Should I pack gifts or school supplies?

I love that my guests are thoughtful and want to do something for the local people when they visit Africa. If you want to pack some school supplies or things for the children I don't want to discourage you from doing that. But there is an alternative that won't weigh down your luggage or cause a delay in customs. That is to donate money to a local school. We have a partnership with a 501c3 to handle monetary donations. One great thing to do is donate money for school uniforms. When we visited the Maasai school in 2024, I noticed many kids did not have a uniform and many had tattered uniforms. Most of the children had nicer uniforms so you can imagine how the few kids with no uniform felt. Their parents did not have the money to buy them uniforms. I inquired with my friend, Jackson, who founded the school how much a new uniform would cost. It is $20 for a uniform. We were able to raise money for 10 girls and 10 boys uniforms.

When visiting Livingstone, Zambia last year I met a young man who led me on a bicycle tour. We had lunch and he told me there were young men in his village who did not go to school. The reason? They didn't have a uniform. We stopped by the ATM and I gave him money for the uniforms. I had a thought that maybe he would use the money for something else. When driving back to the Zimbabwe border, I asked my driver about this tour guide. He told me he took the young man to the tailor to buy the uniforms after dropping me off at the hotel the previous day.

So given how important education is for these communities, I recommend making a donation for uniforms and keep your bags light for travel.

The new uniforms my clients purchased for the children at Talek School.