Voluntourism has had a bad rap. And I think it deserves it. Why? Because often the people that get involved in voluntourism get involved for the wrong reasons: to make themselves feel good, to get into medical school, because they want an excuse to continue traveling to exotic and interesting places but feel guilty just lying on a beach, because they feel this overwhelming need to “help those less fortunate.”
I fell into this field. I have a background in education. I lived, worked, studied, volunteered, and travelled overseas. I happened …

When I started designing my program I knew that situations and opportunities can turn on a dime. I want to teach youth about international community development, but I had seen time and time again the effect of broken promises and the damage it could cause. I did not want to become part of that problem.
The question came up again last night in a conversation, what harm could someone trying to help out do? Isn’t it better to do something, than nothing at all?
No, truly it is sometimes better to do …

Stratosphere is monitoring information in regards to the series of 3 bomb attacks that occurred in Kampala, the capital of Uganda yesterday. The attacks took place in the city centre while fans were watching the final World Cup match on Sunday July 11, 2010. Our condolences to the Ugandans and foreigners who were impacted by this surprise attack by terrorists with links to Al-Qaeda.
Al Shahab, a Somali based terrorist group, has claimed responsibility for this attack. They claim it was done in retaliation for Ugandan forces deploying troups to Somalia. …

It has been too long since I posted a blog entry (thanks to the end of the school year and a neck disaster). Thankfully Texas In Africa posted a blog entry that has spurred me back into action. She asks the question, why don’t “we” just pay the school fees of the students in places like the DRC? Would this create a dependency or would the benefits outweigh this concern?
I dealt with a similar situation in rural Uganda. It seems like a simple solution to just pay the fees. But …

I have been working in the international service learning arena for 7 years. For some this may not seem like a long time, but it has been a journey of discovery and change. I have a background in education – I teach about good community development. I love teaching about community development. For 7 years I have lived and breathed what I call “international community education”- celebrating successes, tweeking what isn’t quite right, abandoning what has failed, talking, discussing, analyzing.
I helped create a university international service learning program from the …