One of the current travel trends in volunteer tourism or voluntourism is where people travel to help make a difference in communities worldwide as part of your vacation package.
Each of these voluntourists has their own motivation to choose from the ample volunteering opportunities available for your next holidays in Malaysia.
Finding Purpose – Volunteering Opportunities in Malaysia
Some may care for animals and wildlife rehabilitation; this is a critical activity to participate in wildlife rescues.
Others may want to serve the community living in poverty and minority poor in urban areas.
Some travel to Africa and Cambodia to offer help and assistance.
What is voluntourism?
Voluntourism means volunteering your time, skills, and energy with an organization, issue, or causes.
Voluntourism is a new way of travelling that is becoming increasingly popular around the world.
Is voluntourism a new hype word?
Volunteer tourism is not a new phenomenon to the travel industry, but the sudden hype is due to reduced travel barriers over the past 15 years.
The Westerners started this phenomenon as they were the first ones to travel.
Later the practice expanded to other regions in the Asian and African countries.
There was an increase in middle-class citizens who seek unusual travelling experiences.
Volunteer tourism has become increasingly popular with the impact of global disasters – tsunamis and earthquakes, and people feel compelled to race to help.
The search for meaningful journeys for your next holidays in Malaysia. Image: Source.
Is voluntourism localized?
International volunteering is a broad term for skilled placements in various activities conducted by governments, charities, and travel agents.
Recently termed voluntourism, the stint can be short-term and multi-year.
Voluntourism can be purposeful travel. It can be a well-planned-out package that includes some volunteering work, such as teaching schoolchildren, building necessary infrastructures like schoolrooms or wells, conservation, or animal rescue work.
“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” – Gandhi
Is volunteerism right for me?
Voluntourism is not necessarily meant only for international tourists. Domestic tourists are welcomed to volunteer in Malaysia.
The main objective of voluntourism is to improve people’s quality of life in the places they visit.
This practice helps tourists engage in a better understanding of the cultures and community and enhances people-to-people connectivity.
Volunteer tourists can fully immerse themselves in experiencing the culture of the host communities they are placed in.
Malaysia has opportunities for volunteer tourists to learn from host communities.
Many reports forming genuine relationships among the people they meet in their new travel destinations and holidays in Malaysia.
Volunteerism and the Global Goals
Many of the Sustainable Development Goals call for long-term attitude and behaviour changes.
Volunteers facilitate changes in mindsets by raising awareness or championing those changes and inspiring others via global goals.
“Volunteerism strengthens civic engagement, safeguards social inclusion, deepens solidarity and solidifies ownership of development results.” – United Nations
The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) program
In 2014, the UNV program adopted a Strategic Framework with strategy calls to work systematically with United Nations partners to boost their impact on peace and development worldwide.
UNV’s vision is a world where volunteerism is recognized, within societies, as a way for all people and countries to achieve peace and development through the simultaneous eradication of poverty and significant reduction of inequalities and exclusion.
Voluntourism has been said to be successful in helping the host community improving their lives and promoting sustainability.
Volunteering Opportunities in Environmental Sustainability
Everyone needs to learn the real meaning and purpose of the practice.
Global Volunteering Opportunities
Africa has a wide range of dynamic projects and the best opportunities to make a sustainable difference in communities overseas.
For instance, in Zambia, the volunteering works are more focused on the community. In Kenya, the volunteering works are focused on protecting the lions.
In Australia, volunteering activities focus mainly on wildlife and its natural habitat – protecting wild species and their habitats to prevent species from going extinct.
Marine conservation volunteer projects focus on protecting the Great Barrier Reef ecosystem.
Marine conservation volunteer projects focus on protecting the Great Barrier Reef ecosystem. Image: Source
All the volunteer projects in these countries have the same goal: promoting sustainability and creating a better life.
Volunteering Opportunities in Malaysia
There are many opportunities for voluntourism in Selangor that may appeal to domestic, especially independent international travellers.
This practice helps maximize their travelling experience and increases their self-esteem and awareness about a community.
