Laptop in exchange for accomodation...isthis normal?

Can anyone who has lived/volunteered for awhile in Ghana tell me if it is normal for a host family to expect a laptop (or another expensive gift) in return for boarding and meals?

I am supposed to be heading to Ghana for July for a national drug safety campaign, but this past week my contact in ghana informed me that last year's host families had dropped out because they hadn't been getting "rewards" and that bringing over such a gift (it could be a used laptop) would guarantee me a welcome home in Ghana. Is this not atypical over there?

Since getting that request, I'm really considering not going anymore. It sounds sketchy to me, but the contact has assured me that Ghanaians are very welcoming and if I can move past this laptop bit, I will feel very much at home.

Thank you for any insight you may have.

I assume you are paying for the privilege volunteering, right? So the host family will be paid for your accomodation and meals. To me this sounds like someone trying to keep more money for himself by not paying the family properly but asking you for an expensive gift (in addtion to what you pay) to keep them happy.
If they (whoever organise your volunteering) paid their families an adequate price, they wouldn't have to worry about one family dropping out - there would be plenty of others to take their place.

I think what this guy, your contact, is doing is blackmail of a really mean kind "If you can move past this laptop bit (after all you are are all loaded, aren't you) you will be made welcome".

If your are not paying anything for your stay but the people who accomodate you do it out of sheer goodness, I think you should pay them in a way (maybe not with a laptop, though, I'm sure they can use money better) but then again they wouldn't ne requesting a gift like that.

If I were you, I would just go there on holidays, forget about the volunteering and spend your money locally in shops, guesthouses, taxis etc. - you will most likely help more people that way.

I'm with Stefo, firstly I hate the idea of paying to volunteer but secondly asking for a gift is ridiculous.

Call your contacts bluff, tell him you'll find somewhere else to stay (I'm sure people on here or if you go to Couchsurfing.com you'll find someone more worthy)

Or as Stefo says, just buy the ticket to Ghana and enjoy yourself! It'll cost a lot less!

Kira

while i don't agree with the above posts about paying to volunteer (i think you should be expected to contribute in developing countries where volunteers can sometimes be a burden on local NGOs who have limited resources), i do agree with everything else!
If you are paying for your placement you should not be expected to provide gifts. if you aren't paying, maybe look for alternative accommodation, or ask them to suggest a reasonable rate for food and board. a laptop seems a bit much.
Best of luck!

i think you should be expected to contribute in developing countries where volunteers can sometimes be a burden on local NGOs who have limited resources

That somehow defies the purpose of volunteering, doesn't it?

I also think one should contribute in developing countries - but not by volunteering and paying for it. If you want to donate, why not give the same money to the local NGOs, relieve them of the burden of volunteers and let them employ local people with your money. Or alternatively, just pay for your holiday, stay and eat locally etc.

What's the name of the NGO you are in contact with OP?

It sounds to me as though those in charge aren't paying the host families a fair price and this is their way of keeping them happy without having to give them any more (of your) money.

Here are some options:

-Go ahead with your plans to volunteer with this NGO but do not take any gifts to your host family. Make the NGO aware of this before you arrive; maybe then they will pay the host a little more.

-Find another NGO to work with.

-Go to Ghana as a tourist rather than a volunteer; follow some of the suggestions above.

-Go somewhere else

There is a nuance here between paying to volunteer (where you pay an agency which sets everything up for you), and contributing monetarily to programs on the ground.

It is quite possible to go to Africa on your own and set up your own volunteer situation.

But I also agree with inuganda and stefo--you should expect to pay for your own expenses and also to fund projects. (The great thing about doing it yourself is that you can choose what you want to do--i.e. build new desks for a school, buy mosquito nets for an orphanage...)

The suggestion of a laptop as payment is creepy and I would also feel sketched out about this. Trust your intuition and find another program. Or just go and travel--there will be plenty of opportunities to stop and lend a hand.

Peace,

BB

I'd move on right away, without a backwards glance. All else aside, if you did bring a laptop you'd be setting yourself up for more of the same. But this is not necessarily a criticism of the person doing the asking, and I believe it's important not to get too worked up about these sorts of requests/demands/expectations.

