Suitcases of Humanity: How to Become More Than Just a Tourist on Your Next Trip
When you’re going on vacation, you pack the essentials – passport, camera, comfy shoes. But, what about bringing a suitcase full of medical supplies? If you knew you could make a positive difference by taking an extra suitcase abroad, would you do it?
H*#l yeah, WE DID!
And, we can’t wait to do it again!
Last month, my family and I brought two luggages of humanitarian aid with us to urgent care clinics in the Domenican Republic and Haiti. As a volunteer with Not Just Tourists Toronto (NJT), a non-profit that collects and delivers medical supplies to remote clinics in need, I had some experience packing many suitcases, the next step was to deliver them.
Bring a Suitcase, Change a Life
To tell you the truth, there is an entire process that is involved when you bring a suitcase. From packing, unpacking, checking-in at the airport, to finding the right clinic and person to talk to and getting those confirmation forms signed, it does require a bit of organization, patience and creativity. Firstly, here are some tips that we learned along the way. Thus, we hope if you choose to become more than just a tourist on your next trip, this information will be helpful to you.
1. Know what’s inside your NJT packed suitcase. Make sure you have unpacked and packed your luggage a few days before your trip so you know what’s inside. Since you are bringing it with you, you are responsible for all the contents. Customs may want to inspect your luggage, so be ready to open it. In addition, place your documents inside the suitcase to have it handy. “The documentation is a couple of generic letters in various languages listing the basic stuff, what it’s for, the aim of the organisation and that it’s not for sale; that it’s a humanitarian gift/donation for people in need and that it’s not a religious or politically motivated thing.”
At the NJT meeting, I mentioned that I had some extra toothbrushes to donate. The supervisor said it was okay to bring it as long as I included it on the check list.
2. Jot down the names of medical clinics in the area where you’ll be staying in advance. NJT has an informative website with a worldwide listing of clinics that have accepted NJT medical supplies. If you find the appropriate clinic on their database, great! Write it down. If there is no information available on-line, you’ll have to stick with more traditional ways such as word of mouth and knocking on doors.
Our inital plan of action looked like this: arrive in Puerto Plata and find a Gua Gua (local van) to take us to a town called Santiago. With two large luggages in tow, it made sense to drop off one luggage asap. Therefore, we asked a few airport staff if they knew of any “clinica medicas” all to no avail. Our next step was to hire a taxi driver and ask them to drive us to the nearest medical clinic. Nonetheless, the taxi mafia wanted $60US one way for a 8km drive which was beyond our budget (afterall, we are a family of backpackers).
Not All Angels Have Wings
Confused and not knowing where to go, we kept asking around when we encountered Helen (who we call our “guardian angel”). Clearly, Helen was our saving grace, a Sunwing Supevisor (originally from the U.K, and who lived on the island for over 20 years). She was kind enough to help us find a clinic and drive us there. It should be noted, we were all first timers when it came to finding this “clinic.” Nevertheless, we heavily relied on local information that sounded like this, “the hospital is 200 metres straight and you will see a slight bend on the right, turn there and you will see the hospital.” Okay, Entiendo.
Truthfully, we did our best to follow those directions except, it took us in many circles, forcing us to stop to ask for more directions. After twenty minutes, we received additional information such as “keep driving east and it will be near a market, follow a large patch of grass and then pass a school.” Honestly, I think it took almost 45 mins to find this so-called clinic that was suppose to be 8 kms away. In turn, we were about to give up until we stopped at a pick-up track packed with fresh yellow pineapples in the back. The farmer pointed in another direction, so we thanked him and crossed our fingers.
This is the Sign We Were Looking For
Suprisingly, as we were passing the hospital we noticed a small sign in the distance which read Hospital General Gregorie Luperon. We reversed and were able to drop off our suitcase…..finally! Also, we learned this hospital provides care for over 250,000 people. The administrator Ligia reported “the most common injuries are from motorcycle accidents”. The staff appeared grateful for the donation.
