Short-term volunteering: perspectives from the Global South

Four peer leaders from Zambia tour the UK this week to meet British students taking part in short-term volunteer programmes through UK Sport, but whilst British students gain the opportunity to travel and build their CV, what impact does this have on Zambian volunteers and communities?

Attending inductions at the University of Central Lancashire (Uclan) for International community Coach Education System (ICES) exchange seminars and Durham University through the IDEALS programme, they reflect on their experiences of volunteering in Zambia and the UK.

Why do you volunteer?
“I would walk and children would say to me ‘You play, can you find time to help us train?’ since then I have always had time to train children. I love volleyball and I enjoy it, this is what keeps me going,” said Tilabilenji Mvunga, a member of the national Zambia Volleyball Team and peer leader with Sport in Action. Her colleague, Shadrick Kaputa, shares the sentiments of adopting valuable lessons from mentors, as his own coach “would bring things out from sport that would benefit me, education, help my friends out of school and child right issues.”

Volunteering is also seen as a platform to boost employability, as both Shadrick and fellow Peer Leader Saviour Bwalya, share a love for teaching which “can improve my CV and maybe get a better job.”

Using sport to address social issues in the UK
After visiting British community development activities, the Zambian volunteers were exposed to the use of sport to address social issues, but Shadrick believes there is an element missing: “Seeing Preston and seeing other people doing voluntary work, I think about how we can fuse different issues into these activities. Here [in the UK], they have all the infrastructures, but not everyone appreciates it, whereas in Zambia, children just see a ball and they want to play. We have something in common: we use sport, but what messages do children in the UK take home? We [Zambians] use sport to teach messages, not just to develop skills.”

Breaking stereotypes of UK students
The assumption that volunteers from the Global North coming to the Global South can provide financial assistance is one that Susan Banda, a peer leader with EduSport would like to break. She sees her visit to the UK as an opportunity to prepare her Zambian peer leaders and communities, “We must go back to Zambia and tell other peer leaders at home how it is here. They can’t ask for money and t-shirts because for the volunteers coming to Zambia, they also have financial struggles and challenges as students.”

The impact of working with international volunteers
Tilabilenji has worked with international volunteers before and sees the value of programmes making an impact, rather than individual volunteers. “They don’t stay long, but the programme is ongoing, and this has a hard impact. I remember I had failed to build a strong volleyball team and children did not understand. Then I worked with a volunteer from Sweden and when she left, a volunteer from England came, even though it was different people, the assistance with creating a team has helped make a difference which I continue by myself,” she said.

Facing challenges after ‘muzungos’ have left
Short-term volunteers do not change communities, but they do contribute to community activity and influence participation levels, Saviour says, “When muzungos are in Zambia the attendance improves and when they leave, it drops.”

Shadrack faces the same challenge of sustaining this momentum, “When you work with muzungos for a short period, part of it is a relief, as you have help to create more groups, but the challenge of retaining these numbers when you return to coach sessions by yourself, this is difficult and still remains a challenge.”

George Kakomwe, Programme Officer for EduSport has worked with short-term volunteers for a number of years and despite challenges, believes these programmes have “created pathways to develop an interest in coming back for longer periods and support the organisations. Volunteers are not here to change things, but to make a contribution.”

Friend of EduSport and The Perfect Day Foundation are charitable trusts set up by former short-term volunteers on UK Sport’s IDEALS programme, providing platforms for former volunteers to continue contributing skills and knowledge once back in the UK.