few have cameras, so can help them take family photos & send them laminated copies. if lamination is not possible, can protect them using 3R/4R sized plastic slipcovers or even ziplocs. try to get the photos developed matt, gloss attracts too much village dust! have given people their family photos in cheap lightweight wooden frames from IKEA, which they hang at the entrance to their hut. can really crack them up if you learn how to count '1, 2, 3!' in their language as you take their photos.
for individuals who are living/working far from home e.g. young people working in the cities, monks, etc, give them extra copies of their own photos that they can send to their families in their hometown/village. transport costs mean that many don't get to see their parents for years.
photos of your own family really break the ice especially with older people.
postcards from your country - have had many requests from people in landlocked areas for pictures of the sea (especially when they find out that i live on an island & near the beach). for snail mail, they love stamps with pictures of marine life. may sound quite silly but i once carried 2 little tins of fish to a village for friends who wanted to taste fish from the sea...their tribe uses cowrie shells as a 'status symbol' to decorate their traditional dress.
for first aid supplies/medicines, we found an educated person in the village who could understand & write down the instructions for their use. some villages might have a village health volunteer. or you could find someone in the city to do the translation/writing in the local language & bring the paper along. for certain ethnic groups, you might need to be mindful of not appearing to 'undermine' the local traditional healer/shaman when giving such stuff.
sewing needles was welcome by the ladies, but again certain ethnic groups might have taboos about gifts of sharp objects. some of the elderly like magnifying glasses. people in my friends' village don't have furniture, & they love those large zippered canvas bags that Chinese traders carry their wares in & zippered storage bags that we use for storing stuff like bedding - they use them like cupboards. cumbersome to carry (can be bought in local markets) - blankets for villages in cold mountainous areas.
pens, markers & crayons - bear in mind some villages might not have any paper. have been in villages where well-meaning tourists handed out markers & the kids had nowhere to draw on except one another's skin - which is exactly what they did!
hope this helps!
#10- VERY good advice about giving medicine to just one person in the village and also being careful not to undermine the local healer. That is funny about the markers! Yes, it is a good idea to give coloring books or even white paper if you are going to give them.
#11-The problem with local pens is that they are often of horrendous quality. Anything you bring from home will be assumed to be of better quality (it usually is.) And pens are not quite the bargain in Myanmar, either.
#12 of course by buying localy you are supporting the shop keeper who is actually working to earn the profit from the pens and paper. Also the importer or producer who makes the pens and paper and all the people who work for him. If you shop for higher quality you might also support the importation or production of higher quality. Also if locals see that you judge the local products to be of high enough quality they will also have more respect and pride in local products. I would suggest that the spending of money localy to buy goods and services in the long run is more beneficial to the people than just giving things willy nilly to strangers. Giving of gifts and spending of money can have affects beyond what is apparent.
I suggest buying of services is one of the things that can have positive impact on the peoples you visit. That way they work for the money and aren't beholden to you for a gift, they are free to spend the money as they see fit, wether it be toys for children, worm pills, or a book. They know the local prices and can get the best deal, and obviously they know thier needs better than we do. If you put your mind to it there are many services you can buy.
Speaking for myself I give things to poor people because it makes me feel better about myself and helps assauge my guilt over the disparity in wealth that is obvious between me and people in a third world country. #10s advice about undermining the local healer also goes for undermining parental largess to children. I certainly wouldn't want any strangers giving gifts to my kids. I strongly recomend taking a look at the link I posted, it was intended for all.
SOMSAI has it right!
Don't BRING anything into the country, unless family pics, etc. BUY everything from the local small merchants and help a whole family! All the school supplies and books needed are in Yangon or Mandalay. But from the local people!
Don't give to children. Only encourages begging!
Supplies for a school? Check with the staff or headmaster before to see what is needed!
Yes support the local mom and pops, and then you can tailor the needs to the people you talk to, whether they just need shampoo, pencils or english books.
This may sound odd, but bring your time, lend them your ear, and your compassion. One thing I regretted was was having to cut short a conversation or stay in a area, as the people I encountered were just the best people I have ever come across, not to take anything away from the region, but the Burmese are warm and loving, and they really want to interact with westerners, and talk, talk about life, love and the world as they see it.
Bringing your time, and ears, will do a lot more than yout think, of course your money can go a LONG way here, $50 in supplies im Burma would be like $500 at a Walmart.
Thats why people need to visit Burma, they need our compassion and hearts to reach out to, many are to modest or proud to ask for your money, so offer.
I bought school supplies, blankets, batteries, flashlights, book bags, umbrellas, reading glasses, and medicine in many places, just a walk to the pharmarcy for a simple OTC remedy is a nice gesture.
If you can, try to plan on a little emergency money for all this, I know we all travel on a budget, but the $100 you set aside is going to do far greater good, then the new Ipod back home.
Hmmm...
The idea of buying from local shops is a great one. In practice I do not do it. The only reason is that the quality is horrendous. Ballpoint pens have almost no ink in them and tend to last days rather than weeks or months. Shampoo and soap is usually Chinese garbage. And don't get me started on flashlights and batteries. All crap.
For medicine - yes, you can buy it there. Same stuff, usually from India or China. I agree with Tico on that one.
For items where quality does not make so much of a difference in performance (i.e., paper or pencils) you can definitely buy it there.
As far as begging children, I do not disagree with that at all. You don't want to hand stuff out to people with whom you spend no time. I think that the question was about gifts for people. There is a big difference. It is very common to give gifts when you spend time with people. I know from personal experience (as well as from many others, some of whom are on this site) that people will often give thoughtful gifts to people whom they meet. Reciprocating is definitely appropriate. I had an amazing Kachin meal about 3 years ago in a home outside of Myitkina, and I gave the mother and grandmother a 10-pack of razor tip pens (cost me about $5 US) for their childrens' studies. I have been back there on several occasions since then, and the kids ALWAYS show me their books full of notes from the pens I gave them the first time I visited.
Also, bringing them something from overseas is a very nice gesture. Just the way I do things with people when I travel. If somebody invites me into their home for tea and cake or for a meal, I wouldn't offer them a 500 kyats flashlight from a local shop. I WOULD offer pens, a few pieces or fruit, or something like that. And I still like the Ziplocs as a gift.
I agree that in a country as poor as Myanmar that you have to consider what you give and to whom you give it.
About medicine [see above]
This year I was up in Pyaya and broke out with a sea food allergy. Whole body was swollen to the point that I could hardly see. The manager of Smile Motel walked me down about five doors to a local doctor. The doctor was quite good. He did not speak English but knew all the medical terms in English. He gave me medicine made in Australia and by the next morning I was MUCH better. By the time I got back to Yangon I was well!
Another time in Yangon I had to buy medicine and it too was from Australia.
I brought lots of little tubes of lipstick and nail polish in Thailand prior to my flight. The ladies loved it.
You've got me thinking about the XO computer. They are small, low cost and don't need electricity. They are designed for developing countries. I bet any school teacher would love to get one, or more. Check it out: http://www.xogiving.org/
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