A story about the merits and pitfalls of short-term volunteering abroad, or "voluntourism."

Affluent college students from Boston embark on a one-week goodwill trip to the slums of Lima, Peru in this story about the phenomenon of volunteer vacations, which have fast become both a hallmark and a point of controversy for today's socially conscious generation. In their attempts to teach English and rehab developmentally disabled children, the students must confront the reality of their work and whether or not it's creating positive change. A fresh take on a classic moral dilemma, H.O.P.E. WAS HERE deals with the intersection of privilege and poverty by asking what it really means to help people.—Anonymous