Some volunteering programs in Selangor include working in nature with volunteering opportunities in environmental sustainability.
Healing Broga Programme, Bukit Broga, Semenyih
Broga Hill is a popular spot with hiking enthusiasts due to its easy accessibility on meandering slopes and panoramic views, especially at dawn.
For two consecutive years, volunteers gathered at Broga Hill, replanted new trees, and cleaned the area.
The was an effort by the Hulu Langat Land and District Office to preserve nature and improve the destination’s tourism appeal.
Healing Broga 2.0 focused on rehabilitating and restoring the beauty of Broga Hill after a fire.
Healing Broga 2.0 focused on rehabilitating and restoring the beauty of Broga Hill after a fire. Image: mykampusradio.com
Kanching Eco-Forest Park, Gombak
In 2018, the Tourism State Promotion Board, Tourism Selangor, launched the “Clean and Green” campaign in collaboration with Firefly.
The campaign was introduced to keep Kanching Eco-Forest Park clean and promote proper waste management awareness to local and international tourists.
Zoo Negara KeeperKu Programme
Volunteering activities can be opted for at Zoo Negara under the Zoo Negara KeeperKu Programme.
There are plenty of volunteering opportunities for animal lovers to participate in voluntourism at the national zoo.
The activities range from cleaning animal cages, feeding the animals to aiding the zookeepers for animal exhibits.
Zoo Negara KeeperKu Programme is open to all students aged 16 years old and above for schools, colleges, and universities only.
As a participant, you must be willing to help the zoo in any appropriate tasks assigned to you throughout the 8 hours of the day, starting at 8.00 am.
Travel Tips: Established in 1961, Taiping Zoo is the oldest Zoo in Malaysia, covering 34 acres (14 ha) and exhibits 1300 animals representing 180 species of amphibians, mammals, and reptiles.
Image: Zoo Negara Malaysia
River Care Programme (RCP)
RCP is a volunteering project which promoting community participation in the
- restoration and sustainable use of the rivers
- water resource protection and sustainable
The program is an effort under the Global Environment Centre (GEC), a community-based non-profit organization for river conservation initiatives.
The program focuses on the protection of all rivers in Malaysia.
Environmentalists are welcome to participate in this volunteering project from time to time.
Image: Global Environment Centre
Malaysia – Japan Friendship Forest @ Paya Indah Wetlands, Dengkil, Selangor
Participants for this program planted about 60,000 plants of various species across 26ha in Paya Indah Wetlands.
The program was supported by Institute Penyelidikan Perhutanan Malaysia (FRIM), ensuring the plants and trees were well taken care of.
Image: AENON Retail CSR
Kampung Kuantan Firefly Preservation Project, Kuala Selangor
The protection of the dwindling population of fireflies at Kampung Kuantan was a part of the community project and a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative for Tenaga Nasional Bhd. (TNB).
TNB has allocated about RM1.5 million for five consecutive years since 2008.
Ever since, TNB has been working tirelessly with the State Government of Selangor and Majlis Daerah Kuala Selangor (MDKS) to spread awareness on fireflies’ conservation to the public by organizing programs.
Image: TNB Malaysia
Environmental Awareness Camp (Kem Kesedaran Alam Sekitar)
- An Evening with the Boatmen
- Back to School Programme
- TNB Schools Adoption Programme
Volunteers learned to maintain and preserve the ecosystem and habitat of fireflies that inhabit the area and protect them from extinction.
Volunteering Opportunities for Environmental Sustainability in Selangor
In conclusion, each one of us needs to take a sustainable approach while travelling.
As a developing country, Malaysia, there are still many areas that need to be improved to promote sustainability.
However, sustainable tourism in Malaysia, especially in Selangor, can be achieved a lot faster and better with domestic and international tourists’ help.
Tourism Selangor encourages any collaborations from any organizations or individuals who wish to organize volunteering projects across the state of Selangor.
A little bit of kindness can help build a bigger and better community!
Source: Selangor.Travel
