
Photo by Jess McGlothlin
McGlothlin traveled to Kenya with Mountain Safety Research to document the installation of water purifiers at rural, public primary schools in and around the scenic Aberdare Mountains north of Nairobi.
By Jess McGlothlin
Nov 19, 2018
Photo by Jess McGlothlin
As part of a new voluntourism concept, outdoor retailer MSR is working with the Nairobi-area leadership academy Flying Kites to bring clean water to local schools.
Writer and photographer Jess McGlothlin traveled to Kenya to peek behind the scenes of an effective new voluntourism concept.
On the plane ride back from Nairobi, I sat next to a young, 20-something girl. She fit all the stereotypes of a fresh-out-of-college American, taking a bit of time to volunteer abroad before the school year resumed. She had been helping at a primary school for three weeks and readily voiced her desire to return home. “It was so dirty,” she shared with derision.
Her list of complaints went on, including the lack of shopping in one of the poorest districts of Kenya’s largest metropolis. Eventually she sat back in her seat with a sigh. “But I needed the volunteer experience for my résumé,” she bemoaned. “I’m just glad it’s done.”The concept of “voluntourism” has drawn sharp discussion from both sides of the issue. Seasoned aid workers and sociologists argue that a person who travels to offer perceived aid for a short period of time does more harm than good. Some charity organizations, and certainly the vast number of “voluntourists,” argue there’s benefit to the idea—that the more people experience a place, the more they can help it and facilitate change.
But what change are we really talking about? Many who travel to volunteer are untrained in the needs of the region or the role they step into. While ostensibly there to support a place and its people, voluntourists are often really seeking change within themselves.Article continues below advertisement
But not every person who wants to help others in an active way is an expert architect or all-star nurse. Seattle-based outdoor gear manufacturer Mountain Safety Research (MSR) recently launched the Adventures for Impact trip series to provide a new option. Rather than risk leaving the destination with a net resource loss, these trips focus on allowing travelers to contribute in the most effective way—financially—while still having life-changing experiences and connecting with a cause. Aspiring travelers book one of MSR’s adventures, raise a set amount of funds to support a designated cause, and then embark on their trip. After visiting the places where their fund-raising dollars are put to use, they then tackle a memorable, moderate-scale outdoor challenge. On the first Adventures for Impact trip in 2018, that challenge was Mount Kilimanjaro and the cause was clean water in Kenya. (The 2019 adventures will travel to Mount Kilimanjaro and Nepal.)
The new undertaking dovetails with MSR’s Global Health Division, which focuses on developing technologies that increase access to vital needs such as clean water, hot food, and reliable shelter for people living on less than $5 a day, and with the company’s nonprofit Impact Project, an initiative founded on the premise that safe water changes everything in rural communities. Since 2015, the Impact Project has brought safe water and hygiene to more than half a million people worldwide.The entire enterprise is fiercely dependent on savvy local partners in Africa, Asia, and South America where the Impact Project operates. “We realize we’re not the ones to take this technology into the communities,” shared Brandon Bills, MSR’s marketing manager, over cold Tusker beers one night in Kenya. “We need partners who understand each community’s needs [and can] train the community on the technology and follow-up.”
In Kenya, MSR’s main partner is Flying Kites, a primary school and leadership academy led by Massachusetts resident Leila Chambers, her husband and outdoor endurance athlete Mike, and a talented team of local on-the-ground experts. After her own stint volunteering in the slums of Nairobi as a wide-eyed collegian, Chambers realized the influx of foreigners trying to make a difference for a few weeks wasn’t doing much good. So she sought a better solution.On the first Adventures for Impact trip, visitors who traveled to climb Mount Kilimanjaro first spent several days at the Flying Kites campus meeting faculty, watching classes, and eating meals with the students, experiencing firsthand how the money they raised was being put to work. They were not asked to simply show up and watch. Their funds ensured their presence had a practical, applicable benefit to the local community.
Yes, the onus of raising funds before a trip is work. It can be uncomfortable to ask friends and family to donate to a cause. Mike Chambers knows this. “I’ve always been skeptical of people ‘doing something for a cause,’ ” he said retrospectively as we sat before a roaring fire one chilly night in the Aberdare Mountains. “At the end of the day, you have to approach this [kind of trip] with dignity. It’s not about a kid getting a line item on a résumé; you’re dealing with people’s lives.”Sign up for the Daily Wander newsletter for expert travel inspiration and tips
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