I thought that this was a really interesting article, and one that I agree with in many ways, so I wanted to pass it along.
7 Worst International Aid Ideas
Although I appreciate the sentiment of Toms Shoes, I personally can't justify the cost and would rather buy less expensive shoes and donate the difference to organizations that I can hold accountable and can use their money to both provide for people's needs and stimulate the local economy. (Full disclosure, although I have several friends who love Toms shoes, I don't own any and never have--I am not such a fan of how they look--so if they are the world's most amazing shoes to wear, I don't know that:-)
Before we went to Addis, I had read many blogs re what to pack, had my geeked out spreadsheets of packing info, and felt ready and informed about what was and wasn't available in Addis. Included in our suitcases were donations for our son's orphanage and care center, namely formula, disposable diapers, cloth diapers, and shoes. All the blogs I read and people I spoke with said, "you can't get diapers or formula in Addis" "the kids all need shoes and shoes there aren't made well"...blah, blah, blah...
Well...you know what...I think it would have been smarter to avoid any extra baggage fees and only take specialized items that absolutely can't be purchased in Addis like:
-Childrens Benadryl
-high quality hypoallergenic formula like Nutramigen and maybe quality regular formula--check first with the orphanage re what formula they are using as many are quite specific (we took 8 of the giant 40oz tubs of Target formula as it's supposedly the same formulation as the Enfamil formula our care center used)
-new, high-quality cloth diapers and covers IF you know the orphanage/care center will use them
and then I would have used the money I would have spent on extra baggage fees or buying items in the US to buy diapers and shoes and food for the orphanage while in Ethiopia. Shoes are readily available new or used, basic shoes like crocs are very inexpensive and can be found anywhere. Disposable diapers are easy to find and not that much more expensive than in the US. The quality is not quite as good, but they are serviceable (just bring some good ones for your kid(s) on the flight home b/c that does make a big difference when you are on a plane!):-) This way, you can buy more quantity, support the local economy, and talk to the orphanage first to make sure that they need what you are buying.
The donations we brought were much appreciated and I'm sure went to good use, but I think that the above strategy would have been more effective, more wide reaching, and would also have had the impact of helping the local economy. It's really true that you can buy almost anything in Addis. It may not be quite the same quality as you are used to at home and the price may be as much as in the US (which is really expensive in Addis) or even a little more, but you can find it (except Benadryl, bring that with you for sure! Childrens Claritin syrup is readily available, but multiple doctors and pharmacists told us that neither Benadryl nor epipens were available--scary news for a mama who is allergic to bees and a B who we learned the hard way in Ethiopia was allergic to eggs!).
So, I guess today's ramble is a support of the"buy local"philosophy.
***On a totally unrelated note, I am reading Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali and it is incredibly moving, fascinating, and eye opening.***
7 Worst International Aid Ideas
Although I appreciate the sentiment of Toms Shoes, I personally can't justify the cost and would rather buy less expensive shoes and donate the difference to organizations that I can hold accountable and can use their money to both provide for people's needs and stimulate the local economy. (Full disclosure, although I have several friends who love Toms shoes, I don't own any and never have--I am not such a fan of how they look--so if they are the world's most amazing shoes to wear, I don't know that:-)
Before we went to Addis, I had read many blogs re what to pack, had my geeked out spreadsheets of packing info, and felt ready and informed about what was and wasn't available in Addis. Included in our suitcases were donations for our son's orphanage and care center, namely formula, disposable diapers, cloth diapers, and shoes. All the blogs I read and people I spoke with said, "you can't get diapers or formula in Addis" "the kids all need shoes and shoes there aren't made well"...blah, blah, blah...
Well...you know what...I think it would have been smarter to avoid any extra baggage fees and only take specialized items that absolutely can't be purchased in Addis like:
-Childrens Benadryl
-high quality hypoallergenic formula like Nutramigen and maybe quality regular formula--check first with the orphanage re what formula they are using as many are quite specific (we took 8 of the giant 40oz tubs of Target formula as it's supposedly the same formulation as the Enfamil formula our care center used)
-new, high-quality cloth diapers and covers IF you know the orphanage/care center will use them
and then I would have used the money I would have spent on extra baggage fees or buying items in the US to buy diapers and shoes and food for the orphanage while in Ethiopia. Shoes are readily available new or used, basic shoes like crocs are very inexpensive and can be found anywhere. Disposable diapers are easy to find and not that much more expensive than in the US. The quality is not quite as good, but they are serviceable (just bring some good ones for your kid(s) on the flight home b/c that does make a big difference when you are on a plane!):-) This way, you can buy more quantity, support the local economy, and talk to the orphanage first to make sure that they need what you are buying.
The donations we brought were much appreciated and I'm sure went to good use, but I think that the above strategy would have been more effective, more wide reaching, and would also have had the impact of helping the local economy. It's really true that you can buy almost anything in Addis. It may not be quite the same quality as you are used to at home and the price may be as much as in the US (which is really expensive in Addis) or even a little more, but you can find it (except Benadryl, bring that with you for sure! Childrens Claritin syrup is readily available, but multiple doctors and pharmacists told us that neither Benadryl nor epipens were available--scary news for a mama who is allergic to bees and a B who we learned the hard way in Ethiopia was allergic to eggs!).
So, I guess today's ramble is a support of the"buy local"philosophy.
***On a totally unrelated note, I am reading Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali and it is incredibly moving, fascinating, and eye opening.***
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