Here at Viare Travel, we are always looking for ways to travel more responsibly. When we found Pack for a Purpose, we fell in love with their projects and decided to get in touch with Rebecca Rothney, founder and chairperson of the organization, to get to know a little more about their work.
Rebecca came up with the idea for the organization during her first trip to Africa. There, she and her husband, Scott, learned that on a future trip to the continent, they could help the people of the communities they had visited, by using the empty space in their luggage, to pack supplies needed by locals.
We asked Rebecca to please tell us more!
Check out the interview with her here:
Viare: Please tell us how the organization works.
Rebecca: Pack for a Purpose (PfaP) is an informational website that makes it very easy for travelers to take needed and requested supplies for community projects in the places they visit.
Our website also provides an easy way for accommodations and tour companies to send us the information regarding the community projects they support. This enables us to continuously increase the number of destinations on our website and promote the good work being done by our participants in all corners of the globe.
We are an all-volunteer organization. Our volunteers, which range in age from 18 to 74, have donated over 3,960 hours to make PfaP the respected brand that it is.
Viare: What sort of difficulties do you come across running the organization?
Rebecca: Like every job, there are always frustrating moments. Perhaps the most difficult part of running a global non-profit is making sure that communications are effective and taking into account cultural differences, language differences, and different understandings of time. Receiving information in a timely manner can be frustrating as “timely” seems to vary greatly across the globe.
Rio Muchacho Organic Farm, in Ecuador – © Pack for a Purpose All rights reserved
Viare: How can travel agencies (like Viare) get involved with Pack for a Purpose?
Rebecca: Travel agencies can become involved by making their clients aware of how easy it is to take meaningful supplies to the communities they visit. When they are sending a client to one of our participating accommodations, they can add that link to our website to their client’s information. They can also become involved by recommending Pack for a Purpose to accommodations not on our website that do support community projects.
Viare: What are the future plans for Pack for a Purpose?
Rebecca: Our long term plan for Pack for a Purpose is to have every accommodation and tour company on the planet supporting community projects on our website. We started with fewer than 30 accommodations 6 years ago, and now have more than 470 participants in over 60 countries. We would like to see an increase in PfaP travelers fromacademic institutions and businesses.
Viare: We’re based in Brazil, and would love to see how to spread the word here. Do you have any future plans for the projects in Brazil?
Rebecca: We hope to increase the number of participants in Brazil, which will increase the number of projects. We trust travelers going to Brazil will check out our website and continue to take more supplies for the current projects.
Viare: Are there projects or countries that have more “packers” than others?
Rebecca: The Caribbean is a popular tourist destination and has many PfaP participants. The countries on our website in Africa also receive large amounts of supplies for their projects.
Viare: Are there projects or countries that have less and need more help?
Rebecca: If you are traveling to any of the places on our website supporting community projects, that community will benefit greatly from the supplies you provide. Our work is not to determine whose need is the greatest, but to simply identify communities with needs and give travelers the opportunity to graciously meet some of those needs.
Thanks so much Rebecca!
Have you helped the Pack for a Purpose project? Please, share your experience with us!
Do you want to join the project on your next trip? Ask us how!
