YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Many visitors to Sosua and other parts of the Dominican Republic are a palled by the highly visible poverty. Since there is no Community Chest or United way in Sosua Here is a suggestion as to how you can help and make a difference. If you have plans to visit the DR, prior to your trip gather up all your old T-shirts, blouses, jeans, shorts and running shoes (sneakers or gym shoes if you wish), sandals etc and take them with you. If you have the time, you can even put the arm on your neighbours and friends for their contributions. In the DR you will find they will be warmly received even if in your estimation they had seen better days. Don’t be too concerned if it appears you will be over your weight allowance, if you are, contact your airline, be it Transat, Canada 3000, Condor, Martinair, American or any other, chances are very good that when you explain the reason, they will be pleased to allow the excess weight at no extra charge. As an example, Joy, a retired Canadian woman who lives in Toronto during the summer and Sosua in the winter spends her summers collecting all kinds of clothing. A couple of years ago she had over 700 lbs. (more than 300 kilos) of clothing to take with her to Sosua in November. Airtansat (bless their hearts) charged her absolutely nothing and when she arrived in Puerto Plata, Philippe, the airtransat head honcho in the DR helped her retrieve everything and get her on her way. Then, Dr. Bob an American vet and his wife who live near Sosua helped her distribute it all to an orphanage in the campo. Obviously everyone does not have the time and inclination for such an endeavor but everyone's efforts however small are always much appreciated. You can hand out what you bring to your hotel staff, chances are your room maid, gardener or restaurant server or someone at your favorite pub will have small children at home, You can even give them to the shoeshine boys on the street and watch their eyes light up and those wonderful ear-to-ear smiles appear with a soft “Gracias amigo.” If you haven’t brought anything with you, you can always leave your older clothes behind you. It leaves more room for the important things you are taking home like Dominican rum and other souvenirs. It also gives you a warn feeling all over and you have made a difference. Have a great vacation!

Excellent post! and 100% correct on the donations that you mention,what can mean very little to us can make a world of a difference to locals.Another small gift to bring would be any type of teaching books such as language dictionary's,they can bought cheap at almost any book store and soon become valuable teaching aids for the locals.Most Dominicans I have met have were all thirsty to learn another language.

Sonny

Good post. I also bring down all my extra clothes to give away. I would not however advise people to exceed the limits (usually 2 70 pound bags and 1 carry-on), hoping they will get an exception when they explain the reason. Most peoples' bags are loaded up with gifts on these flights, so I don't think that explanation is going to carry much weight. They had better call and ask. The overweight charge is not insignificant, and very real.

Also, customs can and might charge you if you over do it. It doesn't matter that you make a claim that you are giving the stuff away. I believe except for Dominicans passport holders over Christmas, the limit is US$200 value in gifts.

thank you. You are so right. Books are so welcome. Even when there are no hurricanes which attract international attention the beat still goes on in countries like the D.R. When you meet children in the Dominican Republic they are so anxious to learn about other countries and also learn other languages. When you consider only about forty years ago Trujillo was in power, the country is progressing rapidly. Even the average working stiff tourist can offer so much more than just the money they spend when they visit.

Yes Jim you are correct overweight charges can be extremely high. I did mention that people should contact their airline first to get permission for overweight baggage. also, since many of the flights into POP are charter whose passengers are usually waved through without any inspection, so chances are extremely good they will not have a problem with customs although no doubt there can be exceptions. After countless trips to the airport over the years when i was permitted to walk right through into baggage claim to meet arriving guests and friends, the only people I recall being hassled were returning Dominicans. That was my experience.

Most of the time, that's how it will go. You will be waved through. I do get searched about 1 in 15 trips, more recently than before. Things have become much more official in the last year, complete with a required customs form and all. The appearance of not understanding Spanish helps, in my opinion, becuase a response of "Americano" or "YOOO HAAABLLOOO ESPANYOOOLE UNNN POOOQUIIITOOO" in response to ANY question usually gets us the wave through, but having a passport chock full of Dominican entry/exit stamps sometimes raises questions.

Some of the items that have raised some curiosity include croissant rolls in a can, steaks, spices, the wide array of electronics I sometimes travel with (computer, video player, CD player, hand-held 2-way radios, GPS, cameras, cell phone, various power cords and chargers, protable fans, etc.), and unusual water sports accessories.

We've never been hassled, ever. I don't consider being searched and questioned, being hassled, since they are just doing their job and it is no different arriving back in my own country.

But once, arriving in La Romana (carryon bags only), my girlfriend and I were stopped at the exit door and brought back to be searched, after having already been waved through customs.

Jim Hinsch
JimHinsch@CSI.COM

Three months ago, when I went to volunteer in the D.R. I brought 2 suitcases full of medical supplies and I was never questioned. The only problem that you may have is if you pack clothes or any donations in a taped box, the customs get suspicious and usually investigate.
Anything you can bring as said above is very useful, especially if you visit any of the bateyes (areas where the haitians are brought to cut sugar cane in slave-like conditions).

I bring some of the same kinds of things, careful to remain within weight limits. Last Easter my church group donated some clothing to bring. Some people even bought new children's clothing; but some people donated old items that were not in a condition that donations should be in. Sorry to say that you have to be clear that used shoes and clothes should be in good condition - no tears, stains, stretched out elastic - but something that you would still wear if it still fit. The items are well appreciated and I love to see the smiles. I took photos of the kids wearing their new outfits.