmarks" or "UKs" within local organization, a lot of energy and resources are spent on vehicles, satellites phones, solar systems, holidays, frequent travelling between the serviced headquarters and the impoverished village. It would have saved both Partners the hustle and resources if a local person had been engaged instead.

Also, the experience of development workers behaving and acting like watchdogs of taxpayers’ money has brought and advanced conflicts within organizations. The outcome is that all efforts end up being invested in conflict resolution rather than actual project implementation.

I have seen situations where the volunteer end up sitting behind the computer formulating proposals and being the administrative link between donors and the project holders. Is that their role? And is it true that organizations request volunteers because the placing agency cannot approve the salary for a local with the needed skills?

Kenya has a lot of unexploited human resources and social capital. It will only be apt that development assistance be geared towards helping Kenya consolidate its gains and efforts in the direction of self-management. In my opinion, the only argument left for sending out development workers is cultural interaction/co-operation otherwise the placement era is over. And the posting of young volunteers or interns for skill development and cultural interaction, or youth exchange programme going both ways would be more appropriate in that regard.