3. Check in if your airline provider subsidizes the cost of humanitarian aid. NJT informed me that a few airlines will check-in one luggage free of charge (if it is for humanitarian aid). Since it was my first time, I called WestJet in advance to double check their policy regarding this and it was true. I was confident there would be no problems, but was willing to pay if I had to. For more information on other airline carriers, check out Airline Baggage & Humanitarian Aid Policies on the NJT website.
Once we arrived to Pearson International, our check-in process was flawless. With my customs and immigrations letter on-hand, I was ready to open the suitcases for inspection, but nope, didn’t need to do it. As revealed by the WestJet employee, “All paid luggage get on first and if there’s room on the plane (which there usually is), humanitarian aid go last.” I was happy to hear that WestJet airlines would cover the cost both luggages, free-of-charge. Plus, the staff at the check-in counter were so helpful. It really did make this process a breeze. Now, everyone, fly Westjet! They rock! (The least I can do is provide free advertising). 🙂
So, You’ve Dropped Off the Suitcase, Now What?
4. Make sure to fill out the appropriate forms. If English is not the first language, we suggest bringing the confirmation check-list translated in the local language (as well as an English copy for yourself). You will thank us later, but this will avoid having to translate the entire checklist of medical supplies yourself. If all else fails, a smile goes a long way.
In turn, we were backpacking to Spanish and French speaking countries so we brought copies of each. Since my husband and I are fluent in both languages, it really helped us with communicating who we are and what are intentions were. In addition, we suggest writing down a list of common phrases that will assist in explaining who you are and what your intentions are if you do not speak the local language. Sounds simple, but language barriers often exist and you want to avoid playing a game of charades (unless you really like charades).
You’ll Need to Have Alot of This
5. Don’t forget to bring some patience. In developing countries, things are not organized as in the West. Things take time, and not everything goes as planned. However, it is important to have an open-mind and lots of patience. Especially, if some of the medical staff have never encountered a tourist before, or tourists bringing free supplies. At times, you may find yourself waiting…waiting to find a place, waiting in traffic, waiting for information, waiting to find the right person to speak with or just waiting for the sake of waiting. Remember, this is a part of the process of doing what you came to do, to help those in need. Trust me when I say this, everything you’ve done up to this point is deeply appreciated.
6. Enjoy the journey. For some, this will be the first time going into a local village or an area outside of your comfort zone. A smile goes a long way or a simple “hello” in the local language. You may think you are just dropping off a suitcase of medical supplies, but it is more than that. Just the humble act of bringing a donation, knowing lives will be changed because of it. For many medical facilities, there just isn’t enough support that often doctors/nurses have to make-do without the basics. For instance, one of the clinics we visited in the Domenican Republic, requested twin bed sheets since it was scarce. Ligia stated, “many people are asked to bring their own bedding.”
What We Learned From All of This
Believe me, bringing a suitcase full of essential medical supplies is a life-changing experience – especially for the people who need it the most. Without a doubt, this journey has changed our lives for the better by knowing we helped a community. I feel humbled to been able to participate in this experience with my husband and 4 yr old son. When you live in a country like Canada, we are lucky to have access to free health care. Thus, we never have to worry about running out of medical supplies or assistance. Unfortunately, it is easy to take this for granted. Unfortunately, in other parts of the world, it is the opposite.
Did you know?
Avi D’Souza, is the founder of the NJT Toronto and started the Toronto chapter in a garage. Over 1,800 suitcases have been donated (packed with more than 40,000 pounds of medical supplies and equipment to over 87 countries).
If you’re going abroad, I highly recommend bringing a suitcase from NJT. All you have to do is find the closest NJT chapter and pick up an already packed suitcase of medical supplies. If you’re interested in attending a “packing party,” do so! Meet other like-minded volunteers who want to make a positive change in the world. Connect with locals and the community. Just by dropping off a suitcase, it opens up the lines of communication to get to know, learn about others and the world.
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