Several folks have asked me that question about my recent hunt to Zambia. A few of you are heading over there next year. It seems that I always answer with "take less clothes", "take more bullets", "take plenty of bug spray"... you know, really helpful stuff!

But something always gets me when I go to Africa and I don't know why I don't remember it when someone asks me that question... the kids and the poverty they endure with a smile. I sometimes forget every time I cross the big water that I am an ambassador for the USA, a land of plenty. Even our poorest have so much more than the average rural African family...

So what would I do different? For those of you who hunt with the DuPlooys, ask Laura about buying a 100 lb. bale of clothes to take with you on your charter in. The King Air can handle the weight and the cost is not bad at all, around $160 USD. We found out about this after we were already in camp and asking what we could do for the villages we drove through every day - Zokwe and Chibeza. Our PH's told us about the market where we could buy these clothes and they would have them distributed. When we got back to Lusaka, we had time to spare so Laura was kind enough to take us to a really interesting (rough) part of town where we bought a bale for each village.

No, I am still jaded enough to know it won't bring world peace... but the smile in Laura's eyes when she told us how she would make sure the clothes got to the kids that needed them made me feel like I hadn't just taken from Zambia... but that I left it a very little bit better by being there...

Your picture is worth 10,000 words. Your kindness and giving immeasurable. Thanks for the suggestion for all of us.

bwanamrm,

Your picture is worth 20 000 words!

We, who live in Africa, see actual scenes like in your photo very often. I, for one often wonder what "I" can actuall "DO" to help improve the lot of the millions of kids like those in yor photo. Sure, I can take all I have, sell it and distribute to the poor! But that will only relieve a bit of poverty in a small area.

When I saw your post it dawned on me that I can also comment very positively on your excellent suggestion. Many similar posts have suggested: "Take a big bag of candy for the kids!" and similar. Such candy sure give a lot of pleasure, and is no doubt very much appreciated. But by the time you get back to the States, the candy is long gone, and the kids are still in tatters!

I would like to suggest that here at AR the American posters do something to work with or associate with some charity, or act as individuals, and collect bales of old clothing from USA. Such old clothes can take the place of the "...bring less clothes...." in your luggage.

A gift of a bale or bundle or discarded clothes will be a long lasting relief of one aspect of the poverty. IMHO your idea and suggestion deserved the highest praise!

In good hunting.

Andrew McLaren.

Good I idea and thank you for the posting. I could not agree with you more! I just hope all take it to heart. Just ask your PH when you arrive. Most Southern African towns have cheap sencond hand clothes shops(stalls in market places)....I just know the smiles that a cap, T-shirt, knife or the like brings to the faces of my staff. I will even go as far as to say more than money, which they get a bonus from me in any case after a good hunt.

When Russell and I went to Tanzania we each took an extra duffle bag of clothes, candy, school supplies, etc. One of the best parts of our trip was passing out those items. The gratitude of the people was priceless. I know that I received far more in return than the cost of the items and the airline's extra bag charges. If your hunt is just a hunt and not an opportunity to share with and enjoy the people, you are really missing out.

Mike

Way to go Russell. That is a great idea, and easier then bringing the items from the States. And fine people like Laura can easily make this happen.

Also in the Luangwa Valley, I worked w/Peter Chipman to secure school supplies, which he was able to pick up across the boarder in Malawi. We distributed the items to the three bush schools in the Malama chiefdom. These are among my favorite and satisfying memories of Africa.

School #1 - This was the best supplied school given its location, and had been refurbished in ~2000 by a church group from England.





School #2 - This school had the most kids, and was [is still?] in need of work. The last picture taken as we drove off haunts me a bit, as the reality is that the load of supplies was just a drop in the bucket.







School #3 - A classic bush school. We drove by this numerous times usually early when they were ringing the morning bell (which was a hunk of metal from a truck hung on a tree), but didn't visit during school hours as two times when we tried the teacher was out sick so school was cancelled.



Sorry to hijack the thread.

Thanks to you as well Bill. Andrew was right, the pictures are worth 20,000 not 10,000 words.

quote:

Sorry to hijack the thread.

Bill,
You didn't hijack the thread at all! Great idea to furnish school supplies and I believe one of the state SCI chapters does the "blue bag" full of medicine and medical supplies which are also badly needed by the local populations! I still love your idea of a deflated soccer ball in the luggage! The kids above were playing soccer with big balls of used twine. I could just imagine their faces when the soccer ball was produced! Someone also mentioned frisbees... easy to transport and I am sure they would create hours of fun for these kids...

