Responsible Volunteering in Practice: A Study of Warwick in Africa

Responsible Volunteering in Practice: A Study of Warwick in Africa

Politics and International Studies

Warwick in Africa (WiA) is a student volunteering programme that sends students enrolled at the University of Warwick to support secondary level teaching and learning of English and Mathematics in economically disadvantaged schools in South Africa and Ghana. This paper seeks to answer how Western volunteering organisations can foster sustainable volunteering practices and long-lasting partnerships with schools in the global South in a world dominated by a voluntourism business model that often prioritises the experience of the volunteers rather than the needs of local communities. It examines the programme’s contributions to intercultural exchange, classroom support and WiA’s overall role in strengthening educational provision in under-resourced schools in Ghanaian districts, giving special notice to considerations of local agency, long-term impact and sustainability.
Drawing upon research of the WiA programme and interviews with Ghanaian teachers involved in the programme, findings point to several benefits for host schools, while also revealing challenges that may limit the long-term impact of short-term volunteering placements.
While all international volunteering organisations operate within the same voluntourism landscape, international volunteering programmes are not homogeneous: some can follow a productive and sustainable pattern, but additional measures are required to solidify volunteering practices and to strengthen the potential benefits of international volunteering programmes like WiA.

Ilinca Mates

2025

Warwick in Africa, development, responsible volunteering, foreign aid, Ghana, global South, local agency, long-term impact, sustainability