Local culture throughout much of Africa dictates that those with little are entitled to try and guilt trip or con those with a lot--it is done among Africans as well as between Africans and Westerners. In fact, people with a lot of money or possessions are expected to contribute something when asked by friends, acquaintances or (especially) relatives--that's just the way things work. Usually they bargain the amounts down to whatever they're willing to part with.

I feel totally entitled to decline to participate in this sort of dynamic, and I usually do. I just don't see any reason to get moralistic, much less to get upset about it. And I do expect that in situations where I've got an ongoing relationship of some sort with a local person, they are likely to feel genuinely resentful if I don't contribute some small portion of my obvious wealth, regardless of the facts of our stated arrangement. Again, this would be true were I a fellow African instead of an American tourist (or volunteer).

I'm also not opposed to bringing some small gifts for host families. Or, small gifts can be purchased locally; I sometimes print enlarged photos, then have them laminated, and these are always appreciated. Lots of people leave stuff behind for local friends or hosts--clothes, shoes, cameras--but I don't care for this approach.

Hope that helps.

Mark

Local culture throughout much of Africa dictates that those with little are entitled to try and guilt trip or con those with a lot

That's an interesting thought.

Agree, interesting thought, and very true from my experiences. My husband has a much harder time saying "no" (which he really only does as a last resort) to the constant requests for money from friends and extended familiy than I have.
My guess in this particular case, however, is that it's not actually the host family demanding a lap-top, but the volunteering agency not paying the host families appropriately and asking the volunteer to compensate for this by paying double. I could be wrong of course, since the OP has not come back yet to provide more info about whether she is paying an agency or the host family directly etc.

I noticed that you have edited your post #8.

I would qualify Mark's observation:

"In fact, people with a lot of money or possessions are expected to contribute something when asked by friends, acquaintances or (especially) relatives--that's just the way things work."

This especially applies to East African culture.

Even there it would be poor manners to ask for a laptop right off the bat. The indelicacy of the request is perhaps more troubling than the request itself.

Thanks Stefo and BigBri for both clarifying and qualifying what I wrote. Yes, it is the fact that the OP was being asked in advance for a substantial "gift" by an un-met "local contact" which doesn't fit the cultural piece. That's why I said I'd turn and walk away.

But I am forever fascinated by the miscommunication around this issue between Westerners and Africans. It causes no end of friction, yet both sides are often merely following the norms of their respective cultures. I'm interested in hearing you say Stefo that your husband only rarely refuses outright, which fits with my observations, yet I personally don't know how to cope with the steady requests from all directions without feeling resentful.

Hence I try to place myself in another category altogether which I don't think actually exists in indigenous terms--the outsider who is also a friend and sometimes business partner but declines to participate in this aspect of the local culture. I try to be very forthright about what I'm doing: "I know that you are accustomed to doing it this way, but where I come from this is considered a very bad idea, so I don't do it that way. Instead, I do it this way....." Results have been entirely mixed, but at least I do get to maintain my composure, unlike some.

Fortunately, Africans are not so naive about us as we are, in general terms, about them. They are also very accustomed to dealing with people from other cultures, making allowances as necessary.

Always interested in hearing more about this. I am no expert.

Mark

The whole operation looks a scam to me. - including the supposed drug whatever campain that sends you there.

Scams abound, and the sole fact that you even need to be told that a Laptop is an ureasonable demand, makes it clear that you already fall in the category of people gullible enough to be their target group. If I was you, I would cancel everything immediately, and cut my losses... dont even justify it, just find an excuse like a relative fell ill and you have to stay home.

I would not even try to "move past this laptop bit". I would cancel on the spot. There are plenty of other places where you will be ripped off too, but not quite so blatantly.

No, this is not normal. Tell the campaign headquarters people in charge of this about this local contact person making an inappropriate request. That person is playing you for a sucker. And find another volunteer organization.

This "request" was very much out of line.

campaign headquarters people in charge of this

The ones who get the largest cut in the scam?
As I said, I would cut my losses (cancel my flight, request the refund of any advance payment) and stop listening to anyone involved, including the "campaign headquarters".

