09.05.2022/XNUMX/XNUMX / Tips & things worth knowing
Donations in kind for Africa and Asia
During your volunteer work you have the opportunity to do a lot of good: your commitment can be of great importance for the local people!
Our volunteers often only notice on site where their help is needed. Our projects often lack equipment and everyday things.
Would you also like to make a meaningful contribution here? Then it is advisable to inform yourself in advance what exactly might be needed. In addition to your time and commitment donation, you can also bring additional donations in kind for Africa, Asia or Latin America, as in our example for one Donation to a school in Ghana. What options you have, your donations in kind for your Volunteer project abroad to organize, you will find out in this blog post!
Bring donations in kind from your home country
If you decide to bring donations in kind from your home country, you have several options for obtaining them: you can, for example, buy them, ask companies for free and useful promotional items, or rely on your own pool of products (e.g. toys, school supplies, etc.) access. Of course, you can also ask friends and family if they have anything they would like to donate. First of all, of course, you have to know what is needed in your project at all. Here are some suggestions:
Useful in the social area
- Toys (balls, cars, balloons, stuffed animals etc.)
- clothes and shoes
- Pens, painting supplies, pads
- Care and hygiene items (soap, diapers, washcloths)
educational material for schools
- School books and children's books (in English or in the local language)
- Writing material (pens, blocks, erasers, sharpeners)
- Painting supplies (colored pencils, stickers, colored paper)
Contact the local teams
You also have the option that Asking members of our local teams what donations in kind would make sense. They know best what exactly is needed and can refer you to your future contact person in the project if necessary.
How does the transport work?
Next, you need to think about transportation. You can use one for your flight book additional luggage. As a rule, this costs an additional sum, which differs depending on the airline. Just ask your airline. For example, you can bring old clothes, modern teaching materials or care items with you, as these are often more expensive locally.
Furthermore, it is possible to Send package to Africa or Asia. However, these are expensive, especially to Africa, and don't give you the ability to ship as much as you might like. With DHL, a 5 kg package to Africa costs around 45 euros. Packages are therefore particularly suitable for smaller quantities or lighter products.
Obtain donations in person
You can too take care of donations in your destination country. This eliminates the question of transport. You can also discuss directly with your contact person in the project which articles would be particularly helpful. By buying products locally, you also support the locals and the country's economy, However, your donations are therefore limited to the products that are available on the spot.
The items masquerading as donations in kind for Africa, Asia or Latin America are often cheap in these countries – comparatively cheaper than in Germany, for example. Even if you want to donate teaching materials, such as textbooks, in the local language, this is of course the easiest place to get it. Another advantage: the locals know the products and can tell you exactly what they need.
It doesn't always have to be huge and expensive. Colored pencils and books often make a difference. For larger donations, you can also get support from third parties or companies. Our street children project in Ghana has one like that Support experience.
Collecting donations in kind for Africa and Asia
It also makes sense at home Collect money for these donations in your destination country. Also, once you've arrived, you can organize a fundraiser on Instagram or another social network. However, transfers should be received via a German private account, since the transaction fees to Africa can cost 10 to 30 euros.
Donation campaigns are very popular with our volunteers. With this donation you can support your project in various ways. Because you know exactly what is needed on site and you can hand it over to your project in person.
Commitment is worthwhile!
Every donationno matter how small, makes a difference. A ball can keep many children busy for hours, and a pack of pencils gives a whole class a chance to practice writing!
More about this topic can be found in our Magazine contribution to RGV Returnees.
World traveler and passionate supporter of volunteer projects worldwide since 1999.
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