We signed up with GlobeDrop last year (in fact they are a huge supporter of our travel journey and the book we are writing) so it was with much anticipation that we were finally able to add our first experience to the long list of blog posts I had to write. We would have done it earlier but there aren't many GlobeDrop organisations on the list in Peru - in fact there are only 3 at present; 1 in Cusco and 2 in Arequipa - so as soon as we arrived in Arequipa, it was our mission to help out immediately.
As part of our meaningful travel plan, we planned to donate items to Casa Hogar Luz Alba, a children's shelter in Arequipa (http://www.casahogarluzalba.org/). They were in need of antibiotics, children's clothes, balls, pens, band aids, blankets, books, pencils, cotton buds, toys, diapers, juice boxes, jump ropes, paper pads, pasta, powdered milk, rice, soap, socks, sugar, tooth brushes and water paint so we had quite a task ahead of us.
Emilia and I had a budget - 300 soles - so we set off to the grocery store to buy as many of these things as we could - we needed to make our money stretch as much as possible. It was a great exercise for Emilia - she was helping me decide what we should purchase and then we would look at the costs and see what was the best option. The final tally came to 298.05 - not bad at all.
As part of our meaningful travel plan, we planned to donate items to Casa Hogar Luz Alba, a children's shelter in Arequipa (http://www.casahogarluzalba.org/). They were in need of antibiotics, children's clothes, balls, pens, band aids, blankets, books, pencils, cotton buds, toys, diapers, juice boxes, jump ropes, paper pads, pasta, powdered milk, rice, soap, socks, sugar, tooth brushes and water paint so we had quite a task ahead of us.
Emilia and I had a budget - 300 soles - so we set off to the grocery store to buy as many of these things as we could - we needed to make our money stretch as much as possible. It was a great exercise for Emilia - she was helping me decide what we should purchase and then we would look at the costs and see what was the best option. The final tally came to 298.05 - not bad at all.
Following our shop, the experience was fairly simple. We logged onto the GlobeDrop website and let Casa Hogar Luz Alba know exactly what we would be donating - choosing a 3 day window delivery period. The drop was confirmed and we made our way over to the children's shelter with bags in hand.
Casa Hogar Luz Alba were very appreciate of our little effort - they noted everything we had donated in a notebook and gave us a tour of their premises. We got to meet some of the children and had a peek into the nursery where all the babies were sleeping. And it was great for Emilia and Matthew to see how directly we were able to help another organisation.
Casa Hogar Luz Alba were very appreciate of our little effort - they noted everything we had donated in a notebook and gave us a tour of their premises. We got to meet some of the children and had a peek into the nursery where all the babies were sleeping. And it was great for Emilia and Matthew to see how directly we were able to help another organisation.
Once complete, we left feedback on the GlobeDrop website. The whole experience from start to finish was relatively seamless and from our perspective definitely worthwhile.
A few days later, we received this message:
"Hi Michelle, This is Miguel Garcia de Frutos, one of the trustees of Pachawawas, a UK charity that helps raising funds for Casa Hogar "Luz Alba" and I helped setting up the profile here in GlobeDrop. I'd like to thank you for your kind donation, I've seen on the website you donated a lot of things! thanks a million! I bet they were very happy at the Casa Hogar when they met you! We are new using this website, so I'd like to hear any feedback and your experience doing this, it's the first time and maybe we can improve things for future travellers like you. Once again, thanks a million for your donation! we really appreciate it!" - Miguel Garcia de Frutos http://www.pachawawas.org
From our perspective, both GlobeDrop and Casa Hogar Luz Alba are worthwhile organisations to support.
A few days later, we received this message:
"Hi Michelle, This is Miguel Garcia de Frutos, one of the trustees of Pachawawas, a UK charity that helps raising funds for Casa Hogar "Luz Alba" and I helped setting up the profile here in GlobeDrop. I'd like to thank you for your kind donation, I've seen on the website you donated a lot of things! thanks a million! I bet they were very happy at the Casa Hogar when they met you! We are new using this website, so I'd like to hear any feedback and your experience doing this, it's the first time and maybe we can improve things for future travellers like you. Once again, thanks a million for your donation! we really appreciate it!" - Miguel Garcia de Frutos http://www.pachawawas.org
From our perspective, both GlobeDrop and Casa Hogar Luz Alba are worthwhile organisations to support.
help us help others
In fact the whole experience went so well that we intend donating to another organisation next month - if you would like to help us support non-profits such as Casa Hogar Luz Alba as we travel, we would certainly appreciate your donation. All money given for a GlobeDrop will go towards items that they need and be delivered directly to the organisation.
Are you a GlobeDropper - we would love to hear about your experiences.
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