PACK FOR PURPOSE – Small Space. Little Effort. Big Impact.

Pack for a Purpose puts your luggage to work for others!
You can make a big impact on the lives of children around the world! Pack for a Purpose is organization with mission to positively impact communities around the world by assisting travellers who want to bring meaningful contributions to the destinations they visit.

If you travel to Tanzania or The Gambia and you could make meaningful contribution to help meet the needs of the place you visit, please feel free to contact us. Please check www.packforapurpose.org for more destinations and projects.

Most of orphanages and schools in Arusha, Tanzania and in Barra & Serekunda, The Gambia are in need for school materials, sport supplies, medical supplies, music instruments, educational wall charts, world maps, Band-Aids, antibiotic ointment, tampons, sanitary napkins... 

“Pack for Purpose” Philosophy

There is need everywhere in the world. It can sometimes be difficult, however, to identify specific needs in places far from home. They believe people fortunate enough to travel to other countries often wish they could make meaningful contributions to help meet the needs of the places they visit. Such contributions are one way of expressing appreciation for the experiences and hospitality they enjoyed in other lands.

Their goal is to assist travelers who want to say thank you in this manner, or who simply want to expand their generosity beyond their own communities. The supply lists for destinations on their website are provided directly by the local community-based projects that will receive them, enabling travelers to make informed decisions and bring items which meet the needs of the people who will be using them.

The genesis of the idea 

During the first trip to Africa, Rebecca Rothney and her husband Scott learned that while they were each limited to 40 pounds (18.14 kgs) of luggage on safari, the airline had an allowance of 100 pounds (45 kgs) of checked luggage plus a 40 pound (18.14 kg) carry-on. In making plans for a second trip, they looked into visiting a school near the lodge they would visit in Botswana. They contacted their safari company,to see if they could determine any specific needs of that school. Armed with that information, they were able to deliver 140 pounds (64 kgs) of school supplies, including soccer balls, to the school. »It was enormously rewarding to be able to help the people in the community that had given them such a life-changing experience«, they explained. Since then, they and a few of their fellow-travelers have made several trips to other countries in Africa and have been able to deliver an estimated 1,000 pounds (453 kgs) in donations of clothing, school and medical supplies. Rebecca asked a travel agent why other travelers did not use their luggage allowances this way. "Because nobody thinks about it," he said. That was their "aha" moment.

Who they are

The Members of the Board are experienced travelers and active members of their communities. Collectively they have travelled to all 7 continents and have a cumulative life experience of 356 years. The Members of the Board are actively involved with many other non-profits and committed to enhancing the global community in which they live. Additionally, the Board Members are entrepreneurs and work in corporate America.

Pack for A Purpose has received a determination from the Internal Revenue Service that it qualifies as a charitable organization under code section 501(c)(3). All contributions to Pack for A Purpose are fully deductible.

For more information about their project click here. 

If you would like to support our projects and you would like to visit us in Arusha, Tanzania or Serekunda, The Gambia, please feel free to contact us at info@kidsaretheworld.com!