Ema Gazdik factor , where “ people in one […] nation exploited the natural resources and the labor of another nation and its people ” ( Rodney , 1982 , p . 22 ). Extending this concept to Western Europe and Africa as a whole , exploiting African natural resources and slave labour to generate capital allowed European economies to develop comparatively faster ( Rodney , 1982 , pp . 82-90 ). Under colonialism , Europe reinforced this relationship through boycotting African industrialisation and enforcing African import of African resources through Europe ( Rodney , 1982 , p . 217 ). As such , colonialism and slave trade formed a key factor in the current global economic relations , creating conditions for international volunteering by continuously exploiting Africa . Nowadays , capitalist Europe and USA – ‘ the West ’ – provide their youth with volunteering opportunities to countries underdeveloped precisely by Western capitalism ’ s advance . Such opportunities are not available to most Africans , or even many Westerners from minority ethnic groups , as most U . S . international volunteers
106 are young , well-educated whites from higher-income households ( Lough , 2015 , p . 1 ). This fact highlights the unequal relationship between volunteers and locals in terms of distribution of power . As Foller-Carroll and Charlebois remark , numerous studies point to “ resentment of the visitor […] due to a perceived implied superiority and threat to cultural values and beliefs ” ( 2016 , p . 3 ). The locals experience a significant “ social distance ” from volunteers , making their lives feel inferior in comparison ( ibid .). These examples demonstrate colonialism ’ s lingering presence and establish Africa ’ s role as a source of capital for volunteers to profit from , as will be discussed in the following sections . Having illustrated the exploitative nature of Europe ’ s relationship with Africa in general , I will now address the specifics of the Agape programme within this context . The previous section demonstrated the effects of Western exploitation and colonialism on Africa . In this paragraph , I will use the Agape programme as an example to expose colonialist elements