Great thread guys!
I am glad to see that so many of you have found that the people really make Africa special. I find that the memories of Africa that I carry with me every day are more likely to be about the people I met along the way than any trophies I have taken. It is humbling to go back to vist an area and hear that, upon being told of your return, the staff exclaimed, "Oh yes, the one who brought us boots!" I know that the general advice on this forum in the past has been to bring cash only, but I have found that clothes and such bring more lasting memories, and to my mind do more good. I have found that the money that I have spent on clothes/books/dolls has brought me more joy per dollar than an any trophy.

Jason

quote:

I would like to suggest that here at AR the American posters do something to work with or associate with some charity, or act as individuals, and collect bales of old clothing from USA. Such old clothes can take the place of the "...bring less clothes...." in your luggage.

I think it would be great to help the children of africa any way we can. If anyone organises a project please let me know I would love to be a part of it.

The one thing I have a problem with is anytime their is a problem in the world people allways look to the USA to solve the problem. their are many other countries repersented here Hunters from Canada, Austria, europe, South America and yes UAE. all have enough money to take verey expensive hunts, they cant also be looked to for help in reliving the suffering of the poor.

Dr B

I have been pondering over this whole poor thing for a few years know and take a stand today.From what I understand from reading these posts and talking to all kinds of people is that it seems everyone believes they are in some way more fortunate then people living in less industrialized countries.Maybe this allows one to feel superior and that is why they believe it.I think that if these people were poor or misfortunate they would not be smileing.You may believe that they must have the same posessions as yourselves to function properly.This is so wrong.What you can give someone to make them happy is this.Sunny climate,nutritious foods,ability to socialize amongst themselves(same culture),a mate(sex).See, you are really giving them nothing but are getting something in return,a lesson on how to live!

quote:

Originally posted by Dr B:

The one thing I have a problem with is anytime their is a problem in the world people allways look to the USA to solve the problem.

To highjack this thread a little, keep in mind that the US is way down the list of foreign aid per capita It's number 20 something, at the bottom of what is considered major western donators). And I'm not saying that is wrong or right. It's just a fact. While on the otherhand, the northern European countries top the list, with Norway being number 1 (hovering just above 1% of GNP that goes to foreign aid compaired to 0.15% for the US). This adds up to an average of US$400 a year of my tax money that goes to "helping" Africans, while an American "gives" an average of US$50 per year thru taxes. So I can't say that I feel that we (the rest of the "rich" world) aren't doing our bit.

Nor do I personally approve of the majority of such foreign aid, as I have seen with my own eyes how missused it usually is, and how it makes corruption blossom. And also how dependant it makes the country on continuing to recieve such aid, instead of working itself upwards to independency by it's own meager means. Even if this will take a lot of blood, sweat and tears...

I have in fact met educated locals who are convinced that the only way for their poor countries to become truly independant is indeed to cut out all foreign aid. Only by forcing their people to stand up on their own again do they believe that their countries will have a prosperous future. Without the "help" of handouts.

I'll also add that in my experiance, direct handouts to locals might be greatly appreciated right then and there, but I can tell you that besides creating a form of dependency, I have seen a hell of a lot of such handouts being sold the day after at the local markets to other locals for highway robbery prices. At least considering that the handouts were givin to the recipient for free.

It may be that the locals don't have fine cloths and fancy shoes, however, this does not mean that they have a low quality of life! Infact, it has been my experiance that many poor Africans are more content with their lives than many westerners!

The old saying "Don't judge a book by it's cover" applies to people (and their station in life) too.

What I wanted to do, but I didn't have the budget, was to buy new uniforms for the game scouts. They are poorly supported by the government and their clothing and equipment is in tatters. Laura said that a full uniform, including boots, would run around $75 and there were 23 game scouts. I couldn't see buying for just one or two, so we opted for the clothing bale like Russel. We also arranged to get an SCI "Blue Bag" before we left and filled it with medical supplies such as antibiotics, children's Tylenol, and toothbrushes. It was very well received. Below are photos of our wives giving the blue bag and of our game scout with his new toothbrush.

I give charity as well and think it is important.

But perhaps education and birth control pills might be the best forms of charity.

The charity I was involved with used to do things like train women to be able to simple things like sew and give a man a hoe in order for them to be able to create their own business, sources of income and food, so they could fend for themselves without dependency. Also install simple water bores, simple to operate and maintain, such as a hand cranked water pump which might provide a real improvement in peoples live eg not having to walk miles for clean drinking water.

