"Volunteering (also referred to as honorary engagement or volunteering) is a building block of civil society. It fulfills the noblest goals of mankind - the pursuit of peace, freedom, life chances, security and justice for all - with life." (Excerpt from the Universal Declaration on Volunteering)

We at Zaidi Zanzibar are also trying to make a small contribution - for a better world in which injustice and prejudice are disappearing.

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But there are also critical voices about volunteering in Africa. Have you ever heard of the terms voluntourism or white saviorism? This is about the "accusation" of volunteer work being based on a racist and classicist worldview. White people would only do these to celebrate themselves as the saviors of the people of color and to feel good, rather than to actually help. 

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For us, the fact that volunteers "help themselves" through their experiences in Africa or find a benefit for themselves is not an argument against Volunteering in Africa. On the contrary: we aim for young people to immerse themselves in a foreign culture, learn, grow beyond themselves and then take all these experiences back to Europe and spread them. We feel it is necessary to be aware of this criticism and to constantly reflect on our own actions. But in our opinion - to paraphrase Audrey Hepburn - it is absolutely right and important to use one hand to help yourself and the other to take care of others. 

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And: We firmly believe that volunteering through direct contact and exchange can make a significant contribution to international understanding. Volunteering at Zaidi means making contact, exchanging ideas and learning from one another. Every day we try to judge as little as possible and instead simply perceive other ways of life as different. We don't see volunteer work as help "from above", but as an enriching encounter at eye level, where everyone can take "something" home with them. 

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