The article "The Problem With Little White Girls, Boys and Voluntourism", brought up an essential point: if you are sincerely trying to fix a problem in the world, sometimes the best thing to do is not being directly involved in the solution. Though traveling to poor countries and attempting to build infrastructure may make somebody feel helpful and altruistic, that person's feelings are irrelevant in terms of what actually gets done. And it's not enough to just want to help. A truly committed volunteer has to understand what things that they do will actually be helpful, rather than appearing helpful in their own eyes or the eyes of their friends back at home.
I definitely agree with the author about this. Unfortunately, some volunteer aid trips serve nothing more than to perpetuate the "white savior" complex - giving the white volunteers pleasure at the supposed good that they have done in the world, but not actually solving any problems.
As a privileged white person, I think that it is important for all of us to be acutely aware of our privilege. It is certainly possible for us to do productive service and make the world a better place, but our well-intended sympathies for others are not enough. We have to step back, determine the best way to actually make a difference, and strive to be a productive force in the world.