But birth control needs to go along with any improvement in peoples health.

The boys in a safari camp will smile politely and take anything they can get such as baseball caps, T-shirts, knives, binoculars etc. But the moment you get on the charter they will sell it for whatever they can get. What they really want is money and its easier to bring with you than sack of clothes. Forget the clothes and give a bigger tip.

What they need is education. But education in Africa comes with a price. An NGO just did a study in Tanzania and found most young girls had their first sexual experience with their teacher. The second most had their first sexual experience with an uncle.

Addenda,

Last year I was in the Congo and some NGOs got the government to raise the age of sexual consent for girls from 14 to 16. The girls in this age class in Isiro went on strike to protest.

The reason was they have to have school uniforms to attend school and none of them have any money.

They got the money for their uniforms by bonking the guys in the army. Only the army was getting paid. The moment this age class was off limits for the soldiers the girls had to drop out of school.

Another thing about education. It needs to be objective and not politicized. A frienmd in kenya tells me the teachers are teaching the kids that the white man is the root of all their problems.

So if money goes into education it has to be to teach them how to read and write and add and substract and draw their own conclusions about things. If you are paying some teacher to tell the kids you are their worst enemy you are making a mistake.

quote:

Originally posted by ErikD:

quote:

Originally posted by Dr B:

The one thing I have a problem with is anytime their is a problem in the world people allways look to the USA to solve the problem.

To highjack this thread a little, keep in mind that the US is way down the list of foreign aid per capita It's number 20 something, at the bottom of what is considered major western donators). And I'm not saying that is wrong or right. It's just a fact. While on the otherhand, the northern European countries top the list, with Norway being number 1 (hovering just above 1% of GNP that goes to foreign aid compaired to 0.15% for the US). This adds up to an average of US$400 a year of my tax money that goes to "helping" Africans, while an American "gives" an average of US$50 per year thru taxes. So I can't say that I feel that we (the rest of the "rich" world) aren't doing our bit.

Nor do I personally approve of the majority of such foreign aid, as I have seen with my own eyes how missused it usually is, and how it makes corruption blossom. And also how dependant it makes the country on continuing to recieve such aid, instead of working itself upwards to independency by it's own meager means. Even if this will take a lot of blood, sweat and tears...

I have in fact met educated locals who are convinced that the only way for their poor countries to become truly independant is indeed to cut out all foreign aid. Only by forcing their people to stand up on their own again do they believe that their countries will have a prosperous future. Without the "help" of handouts.

I'll also add that in my experiance, direct handouts to locals might be greatly appreciated right then and there, but I can tell you that besides creating a form of dependency, I have seen a hell of a lot of such handouts being sold the day after at the local markets to other locals for highway robbery prices. At least considering that the handouts were givin to the recipient for free.

It may be that the locals don't have fine cloths and fancy shoes, however, this does not mean that they have a low quality of life! Infact, it has been my experiance that many poor Africans are more content with their lives than many westerners!

The old saying "Don't judge a book by it's cover" applies to people (and their station in life) too.

The numbers you quote are government aid donations and don't account for private charity.I bet if you add private charity and look at the effectiveness of the different kinds of donations, a totally different picture will emerge.Its easy for more social governments to dole out their citizens hard earned cash to make them feel good, it's a little harder for the citizens themselves to dig deep into their own pockets.Americans have shown time and again that they are not shy about giving.I'd rather have the choice as to who gets my cash than let some politician throw it around without accountability.Corrupt orgs like the UN squander billions, they don't help much but our governments keep on giving.

farktoof,

FWIW, a bit of internet searching will most likely show you that Norwegians as private citizens donate to charity over 5 times the amount of what US citizens do per capita for foreign aid. This is in addition to us already being robbed for this purpose by our government via taxes. However, as far as I recall Americans lead in donating the most to charity overall, but the thing is that most of it is to other Americans, and not to abroad.

If it were up to me, we would cut out all government (tax) financed foreign aid, and as you mention, let people donate what they personally want to.

Also, a far better way of helping would be to have more free trade with third world countries, which is an area where my country really sucks! And exceptionally so! It appears that we (northern Europe, and Norway especially) prefer to protect our farmers businesses, and dump tons of "money for nothing" on the third world to make us feel better, instead of trading with them. Which would help build up their countries in a genuinely more self sufficient manner...

