Additionally, experts noted that delivering lasting change often requires programmes that go beyond one-off trips.
Ms Trinh Tuyet, the co-founder of YESD Vietnam, a social enterprise and tour agency that partners with YEP, said her organisation encourages Singaporean groups to return multiple times to deepen their impact.
Ms Christie Lee, director of the programmes division at SIF, said its partnerships are intended to be “long-term, trust-based collaborations” as well.
But the long-term impact of such efforts requires evaluation too.
Mr Loh stressed the importance of distinguishing between outcomes and outputs: Distributing spectacles, for instance, matters less than whether students’ academic performance improves as a result of better eyesight.
Assoc Prof Sin Harng Luh, provost’s chair at the Singapore University of Social Sciences, added that beneficiary organisations may sometimes feel pressured to overstate needs to secure continued support.
To guard against such pitfalls, Mr Joel Ang, a senior executive at the non-profit YMCA of Singapore, said it collects data to assess programme impact, sends executives to observe teams on the ground, and even reviews partners’ balance sheets.
VOLUNTOURISM STILL MEANINGFUL IN OTHER WAYS
Despite this, the non-profits coordinating these trips said that they can still be meaningful.
Ms Trinh of YESD Vietnam said that the presence of the volunteers helps locals feel like “they are loved by someone” and that “they are not left behind in the remote villages”.
Mr Ang said this process can be a subtle form of empowerment for locals too.
“Imagine a construction worker who might not be well-educated or well-paid. Now, a group of Singaporean university students looks to him for guidance. He realises he has something valuable to teach. That empowerment is very real,” he said.
