From tourist to development worker. Private development initiatives in the Netherlands

This article describes and analyses the rise of small scale, voluntary development organisations (private development initiatives, PDI) in the Netherlands. The concept of PDI is disentangled and this alternative development actor is positioned in the ?philanteral aid channel?. Using data of almost 900 PDIs, the characteristics, their founders and members are presented. Furthermore, we describe the support they offer to developing countries and shed a light on their involvement in cooperation.