Although I give away lots of stuff on/after safari, it is important to keep in mind that giving stuff away does not teach them anything. I like the idea of school supplies.

A foreign aid program that I read about which works is small cap loans ($100 to $1000). The borrower must justify what the loan is for, and then the loan is given. No repayment for the first 6 months, then repayment begins. For example, an old lady in China who was too decrepit to work in the fields borrowed 100 bucks for a barbeque rig. She then sold baked yams on the street. She repaid the loan in a year, and her yearly income tripled compared to when she was a farmer.

Hmmmm, interesting this turned political. That was certainly not my intent. Each should do as he/she wishes when on safari or anywhere else in the world for that matter. Clothes, school supplies, medicine, money are all needed...

BTW, Scott... good for you and your band of merry travelers! Going through the game guard checkpoint where they had to open the log gate for us to travel on to Chibeza allowed us to meet some of those gentlemen. We even had the chief of Chanjuzi pay us a visit in camp one afternoon to ask for a few bullets to deal with an angry ele that had killed a couple of villagers! All, very interesting!

One last thing, this thread was never about TIPS or what to give the camp staff and trackers, I always do this in cash... this was about giving something back to the villages I traveled through. Nothing more, nothing less.

Folks,

I applaud the efforts members have made to do their personal part to improve the lives of rural Africans. I also think there is a great deal of truth in the comments concerning how happy these peoplae may be. No,they don't have all the STUFF that we have that makes us happy but I don't think they miss it either. I often think they are happier than I am. Applying Western values, morals and lifestyle to these folks lives is perhaps wrong. I also think Ted had the best answer and that was to give a bigger tip. I know tips are a touchy subject here sometimes but if you want to improve an African's life give him money and let him figure out how he wants to spend it. Maybe he'll spend it on beer but maybe he'll buy his kid's education and his kid will grow up to be a famous African doctor. I had another thought on the increased tips. With your tip you have rewarded the people who directly enriched your life during safari and you in turn have enriched theirs. Sounds fare to me!

Mark

Talking about over-tipping staff in Africa, the staff receiving tips are relatively rich by local black standards (ie they have a cash job, receive food and earn US$ in tips) so all you do by over-tipping is make yourself feel good.

If Americans want to feel good, why don't they pay higher basic wages at home?

ie my reasoning, it would cost billions rather than a few notes.

***

quote:

I had another thought on the increased tips. With your tip you have rewarded the people who directly enriched your life during safari and you in turn have enriched theirs. Sounds fare to me!

Mark,

As I would have already PAID THEM for that service at the rate and price THEY ASKED FOR and I agreed to pay, why would I want to give them a lot more over the top.

Outfitting isn't a bloody charity it is a business.

***

To throw down the gauntlet on providing fair rates to staff -

HOW MUCH DOES ADAM CLEMENTS SAFARI TRACKERS PAY THEIR CAMP STAFF PER WORKING DAY IN TANZANIA?

Ignore any "tips" BTW. In US$ per day. Say for the guy responsible for the clients tent/rondavel. Also say a cook and a skinner.

when you get there the name of the game is how to screw over the stupid american.I remember in some poor country once seeing taxi drivers parked in some quiet places with some long legged babe in the front seat snorting cocaine.

Nitro,

I said tipping was a touchy subject. Nobody has to give anything. The original thread was about giving something back. Personally I'd rather give back to the people I have direct contact with. If others want to do something else that is completely up to them and more power to them.

What the Bundu staff is paid is nobody's business other than their own.

Mark

http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l123/johne_05/P1010067.jpg
Mrs. DuPlooy helping us help them.

Helping is helping.... A rich man is one who has something to share.

quote:

Originally posted by MARK H. YOUNG:
...The original thread was about giving something back. Personally I'd rather give back to the people I have direct contact with...
Mark

To be clear, the school thing was independent of and in addition to the normal tipping of cash to the camp staff. "Tipping" is [should be] another topic altogether, although it might include such charitable acts. For example, when I traveled w/my sons we had baggage allowance so we bought a cheap suitcase and filled it with goodies for Buzz's drivers children who live in Harare. Soccer ball, jump rope, crayons/coloring book, Nerf football, wiffle ball/bat, candy, misc school supplies, toothbrush/paste, a pretty dress for Lucia, etc. Royal still got his tip of cash plus a pack of underwear and t-tops.

