Kids fundraising to "build schools in Kenya"

[EmUntitled]

A family friend is 15 and is planning to go to Kenya next year to help with building schools or something. She is supposed to raise about £2000 towards the trip and is struggling to do so. So far most of the donations have been family members and family friends. Her parents have had to lend her the money for the deposit etc. This is partly due to not putting in a lot of effort.

AIBU to think a 15 year old is too young to undertake a trip like this and to be expected to raise so much money. I was under the impression these sort of trips are usually done by students between college and university, so aged 18+. Also AIBU to somewhat resent being expected to donate money which I would prefer to donate to a charity which I believe might actually make a difference (not teenagers going on holiday under the guise of "helping" local people).

In my opinion it would be much, much better to give the money straight to a local charity. What do schoolkids know about building? I'm guessing less than nothing. Far better to give resources so that proper builders who actually live in the country in question can do the building. Provides jobs to people with the correct skills.

Agreed, these projects are western ego boosting trips that do very little for the country and community in question.

They take the jobs away from locals meaning higher unemployment and less opportunities for businesses to grow. They have little knowledge of building so waste loads of time being taught and then shoddingly constructing these buildings.

Like i said ego trip for westerners that want to be seen doing something amazing when their time would be better spent doing local charities and the charities within the country actually investing money into local trades people and businesses

YANBU

I'm sure Kenya and other poorer countries still have qualified trades people who are more than capable of building new schools. these countries do not need unqualified lay people to take work from trained people nor do they need to be spending money getting trained people to fix the mess that lay people leave behind. The 2k would be better spent directly to buy materials or to train other local people.

Not too young to raise that amount of money at all. I lead a volunteering trip to South Korea through Girlguiding for 12 14-18 year olds and they all had to raise £3000. In my region alone, they send 3 groups of a similar size on trips every year, so it’s completely doable.

I don’t really agree with teens doing skilled work like building though. We did painting and gardening for a deprived area of the city, and lots of cultural exchange stuff, so didn’t really need expertise!

YANBU. It'll be a cool story to tell to her mates, but that's the only purpose. Voluntourism, I think it's called.

I really dislike this kind of charity thing. It's really a 'feelgood' holiday under the guise of charity, and as PPs have said, much better to just give money to local organisations. I'd never give to one of these, but happy to give directly to those doing the work.

Thanks for your opinions. I have also heard the term "volun-tourism". I think it is mainly something good to out on CVs and college or university applications.

It’s not too young but it’s a ridiculous use of money.

“Let’s go build a school for some poor people to help me get into university”.

Horrible at any age.

I am sure they have carpenters and trades people in Kenya and they dont really need a 15 year olds help. Send the money direct to a local charity if you want to help.

I don’t think she’s too young to do some serious fund raising if she really puts her mind to it, I know quite a few young people who have raised significant sums by putting some effort into it, but it can be very easy to rely on parents for this sort of thing.

I hated things like this even when I was in school and it was my peers doing it, yanbu
If you genuinely want to help people, send the money over there for skilled tradespeople to do the work, instead of paying for vaccinations, flights, accommodation, food, etc for a bunch of unskilled school kids

I think these responses seem a bit harsh. These local communities don't have these young people foisted upon them, they often welcome outside assistance. If they didn't want the help, they can say no. They're not being colonised. I think that young people who want to do this should be applauded, it's not that difficult to gain university entrance here so I'm not sure that's the driving motivation. Many young people want to make a personal and tangible difference to our world.

I've heard the concept voluntourism. I also think it's a bit harsh. What's wrong with kids getting a fantastic experience, showing a bit of empathy and travelling to somewhere they couldn't travel to alone.

