School supplies, T- shirts, caps welcome gifts in poorer nations
Ice- cold champagne was being served when I pulled out my digital camera and scrolled through my photos of the day. “I like this one the best,” I said, holding up the LCD screen so my fellow writers could see it.
“My goodness,” said the lady sitting next to me, looking in amazement. “When and where did you take those?”
“Right across the highway this morning when I arrived,” I replied, holding up the photo of poor folks from the Haitian village. “That’s the real world, just beyond the gates with the armed security.”
We were staying at an all- inclusive resort on the north coast of the Dominican Republic. While the resort was gorgeous, the real purpose of my visit was hidden on the other side of the highway. Behind the barrio where poor Dominicans lived, were even poorer Haitian refugees in tin shacks who did the grunt work that even the Dominicans wouldn’t do, like cutting sugar cane in the blazing heat for 50 cents a day.
I had received a last- minute invitation to the Dominican to review some fancy resorts, so I had no time to prepare. I also had no money to spend on buying supplies for any schools or hospitals, the kind of places I like to visit on such trips. So I went down to my basement and dug into my big box of goodies. Whenever there is a rummage sale in my neighbourhood, I buy T- shirts and baseball caps in bulk. Anything with English or Canadian words on them, stuff like Fred’s Plumbing and Electric.
A little research on Google Maps indicated that not far from my fivestar resort was a backpacker’s hostel. The website of this one- star lodge recommended that guests might want to volunteer at the local school. The owner made arrangements with the Haitian schoolteacher for my visit, and translated my speech into French for the kids.
“Pay attention to your teacher,” I said to the class, handing the teacher a dozen baseball caps and T- shirts. “Education will bring you what you need in life. It’s very important.”
Giving the caps to the kids myself would have diminished the power of the teacher. The caps and shirts, with English writing on them from a faraway destination like Canada, were exotic rewards given for homework and good marks. They represented the outside world, big cities where you might find work and money if you could read and write. I received smiles and “mercis” from the kids all around.
We were nibbling desserts that night at the resort by the time my camera had been handed around the entire table. “You do this kind of thing a lot?” asked my tablemate. “Yes,” I said, “Every chance I get.”
Anyone interested in making a difference on their journey through life should log on to pack with a purpose. org, a non- profit website that teaches how to maximize your luggage space. If you are allowed 30 kilos on an international flight, and you only bring 20, then you have 10 kilos to spare. With just two kilos, for instance, you could bring 400 pencils, five deflated soccer balls with an inflation device, a stethoscope, a blood pressure cuff and 500 Band- Aids. The local school or clinic will thank you.
This nifty website will also help you find holiday lodgings that support such community initiatives. That hotel will even deliver the supplies to their local projects on your behalf. Hey, you might even want to join or deliver the supplies yourself. Fred’s Plumbing to the rescue! Log on www.packforapurpose.org and tell them I sent you. For information on other travel tips, contact Michael McCarthy at www. intentionaltraveler.com. To listen to Michael’s many radio podcasts, log on to www.wgrnradio.com.