Thank you all for helping me consider this.

To clarify, I am NOT supposed to pay the organization to go there. This is an exchange: last year, at my school, we hosted a Ghanaian for free. She stayed at the home of a faculty member, with her own room, and was free to come and go as she pleased. Students from my school played host to her and showed her around the city.

Now, I have been accepted for the exchange to Ghana. After my Ghanaian contact wrote to me asking about the "reward," I replied citing details about the Ghanian student's trip to my city and my school. I also told him I couldn't afford a laptop. He then told me I could bring over a cellphone or something electronic...this isn't any more acceptable than a laptop, right? :P

I understand you are supposed to bring gifts to people and agree with all of you that you should spend money locally while traveling. I'm afraid to go there alone as a female traveler. I backpacked around Japan alone a few years ago with no incidents, but Japan is a far cry from Ghana.

You aren't necessarily supposed to bring expensive gifts to people you haven't met--normal Ghanaians would not expect that. While you have more money than the family you are staying with, bringing an expensive gift sends the wrong message, IMO. I stay with friends in Ghana almost every summer and I have a lot more than they have, but I don't bring gifts, they don't expect gifts, however while I'm there I pay the electric bill--after all I have to use the fan more than they--and sometimes I buy food like rice, and I pay the taxi if we go somewhere. That's about it.

I would recommend that you not bring fancy electronic equipment. Phones and laptops are easily available in Ghana anyway....

Japan may be a far cry from Ghana in terms of economic development, but that does not automatically mean that it is that much safer. There are many young women who travel around Ghana alone, evidently without problems other than marriage proposals.

I noticed that you have edited your post #8

The uncut version: BS.

The OP's last response makes it sound more like a lone opportunist within a valid organization than it did at first. Not that this is reliably correct; that's just what it sounds like to me.

OP, try not to get trapped into responding to requests with "I can't afford it." In responding this way you're implicitly accepting the proposition that you should be bringing a gift and that what remains is only the negotiation of a specific price. You've already lost (and throughout the world people will manipulate you into this position deliberately).

Instead, simply refuse: "No, I'm sorry but I don't/won't do that." Period.

You've gotten some good advice here: report the out-of-line contact, refuse, don't give expensive gifts, etc. In Ghana, Taharqa makes minor household contributions; I do the same plus give little things like laminated photographs. These are more or less in line with cultural expectations and don't put you in an awkward position. You need to develop the ability to refuse requests politely or you're likely to have a miserable, guilt-ridden time in Ghana, and you'll find the requests do not end when you capitulate--in fact, they multiply.

I love West Africa, and probably you will too. Don't let this put you off; it's just a minor little blip in the experience which you can quickly put behind you.

Hope that helps.

Mark

OP - don't be afraid to travel there. I also take 'gifts' for those I know, the worst problem I've encountered is endless marriage proposals & demands for my phone number (know it back to front now!)

I think now that the picture is a little clearer, you could go over with a little 'something' as it's an exchange; maybe keep it hidden away until the end of your stay ... or when you think is appropriate.

Enjoy the trip, Japan is safe, lived there 3 years but I love Africa too & see no reason to put off this trip!

Kira

I notice the OP does say a "used" laptop, so it doesn't seem like they are expecting something brand new and expensive. I'm a member of my local "freecycle" group here in the UK, and I've seen people advertising free old laptops and mobile phone handsets. I've also seen wanted ads from people asking for digital cameras, freeview boxes, laptops etc.

If you did want to take something you could sign up to one of these groups and pick up something for free, or even put out a "wanted" ad expaining you are going to Ghana and want something as a gift for your host family. Plenty of people do have old handsets, laptops, digital cameras etc lying around that they no longer use as they've upgraded to something new.

Yes I have seen this kind of hardware... some local guy in Gabon asked me for help with the used cellphone someone had given him from Europe. Turns out that it was not possible to switch the darn thing to French language as requested. It only offered the language choice of Turkish, Serbocroat or English.... anyway the guy who owned an internet cafe gave me a free hour of internet for trying :-)