Labadee question

[cmafour]

We're sailing on the Liberty in December and one of our ports will be Labadee. We visited Labadee last July and this time, and I would like to leave items for the locals. Any thoughts or ideas on what I'd be allowed to bring, or what items would be appreciated? Thanks.

[HorrorFan]

Go to thier market and buy some stuff. Money will get them what they need.

[DonnaK]

They appreciate care-packages of clothes or small toys. They like sports-logo TShirts or caps - in fact, they offered my father a trade for the Yankees shirt and cap off his back (he just gave it to them). They also have offered trades for plastic inflatible beach toys - we brought blow-up rafts/tubes for our own personal use, and then gave them to the workers for their kids at the end of the day. I've read on CC where people discreetly left bags of clothes with very appreciative grandmotherly type women working in the market (I think I'd tend to go to the Artisan's Market, where it's a bit less aggressive, otherwise you might get "mobbed"). Someone posted this website, which has a page devoted to Labadee, and is worth looking into: http://www.htfh.org/index.html

 

If you are going to Ocho Rios, Marva Shaw (www.knowjamaica.com) offers a visit to an elementary school as part of her tours. We weren't able to visit because school was on summer holiday when we were there, but Marva accepted our donation of school supplies and books, whcih she delivered to the principal of the school.

 

Most private tour guides on the other (non-private) islands can put you in touch with a church or school that accepts items you wish to donate during your travels there.

 

We've done this on every cruise, and my daughter was able to document this as community service hours on her resume for college admissions and for employment.

[Sue L]

What horrorfan said is the way to go. BUY, BUY, BUY, they had beautiful stuff. I have a cathedral ceiling in my kitchen and I have the metal lizards crawling up the wall and the knee wall by the ceiling. It looks spectacular and everything I look at them I remember our wonderful day on Labadee.

[Lionesss]

What a great Idea to leave a bag of new clothes or maybe even personal items like soaps, I think that is an awesome idea.

The next time we travel to a poverty area I will plan ahead to do something.

I wonder how the people of Labadee have recovered from the Hurricaines.

Later

[DonnaK]

What a great Idea to leave a bag of new clothes or maybe even personal items like soaps, I think that is an awesome idea. The next time we travel to a poverty area I will plan ahead to do something. I wonder how the people of Labadee have recovered from the Hurricaines.

 

The clothes don't have to be new. Gently used, freshly laundered and in excellent condition are appreciated too, just as you'd donate to charity here. Our kids outgrown clothes before they outwear them, and many are in "like-new" condition.

[Love2cruise58]

Somethings I had thought of were small jars of peanut butter, cans/foil wrapped packages of meat.... you can pick that kind of stuff up at the dollar store.... This last year with all the hurricanes have been really rough on the Haitian people. Also.... buy lots of stuff. They have some neat hand carved items... Another website is do a search for Northwest Haiti Christian Mission... They have an office in Kentucky where you can send stuff that they will then send for distribution in Haiti. They do alot of good for the people of Haiti.

[Bakincakes]

Money. Money. Money.:D

 

Don't bargain. Pay what they ask or give them a few dollars more.

 

If I go to Labadee I'll buy small things like bracelets and give them a few dollars more than they are asking.

[lbg]

I have a friend who has adopted two children from Haiti. One was from an orphanage called Foyer de Sion. They have a website foyerdesion.org. They are trying to build a new orphanage and have a video that you can watch. It was amazing.