Hello all!
We will be visiting Tanzania and Kenya next month and wanted to bring something to donate to a local school or orphanage. Besides cash, what else do you suggest? Thanks, Sandi, for your idea of toothbrushes that I read about on another thread. I'd also like to bring something fun, but given luggage restrictions, small and light. Ideas? Thanks.

Primary school age? How about stickers? Pens and pencils are always in demand, as well.

These funny frog items were a big hit with the kids. They especially love any that jump, stretch, squirt, glow in the dark or have bulging eyes. There are also some frog teaching games for math etc. The school might enjoy those. All are pretty cheap and they are easy to drop into the little nooks in your luggage.

http://www.frogstore.com/catalog/Fro...p-1-c-408.html

Piggybacking on this thread! We're traveling to Zanzibar in a couple of months and were hoping to organize a trip to a local primary school. We were planning on bringing a few jump ropes in addition to stickers and pencils. We'll also bring a couple of deflated footballs (and a pump)!

I love the idea of the little squirty stretchy frogs!

BKP, May I suggest that you take "soccer" balls -- maybe that is what you meant by football, but soccer (in the US) is football in Africa and what the kids play.

Oops -- yes, TC, I did mean "soccer." We live in the UK so football (UK) = football (Africa) = Soccer (US). So confusing for such a universal game!

Hi i am going to Tanzania next month to work with childcare...i have been asked to bring baby socks and hygiene items as they are scarce and expensive.

Are you going to be in Arusha by chance? We went to an orphanage/school just outside of Arusha and I have list of what they need. I cant believe the amazing progress they have made in the three years since we have been there from volunteers and donations.

Please share your list. We are going over Christmas and would like to contribute.

live42day

Can you please share the name of the orphanage and the list- I am going to cross Arusha in 2 days- I had earlier bookmarked the orphanage site but cant find it now and had resigned to asking my driver about it. Would be a great help!

Going back to the toothbrushes...I brought toothbrushes and mini toothpastes to an orphanage a few years ago - you would have thought I'd brought gold bullion! Even the children were thrilled. I asked my dentist for a donation and he handed me a lightweight box of 50, individually wrapped small brushes and tubes of paste...perfect! They were sooo appreciative.

The place is called Good Hope Orphanage. There are two in the area with similar names if you can believe it.
THe website is http://www.goodhopeorphanage.org/index.php?page=about

I get newsletters from them and the latest one says they need:
for the school:
Chalk and erasers
exercise books
memory sticks for the laptops

In the orphanage
Diapers
Snacks, fruit etc.
toothpaste and toothbrushes, tear free shampoo,

I would buy everything, (except perhaps the memory sticks) there in Arusha. I brought around 100 exercise books from Canada to Laos in January to find that they used different books and couldnt use the ones I dragged all the way there.

I emailed a month in advance to Nelson who runs Goodhope with his mom, and he picked me up at our hotel in Arusha and brought us to the school/orphange because I told him that I had some items and I raised a few hundred dollars to give towards the building of the well.

Or you could have your driver take you, just make sure that Nelson gives you really good instructions as it is out of the way.

We loved visiting there. The kids were so happy to see us, well cared for and it was a very uplifting way to start our trip.

Thanks to everyone for the great suggestions. Since back-to-school is past, there are a lot of sales on school supplies. I bought pencils, colored pencils, construction paper, blunt-end scissors, crayons and children's toothbrushes. Still trying to find a couple of deflated soccer balls, but I may bring tennis balls instead. Our tour operator, Duma Explorer, supports Ndatu Kindergarten, so the items will probably go there.

I took a ton of stickers with me recently and balloons. In addition to the pens, etc it seemed nice to take something fun. I also went to the dollar store (suggestion I read here) and got jump ropes to give.