Part of the purpose of the visit will be to raise the profile of the charitys work out there. This hopefully will lead to more fundraising and support and awareness from some of these kids later.
My dd went when she was 17 and again at 18. It totally changed her life direction. She is a serious advocate for refugees here now getting involved during college on many projects. She has done work placements with an oversees charity involved in this same kind of work, refuses to gather possessions but donates instead, keeps us on our toes about wasting money on crap and draws our attention to worthwhile causes to donate to.
It seriously caused her to see and appreciate her advantages in life. She is only early 20s so l can see this as a lifetime leaning.
While there she once spent three weeks wheeling bricks in a wheelbarrow for 12 hours a day in heat. It would have been worth my while paying 2000 to see her work ethic improve. ( I didn't pay, she fundraised and forfeited pocket money for a year to go)
I wouldn't write it off if a teen has the proper attitude.

On an added note in lreland it doesn't add to your chances of getting into a particular college as we have no personal statements and its all done under a number with no names involved. Totalled results based.

I volunteer with Girlguiding and dh with scouting and it is really common for young people in our area to have been selected to go on international opportunities and have to raise anywhere between £1000 and £3,500 to go on their trips. Depending on the amount needed, they will get longer to raise the money.
My dd is going away next year and has to raise £1800 and will have had 16 months to raise that amount. At her selection, they were also choosing girls for another trip that was for £2,500 but they aren’t going until 2020 to give them more fundraising opportunities.

If the girl is struggling to raise the money, she needs to be more proactive in trying to fundraise and probably needs to speak to the trip organiser for fundraising ideas as there are loads of things you can do, especially at this time of year (Christmas fares, coffee mornings, tuck shops at school, bag packing in the supermarket, cake stall, stalls at light switch ons/late night shopping events,guess how many sweets in the jar, guess the weight of the cake, guess the name of the elf, weight of the cake. I could go on and on. Some organisations also give grants to individuals who are trying to fundraise for projects -lions, rotary clubs and the like. You just have to be bothered about the task of fundraising and actually put the time in).

Think of the difference 10 x 2k could make in a community.

An adult friend of mine went on a similar trip. She had good intentions but came back with the distinct impression that it was run for the benefit of westerners who wanted something to put on their CVs.

I probably would've agreed with you before my stepson went on one of these trips. I was convinced that he'd never raise it and we'd be expected to pay for it, but his school were great in their fund raising ideas (they did a lot of car washes and supermarket bag packs). They raised it all. No parents had to pay a penny, so it was open to poorer students too. They didn't do much building, it's true, but they took a lot of books, clothes and equipment out with them for the African school, which will have helped. What it was was the most superb experience for the (uk) children. As well as doing some safaris and visiting places while they were there it really humbled them to see the poverty that some children live in compared to their own lives.

If the girl can't be arsed to get off her bum to raise funds for the trip then she isn't going to be much good hammering nails, mixing cement and digging toilets is she?

YANBU.

A 15 year old might be free labour, but is very unlikely to be able to be skilled enough to make any real dent in building a school. Whilst there are willing volunteers going over, there is no need to pay skilled tradespeople who desperately need the work.

There are many kids in orphanages who don’t need to be there because they have families who are alive - but the orphanage has persuaded them to give their kids up so they can get an education. In reality, kids develop normally and are much better off with their own families in the majority of cases. These orphanages only stay open because of the amount of willing volunteers who come over to help.

But still, as long as the rich kids get a free holiday and have something to put on their CV, eh?

Having known some children that did this trip I can assure you they actually got an awful lot out of it. It was a real eye opener for them in regards to seeing how other people live and I believe they have benefited greatly from it.

Yeah it’s total bullshit and benefits the young person, the company running the trip and doesn’t do much good for the reviving community.

If you want to do this kind of trip, you should get a job or have your parents pay - not dress it up as ‘charideeee sweeetie’

@Honeyroar you contradict yourself. You say you were convinced you’d end up paying, but that they managed to find raise so it WAS open to poor students.

No it bloody wasn’t, because the fear of the real risk that poor parents would end up covering the difference would have stopped them from signing up in the first place.

Having known some children that did this trip I can assure you they actually got an awful lot out of it. It was a real eye opener for them in regards to seeing how other people live and I believe they have benefited greatly from it.

But not at the expense of people who live in other countries. They aren't exhibits in a zoo, just so well-off UK children can feel grateful.