One of our core values at Royal Private Safaris is supporting Responsible Tourism. We believe in associating with organizations that create positive impacts to all destinations around the globe. We believe that every destination has its own unique opportunities and challenges. Pack for a Purpose (PfaP) is one of such great organizations that we are proud to be associated with. PFaP advises travelers who have extra space for luggage to pack gently used or new supplies to destinations where they are traveling to. There, the Travel Agents/ tour companies, Lodges or Hotels that receive such supplies will help distribute them to schools, children homes, hospitals, sports clubs etc.
Through Pack for a Purpose, Royal Private Safaris has been receiving and distributing supplies to Dorothy Schwartz Community Centre, a local primary school based in Mukuru Slums, Nairobi. At this level, we have managed to create a working Computer Centre for the young people who study at the center. All the laptops which are being used for computer classes have been donated by Pack for a Purpose travelers! Today, the Centre is proud to announce that through this organization, it’s working towards bridging the digital divide. A majority of the pupils at the Centre can comfortably work with basic computer packages, a big mileage if you asked me.
Mukuru Slum is the second biggest slum in Nairobi, with a population of slightly over one million. Most of the families here live on or less than two dollars a day. This makes it almost impossible for the parents to provide the students with the much needed school supplies. Through PFaP, we have been able to provide story books, rulers, pens, pencils, erasers, crayons, used and new shoes, soccer balls, basketball balls, hand balls, other sporting items, chalks, caps, school bags and many other supplies that have gone forward to cut down on the costs of purchasing school supplies thus allowing students to learn smoothly.
Looking at the impact before and after we started working closely with PFaP, I will be happy to report that this project has enabled Dorothy Schwartz Community Centre to be able to provide education. Teachers have a steady supply of teaching aids like pens, pencils, chalks, and markers among other things, thus motivating than to work hard and produce good results. It’s also important to note most of the pupils who proceed to High School from Dorothy Schwartz Community Centre embrace Computer Science as one of their subjects of choice. This could not have happened if they were not introduced to computer classes at the Primary School level, thanks to PFaP travelers who makes this possible through their donations.
It’s my kind request to travelers to embrace the idea and become PFaP travelers. If it has been requested on the needs list, that old pair of shoes lying in your house, a story book, a used laptop that you no longer use or a packet of chalk could be what somebody needs to change his or her life. I will also love to have many tour companies and travel agents share the PFaP idea with the clients/ travelers that book with them. This will help more supplies to be distributed around the world easily. This concept has positioned us as one of the best Responsible Tour Companies in Kenya.