Kenya 2020
I first came across Pack for a Purpose in 2019, when I was traveling to Mozambique. I stayed in a hotel that had partnered with Pack for a Purpose, and I instantly wished I had come across it sooner.
Mozambique, 2019
I am an ethically conscious traveller and a lawyer with more than a decade of trial experience. I live in Dubai, and have been exceptionally fortunate to travel widely. I have lived in 4 continents and have travelled to more than 90 countries.
Like many other people fortunate enough to travel, I had always wanted to make a meaningful contribution to the communities I visited. But I found it difficult to know how best to support them. Pack for a Purpose collates this information in a very simple and user-friendly way.
By listing the items that local communities need most at any given time, Pack for a Purpose empowers travellers to support the communities that they visit, and it gives these local community projects an international voice. It answers the problem of how to get the right things to the right people.
As someone who travels a lot, who wants to travel sustainably and to make a positive impact, I was immediately drawn to Pack for a Purpose and its simple but effective vision.
I immediately reached out to its founder, Rebecca Rothney, to congratulate her on the amazing work she was doing and to find out how I could continue to help. I was hooked on supporting this wonderful organisation, and continued to “Pack for a Purpose” whenever I could.
Zambia, 2021
Many aspects about Pack for a Purpose resonate with me. PfaP is value-accretive for everyone bringing needed supplies to local communities, boosting the visibility of accommodations and tour companies who support the projects, and gaining our own visibility by being listed on participant websites.
Another notable aspect is that it is extremely scalable. People can do as little or as much as their circumstances permit. Travellers can pack a relatively small parcel using their remaining baggage allowance, or they could scale up by purchasing boxes of supplies in the countries they visit – and in doing so reducing their carbon footprint.
I fundamentally believe in Pack for a Purpose as an organisation and I believe it can and will achieve great things – not just for the organisation, but for the travellers who use the service, and for the communities it helps support. I want to help Pack for a Purpose grow into an increasingly influential organisation and a household name, as I believe it will. Pack for a Purpose already supports more than 450 projects in 60 countries, and I believe that this number could feasibly be doubled in the next five years.
Zambia, 2021
When I travel, I always want to support the communities I visit and to make a positive and lasting impact. My proudest professional successes have been increasing the opportunities available to those of us who are less privileged and helping others achieve justice. I have always searched for worthy and impactful causes to support, and Pack for a Purpose has been a natural fit.
More recently, we have had lengthy discussions about how Pack for a Purpose can secure stable funding and better track its usership going forward. We realised that we were very aligned in our vision, including how to grow the international reach of this organisation, and I was delighted when I was recently invited to join the Board.
I joined the Board because the message of the charity really resonates with me and it is an excellent opportunity to help drive its direction for the future.
I am looking forward to bringing fresh and diverse perspectives to Board matters and to helping to drive the direction of this important non-profit in the future.