By Antonio Fragale, Volunteer for Change team October 2025
Before heading off to your chosen project, the CICD program includes a three-month training period. This phase covers important practical and theoretical knowledge that, if approached with the right mindset and open eyes, can be genuinely useful for the duration of your project.
The “Superhero” Complex and the Insta-Volunteers
People are driven to volunteer experiences for a variety of reasons, touching on different aspects of their lives and personalities. But let’s be honest: many people start trips like this with the idea of proving how much better they are than others. They see themselves as superheroes heading off to conquer challenges and save someone who, spoiler alert, hasn’t asked and doesn’t need to be saved!
There are also plenty of volunteers who use experiences like this as a way to travel cheaply—or worse, to gather content for their Instagram page. The social media algorithm will be thrilled to share your photos where you’re giving a doll to a cute child of a black ethnic background! Unfortunately, these situations are extremely common, both on an individual level and, even more so, institutionally.
The Documentary: “Poverty Inc.”
One of the topics covered during the training was understanding how the Aid industry works. Yes, you can call the humanitarian machine that operates in emergency or long-term situations an “industry.”
Often, what we know as NGOs can behave like corporations, profiting from the situations where they operate. They continue a neocolonial mechanism that, instead of helping the communities involved, actually damages them and keeps them dependent on colonial countries. Over time, these powerful nations have simply found a sneakier way to maintain their influence.
This topic was introduced by the teacher and then explored in-depth by watching the documentary “Poverty Inc.,” which you can easily find on YouTube!
Why This Lesson Was a “Punch in the Face”
For me personally, this documentary felt like a punch in the face. I knew about the situation, of course, but seeing it presented so clearly and visibly, with real and relevant examples, truly shook me. It even made me doubt my own decision to leave for the project. I worried that I might be unconsciously driven by the same flawed ideals and that I would end up causing more harm than good in the communities I’d be working with.
One of the people interviewed in the documentary had a powerful quote: “You have survived the earthquake, I am praying that you will survive the arrival of all the NGOs.”
I think it’s incredibly important that an institution focused on volunteering includes a lesson like this in its curriculum. It’s a way to open the eyes of future Development Instructors to the true nature of humanitarian associations—something that is sadly very necessary.
Trying to get it Right
Of course, there are many institutions that act in genuinely useful ways. They work hard to ensure their programs deliver real, sustainable, and long-term aid to the areas involved, respecting the local culture, traditions, and people. They focus on development that starts with and involves local people.
A volunteer experience is not a way to be a tourist, it’s not a source of likes for your social profile, and it’s not a way to feel superior!
Trying to have the best possible volunteer experience means putting yourself in the position of a student, not a teacher. It means making yourself available to a cause where you are not the protagonist. If you’re looking for an experience that gives you immediate personal satisfaction and makes you feel like a superhero, you’re likely starting off on the wrong foot.
It’s much easier to hand out a bag of rice than to try and develop a situation that might not bring immediate results but will build something lasting over time—something that genuinely involves the people who live there.
The programs of Humana People to People and the teachings of CICD try to promote this very attitude, all while acknowledging that there is still a long way to go and that deeply ingrained cultural patterns are truly difficult to root out.
