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Cover of the March-April 2009 issue of This Magazine

Donation station



Hundreds of thousands of Canadians travel to Cuba each year, many bringing suitcases full of dollar-store items and over-thecounter medicine to distribute to locals who, because of the U.S. embargo, don’t have access to many basic goods. Once ensconced in a resort, though, the question for many turistas becomes one of what exactly to do with these well-meant donations. The people you typically encounter in the tourist trade—hotel workers, bartenders, taxi drivers—are those who need your help least, so who do you give the donations to? There are surprisingly few organized ways to channel that philanthropic urge, but one great option is Not Just Tourists, a nonprofit that supplies much-needed medical supplies and drugs to Cuban medical facilities. NJT collects donations in Canada and sends small suitcases with Canadian travellers—who are legally allowed to bring 10 kilograms of humanitarian aid into the country—to deliver to hospitals or clinics. (NJT will arrange a drop-off point near where you are staying.) Even if you can’t personally bring a suitcase to Cuba, Not Just Tourists accepts donations of medical items such as antibiotics, antiseptics, birth control pills and condoms, in addition to unneeded prescriptions, which can be a philanthropic way to recycle medications left after the death of a loved one. NJT has affiliates in eight Canadian cities. (More information at notjusttourists.blogspot. com.) If you do bring your own donations, it’s best to select practical items and try to deliver them as far off the beaten path as possible. Clinics and schools in Varadero may have more supplies than ones in nearby cities of Cárdenas or Matanzas, for example, which receive fewer tourists. Tools, tool kits, bicycle repair kits and eyeglass repair kits are all good options, as are art supplies for children and books and magazines in English for those learning the language. Remember, though, bargain-store merchandise is just as crappy there as it is here. —Nora Tennessen

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