2010 Dominican Gifts-in-Kind Project To All Friends, In the very near future (date hidden for safety purposes) Dave Moore and I will be going to the Dominican Republic again for pleasure but at the same time we wanted to bring down some donations to bring to schools as we've done in previous trips. This time however through much research I discovered that delivering goods directly to schools, although a great and rewarding experience, doesn't always prove to be as beneficial as we would assume. Direct donations to schools often go unrecorded and may not find their way into classrooms or the hands of the children or volunteers who need them.When we've done this in the past we had a local friend help distribute the donations directly into the students hands ensuring that these unaccounted-for donations aren't stolen for personal use, left unused or even thrown away. However, visiting schools unannounced disrupts classrooms and can intrude on their learning environment. It isn't fair to them to have their school yards take on the appearance of tourist attractions as well as teaching the children that Tourists=Gifts. So, I found an organization called the DREAM project (www.dominicandream.org). After directly talking to their US Office and also their Dominican Office Manager I believe them to be an honest and legit organization. I've even come across a Canadian Children's foundation called Beyond The Beach who has made monetary and gifts-in-kind to the DREAM project (see their website for photos at www.beyondthebeach.ca. Side note: I'm also talking to them about re-doing their website as it really doesn't do their organization justice). The other thing is, I don't necessarily want to give to a religion based organization. I'm not sure why this bothers me but it does a little bit. The Problem(s) Monetary Donations - Giving monetary donations, although great, doesn't always end up being as much as you hope due to legal fees and middle men etc. Doing direct transfer can cost one money as well and may not be a safe option for some. Plus to make any of these worth while, its ideal to have a somewhat substantial donation. Shipping Supplies or Gifts - Due to some of the corruption in the Dominican more often than not, shipments to the Dominican may never reach their destination. They can be opened and anything of value could be stolen. I've experienced this first hand as I tried to send a package to a friend of mine in the Dominican and it was returned back to Canada (due to insufficient shipping or something). When I opened the package which looked like it was tampered with, I noticed that the contents, a DVD sized picture and frame were opened as well as the sealed envelope containing my thank you card. I suspect they were looking for a cheque or cash. Thankfully there wasn't anything of monetary value so this time I'll be hand delivering the gift directly to him in Rio San Juan this time around. Hard to acquire gifts - Most of us know that school supplies are always in need but there are also some supplies we may not always think of such as printer cartridges, computer cables etc. For some of these places, getting an ink cartridge sent to them (if it's not stolen in the process) can cost a few hundred dollars as opposed to $80 to $120 for us here in Canada. A Viable Solution I've contacted these organizations directly (thankfully most are fluent in English) and asked if they had any specific "hard to get or expensive" items they could use which may not be on one's typical list. I've made a list and Dave and myself have started acquiring or purchasing some of these items to bring down. The other benefit to this method is that we get to support our economy by purchasing the goods here in Canada. Then by strategically packing our "vacation clothes" into a single suitcase and possible carry-on's we get to load up the other suitcase and/or carry-on's with just over 40lbs. worth of specific goods, maybe even more. While we're down there we'll be renting a car (an already planned expense for visiting my friend) and driving by the DREAM office and delivering the goods personally ensuring that all we bring down will be delivered to them. When the items are received, they get catalogued and distributed to various schools or offices who need them. What has been or will be included in the list of gifts-in-kind? Childrens Pain Killers, Band-Aids, Toothbrushes, Toothpaste, Pencils, Canon PC 940 Ink cartridge, Epson Stylus Photo r280 Ink Cartridges, USB and Computer cables, Rubberbands, Construction Paper, Erasures, Pencil Sharpeners, and more items will be included to maximize our check-in weight limits. A Small Request To offset the expense of purchased items I've prepared this page and am sending out requests to our immediate circle of friends to donate or "pitch in" ANY amount. Even if it's just a dollar or two from everybody it ends up being worth a lot more than that by the time it gets down there as purchased goods. For example, a 24 pack of pencils at the dollar store is a buck but costs much more to get down there. Also, 24 pencils could mean that a class of 24 students will be able to write at school for the entire week (assuming they use one a week). I could create one of those sad videos depicting children in need but we've all seen those and personally I don't like it when it's used as a "Guilt Trip Tactic". How to donate? Simple, just let me know by email or by using the form below how much you'd like to pitch in and then next time one of us sees you we'll pick it up. If you know of a few of your own close friends who I may not know and would like to ask them that's great, if you wouldn't mind collecting the money and also their names so I can add them to the thank you page I plan on creating after we've delivered everything.
What about supporting recent events in Haiti? Due to recent the earthquakes in Haiti, The DREAM project is also supporting children and schools there as well so there'a good chance that some of the items we deliver will get to them. Why am I doing this? I've been sponsoring a child in El Salvador for the past few years and although I'm sure it helps, it doesn't give me as much satisfaction as gifts-in-kind as I'm always asking myself how much of my donation is really being forwarded or spent efficiently. Plus, if this project turns out to be successful, I'd like to help others do the same for their trip as well as continue to do so on my next trips. I mean the chances of me using the entire weight limit offered by the airlines is quite low (g-strings only baby!). On behalf of Dave and myself thank you very much! Mitch Mommaerts Additional Resources About the DREAM Project The Dominican Republic Education And Mentoring (DREAM) Project is a US 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that provides quality education for children born into poverty in rural areas and small communities of the Dominican Republic by combining volunteerism, international awareness and community involvement into a sustainable support system. For more information visit their website at www.dominicandream.org. |