Pack for a Purpose

Mikaela Price – Marketing Assistant – South America Travel Centre

On a trip to South America it is common for people to leave a little extra room in their suitcase for purchasing some of the many amazing mementos on offer throughout the continent. What if you could use your spare suitcase space to impact the lives of families and children in local communities? And still manage to fit in all of your Peruvian textiles and bottles of Pisco?

Rebecca Rothney, the founder and chairperson of Pack for a Purpose realised the impact that travellers could have on the lives of those in the areas that they are visiting whilst travelling to Botswana for the second time. She wanted to make use of her luggage allowance by taking supplies for a local school. When she arrived and saw the demand for simple school supplies such as rulers, she swore she would do this every time she travelled, which then turned into wanting to make others do the same.

Since then, Pack for a Purpose, which is currently celebrating its 10th year has taken over 165,728kgs of supplies to over 60 countries all around the world, helping to meet many different communities’ essential needs.

Student at Sol Y Luna School, Sacred Valley, Peru

You can make a huge difference by simply checking if there are any initiatives in the areas that you are travelling to and their requested needs list. Even as little as 2kg worth of necessary items can make a deeply positive impact. Most of the time, it can be as simple as just giving it to the reception where you are staying. Some of the common required items are coloured pencils, crayons, solar powered calculators, rulers, compasses and erasers.

Sol Y Luna School, Sacred Valley, Peru

There are 5 sectors that the charity focuses their support on;

Education – with over 525 education projects supported around the world items taken for schools, after-school programs and libraries can make a huge difference to the children in the community.

Health – there are 75 health projects supported around the world including clinics, hospitals, HIV/AIDS projects and maternal health centres.

Child Welfare – Pack for a Purpose supports 75 child welfare projects around the world including orphanages and group homes.

Animal Welfare – there are 40 animal welfare projects supported around the world, including anti-poaching projects, animal conservation projects, animal clinics and humane societies.

Socio-Economic Development – 20 socio-economic developments are supported around the world through Pack for a Purpose with artist initiatives, basket-weaving co-operatives and sewing and beading projects.

There are opportunities to contribute to Pack for a Purpose in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. There are also many options in Central America. Below are some examples of the properties and boats in South America that participate in the initiative.