thin king

Hello to all,


Voluntouring Voluntourists Voluntours Voluntourism .

There are people with leisure, excess energy and skills,
wanting to do something better. There are people who are
victims of catastrophes, or disadvantaged and neglected,
suffering and needing help, care and comfort.
One group meets the other, divine guidance?
The scenario: angels tending to lost souls?.

Voluntourists are the angels, travelling to strange places
as tourists and stopping to volunteer help to the lost souls,
those suffering, enjoying their tours, and then moving on.

These journeys and activities are a trend which has become
an industry, gaining popularity.

Voluntouring appeals to all kinds of people who long for the
opportunity to do something more with their leisure time.
It gives the participants a great sense of something bigger
than themselves. It allows them to immerse themselves in
other communities and cultures, to learn about them, and
to let their love issue forth, freely and naturally.

Earthquakes, tsunamis, typhoons, hurricanes, tornadoes,
volcano eruptions, floods, poverty, diseases, neglect;
all these leave victims on a big scale beyond adequate
succour, immediate care and rebuilding. Where there is
a disaster there are victims.

Deaf and mute children at the orphanage were taught job skills.
Adobe stoves with chimneys were built. Wheelchairs were
assembled from kits with the help of the orphanage kids and
given to neurologically handicapped orphans elsewhere.
Wells were dug. Shelters were constructed for the homeless,
and schools for the community. Bedridden patients were
comforted, their wounds cleaned and dressed.

The above are just a few mention of the things the voluntourists
did. These jobs are not difficult to do, there are just not enough
people to do it. The voluntourists fulfil part of this inadequacy,
on a temporary or transient basis.

There was a man who went to visit Kalkatta. He went to see
Mother Theresa's orphanage, etc. He stayed there to help. He is
still there after more than 15 years. He has given up his high
salary job. He is happy.

One voluntourist said, "The low point often is the feeling of not
doing enough, and the reality that your visit is short and
temporary. The high point is that when you leave, departure
is difficult, there is not a dry eye."

Another said, "One feels much better about oneself as a result.
It is sometimes a serendipitous feeling and it is something
money cannot buy."

One voluntourist wrote, "You cannot do everything, but you
can do something. If you can do something, then you should do
something. If you should do something, then do something."


Have a nice day.
Ronald