World Expedition - Index

World Expedition - booklet - Index

while you travel
balancing the inequalities
A great difference exists between the economic wealth of
western nations and the developing world, which
becomes very obvious as you travel through developing
nations. As a travel company we have the opportunity to
bring some balance to this great disparity, through the
training of local people, as well as the funding and
support of long term sustainable tourism that empowers
the local people.
However, it is a real balancing act. There are some ways
that sharing our wealth can actually damage or
perpetuate the current situation, such as:
� Begging is a harsh reality of life in the developing
world, but it is something that most communities and
World Expeditions believe should not be encouraged,
especially by visitors who do not understand when it
is appropriate. Giving money to street beggars should
always be avoided as it leads to dependency upon
this as an income, reducing the incentive to seek
employment and long term solutions to poverty and
disposition. There are cases where children have been
purposely maimed or disfigured by their relatives to
increase their effectiveness as beggars.
� We also discourage the handing out of pens, lollies,
drawing paper and so on, as this only decreases the
respect for us, creating expectations and dependence
that turns into disappointment or even hostility when
future travellers do not hand out similar goodies.
� You may be approached by local people and asked to
provide medicine. Alternatively you may have medical
experience and feel the need to provide medical
assistance where it is obviously needed. Except in life
threatening situations, it is important to limit your
medical assistance to first aid only, for example,
wound dressings, as a casual traveller, even an
experienced doctor or nurse, cannot know the local
endemic diseases or cultural factors, and will not be
around to provide follow-up care. Furthermore, it may
be the case that medication provided may cause more
harm than good. For instance it would be inappropriate
for a Kenyan doctor to provide medical services to the
Australian public while on holidays in Australia, similarly
we ask that medical issues for local people are
referred to local, professional medical services.