re: Good read on why "Voluntourism" is BS

There's a reason it's called "voluntourism" and not "volunteerism"

I don't think the idea is bad. But yeah, handing out bracelets ain't gonna save a village.

Having said that, there are a number of companies that do these trips that actually build stuff... build huts, build water systems, etc. While these may lead to further dependence, it's also hard to say that having clean water makes their lives worse. Maybe they could incorporate more teaching to the locals.

But in the end, it's a lot like foreign aid. I love the idea of sending money to help foreign countries. But we have too many of our own issues and problems in this country that we should focus on fixing first.

Spend some time and money volunteering in your own area.