I Volunteer to Help (Myself)

Abstract: Volunteerism has been part of the development field for a long time, but has evolved from knowledge spreading to knowledge development through formal international development volunteer programmes. The purpose of this study is to see how development professionals perceive volunteerism to align with or further the sending organisation’s aims. The data has been collected through semistructured interviews with development professionals in Swedish sending organisations. The findings in this study have been analysed though a postcolonial view by the use of Freire and Mohanty. This study will conclude that while volunteerism can be beneficial on an individual level, there reamins issues of power within volunteerism, often reflecting the larger issues of development.