i hate to hear about the tactics of orgs like you wrote about like isl and service corp.
when you decide what org you want to do your volunteering with really think hard about the type of org youre going with and whether theyre really doing good in the countries.
a lot of orgs send people for mission trips. they fly from the us, do some stuff for a week or two or maybe three and then leave. then the poverty stricken people are left where they started. they had health care for a week but thats it. never again. or maybe theyll see a doc again in 10 years
or the org attracts young idealist students to volunteer and you pay huge amounts...for what? do you know where that money goes? the pockets of their staff. i hate that. why isnt it going to the countries that need help? why arent they having the students donate to the countries that need help instead of expanding the pockets of the staff? why arent the staff at least hired from the poor countries? do you know how much a $300 salary for locals could do for them? us staff being paid tons is a company not a humanitarian mission.
if the org spends a lot of time on touristy stuff then you know youre not needed in the country. why would you be going to "volunteer" but then going on tourist trips? sure you can appreciate the tourist sites in the country but that should be local things in evenings or weekends, not full days. volunteer orgs shouldnt want you to be attracted by the tourist guise. if the countries really wanted you and needed you there would be no time for tourism except in nonworking hours.
so please please please think responsibly about the orgs out there. its sad when companies profit off of idealistic students who want to help raise people out of poverty. all youre doing is stuffing pockets of staff with moola.
its for all these reasons why i love
unite for sight. youre needed and wanted and really really really make a difference. you fundraise to help hundreds of patients. no money goes into staff pockets. unite for sight isnt a tourist volunteer company. its a nonprofit org that needs volunteers to make a real difference. you help HOME COUNTRY DOCS. that means that if youre going to ghana then you work with ghanan docs. if youre going to india then you work with indian docs. those docs live there 24/7/365 so the patients always have access to care thanks to unite for sight and the docs. these docs bring you to the villages where mission trips would traditionally be done. but instead of a mission trip for a week, these docs go to these villages every month or whenever is needed. this is how international health needs to be. its responsible and what all orgs should be doing. all orgs can do it if they wanted and had the right priorities.
heres a video that shows you the results of the responsible great great great work of unite for sight
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-424538484738181565&hl=en
that ghana program in the google video is now 2 years old and running strong. totally run by locals.
and if you didnt already figure it out unite for sight is totally hands on, patient care supervised by the nicest home country docs
you help the home country docs so you all accomplish alot together
http://www.uniteforsight.org/intl_volunteer