Someone once posted on this forum something to the effect that if one hunts Africa they are already doing their share by providing jobs, food, etc., and that if one wants to do missionary work that is fine but not to confuse the two. Okay by me, and there is some validity to this. But by the same token - If somebody wishes to do something in conjunction with a hunting trip, there are options depending on the outfitter's location and relationship with the local villages. And this was the point I believe of Russell's original post, and of mine.

Reg the "politics", coincidental that Norway was mentioned. Peter said they are very charitable in Zambia, and they had purchased a big yellow (expensive) road grader so that the dirt track that runs parallel to the Luangwa could be kept in passable shape. I was there in Sept, and it had not been used yet that year noting that the logical time would have been after the early rains. But they started grading while I was there….because the Ambassador from Norway was going to be visiting and paid us a visit at one point. Had he not, the roads likely would not have been touched. There was even talk of paving the road. While this is good short-term for the people, better roads will lead to more people migrating to the area, and stronger outside influences which will indeed and eventually change their lives. In 05, the rural people in the Lower Lupande area indeed seemed to be the happiest of any I have met in Africa.

Lastly, I should also point out that the reason we handed out the supplies directly to the kids at school #2 was because Peter felt that if we gave the supplies to the teachers they would sell them. This is the unfortunate reality that transcends many charitable actions, especially in Africa.

PS: Reading Ted G's posts again, School Uniforms would also make a good donation and they are relatively cheap. Peter and I talked about this for "next time", which has yet to come.

quote:

Originally posted by MARK H. YOUNG:
What the Bundu staff is paid is nobody's business other than their own.

Mark I agree. What one makes is no ones business but their own.

Ted Gorsline, you have educated me in your posts, thank you.

Sometimes I think we all fall into the trap of over-analyzing things. How the notion that a simple act of kindness, like taking clothing, school supplies or or other personal items to share with these people, in some way suggests that they are not happy or are wanting in some respect, is beyond me. Someone that is at perfect peace with themselves still appreciates a little thoughtfulness. This has nothing to do with being more fortunate or less fortunate than anyone else, it is as simple as just being thoughtful. And as to the discussion of all the political overtones about sharing and being thoughtful, . . . give me a break.

quote:

The one thing I have a problem with is anytime their is a problem in the world people allways look to the USA to solve the problem.
Dr B

When the USA acts as self appointed global police by use of its vast industrial might,is only natural that nations turn to them for financial assistance,would you ask a poor man for money?
Much of the world is ready to prostitute itself for money,and when a country starts flashing it around,all sorts of deals are done in its favor.
I believe some have misconceptions as to the liberating & benevolent nature of the USA. Sure they helped defeat the nazis in WW2,but they did not fully assist GreatBritain until GB gave into very heavy concessions that the US demanded for its assistance.They knew GB was in a jam,and used that as leverage. Make no mistake the USA is a dog eat dog society, and true benevolence only a very thin venere.

It seems its more difficult to lead a simple life in the Western world,cause we have so many distractions and misleading choices. Not a problem if a person has much higher powers of dicernment,fact is most dont, and walk around in a stuper of confusing,conflicting and destructive thoughts, mainly comprised of a cocktail of numerous fears and desires ,varying from mild to extreme in nature ). Plenty of material wealth also, but as a wise man knows,you soon discover it limits to achieving wholesome satisfaction and fullfillment.
If we measure things only in money,I guess other people are poor,but our obcession with vast material wealth and social status has smuthered some other very valuable and noble aspects of life. Some are fortunate to recognise this and make a wiser balance of priorities and choices allowing a broader spectrum and higher integrity of wealth in their life, to their true satisfaction and enjoyment. Others(many)wealthy or not, are destined to suffer their whole life due to ignorance or just plain stupidity and can resort to blaming someone or something for their troubles. If a person was honest with themselves, this would not result.Peace come from within.
Im all for assisting people, but not necessarily under the condition that it gives me the right to impose or force my values on them,or thinking that its going to greatly improve their life the way I would like to imagine. Most giving in this world has motive behind it, very little is freewill giving.
Wheras a madman continues his obcession with money, a wise man after having made sufficient wealth,looks more for things like trust.Yes its rare, but of immense value, unlike the common dollar.

Bwanamrm,
yes a little good can go along way for those who appreciate and understand its value.

A simple act of kindness does not hurt anything and most of all it makes the person who gives feel good. Good job Bwanamrm and john-e.

quote:

Originally posted by els:
A simple act of kindness does not hurt anything and most of all it makes the person who gives feel good. Good job Bwanamrm and john-e.

So whatever happened on your elephant hunt?