“How many times have you been travelling and visited a school or community or local charity that you would love to help? The school needs books, or a map or pencils; an orphanage needs children’s clothes or toys. All things that, if only you’d known, you could’ve stuffed in your rucksack. But once you get home you forget, or you’ve lost the address, or worry that whatever you send will be stolen before it even gets there…”
Kate Humble did not just wonder, she has done something about it and set up a website to help you know what best to stuff your rucksack with, when you travel. StuffYourRucksack.com
I travelled to Morocco with Venus Adventures and part of that trip was to stay with a berber family in the Atlas mountains. Our guide Julie Paterson suggested what we should take to share – pens, paper, jewellery, soccer balls. It was great to be able to share something from our rucksacks with this small community. As the sun went down and the snow threatened, I spent a memorable hour in a candlelit room with an 8 year old girl trying on jewellery and making shadow puppets on the wall. No word of language in common, but a world shared.
Hi there,
I have travelled in many places where people before me have distributed gifts to the poor while travelling. It really upsets me to see foreigners do this…. I strongly belive it does more damage than good as it creates an expectation that westerners will give gifts when the visit these villages and encourages begging.
As a result of this gift distribution – the village people don’t see you as a person, they see you as a means to get something worth money. It also leads to an unfair distribution of goods (the ones that get in your face will get the stuff). Travelling through Asia with kids chasing me ‘money, money, money’ ‘biscuit’ ‘biscuit’ ‘biscuit’ is really disheartening. The best experiences were the places that dont get many tourists and the people wanted to be with you, speak english with you and share experiences with you. If you really want to give them something – give them a memory. Show them photos of your country, spend time with people, teach them some english…etc
I strongly recommend that instead of distributing gifts directly to the villagers – give them to the head teachers at the schools, orphanages…etc or give them to a local aid/volunteer agency to distribute fairly. Or donate money or time to a local charity.
Whatever you do – think about your motive for what you are doing – it is hard to see poverty while travelling. Are you giving the gifts to help the community? Or are you really just doing it to make yourself feel better?
Hey – sorry… I just re-read my comment. I should have been more clear. Giving things to organisations, schools and charities for distribution is good. Distributing directly to villagers (especially children) is what I think causes more harm than good!!!
Hi julia, very good points. I agree with you that giving via existing structures is the best thing to do.
And we need to check who are we doing this for – to relieve our consciences, as a feel good or to make a real difference in peoples lives – the latter being my passion.
Sometimes simply spending money locally on food and accommodation, instead of living in more protected hostel/hotel environments where all expenses are paid.