When Ophelia was 18 years old, she traveled to Haiti to volunteer at an eye clinic. As a British teenager straight out of boarding school without any practical skills, her narrative fits perfectly into the withering criticism that is often directed at “voluntourists.” In a recent New York Times article, The Voluntarist’s Dilemma, Jacob Kushner described voluntourists as well-intentioned people doing more harm than good by displacing local laborers, traumatizing vulnerable children, and privileging short term, superficial results instead of long-term substantial ones. From these anecdotes, Kushner jumps to a sweeping conclusion: unless you’re a doctor or development expert, go back to your hotel. Go be a tourist, and leave changing the world to the pros.

Some of Kushner’s observations are accurate, but his conclusion is overreaching. Most people who have spent extended periods of time in a developing country have stumbled across self-congratulatory and ineffective acts of service. I’ve seen volunteers handing out hundreds of pairs of imported flip-flops to kids in Port-au-Prince who already had shoes, much to the dismay of local sandal vendors, effectively killing their business.

Certainly voluntourists should be held to a higher standard. Volunteering must be well designed in order to mitigate any unintended negative consequences, and we should push for industry innovation and reforms: it must not displace local laborers or jeopardize children. It must be designed in conjunction with communities on-the-ground to ensure long-term planning. Indeed, scholars and organizers of student volunteering are already addressing such reforms have named their new standards “Fair Trade Learning.”

Selecting a few critical anecdotes (and avoiding any positive ones) is misleading and maligns all volunteers. Some voluntourists are counterproductive, but many participate in well-designed service activities created by ethical nonprofit organizations who are working to meet the needs of communities all over the world.

As an example: a family from Colorado with two young children recently volunteered at a soup kitchen in Mexico. Their presence brought smiles to local staff and at-risk kids who were delighted to have guests share stories from other parts of the world. The family’s modest donation helped the kitchen purchase food for weeks, buoying the local nonprofit leader, Maria-Elena, who has devoted her life to nourishing the bodies and hearts in her community. And the family left with renewed inspiration to do more.