Donations: What to Bring and What Not to Bring on Your Rustic Trip

Rustic Pathways supports sustainable development. We work with community partners to develop projects that address important social, health, and environmental needs, enabling our students to take a hands-on role in creating change. If you are traveling with us this summer, we ask that you do not bring general donations for the communities you are visiting during your trip. We will reach out to you with more information about specific community needs before you travel (look for a pre-trip email from your Country Director or Program Manager).

We only give donations on programs when they are based on a specific list of needed items identified by our community partner. We do not accept or facilitate the shipment of material donations after a student’s program.

Why? Although a kind gesture, when donations are not based on specific needs or well planned or coordinated, they can have unintended consequences. These can range from creating a sense of dependency on “handouts” to simply being wasted or taking away business from local vendors or not being suitable for the local environment.

If you want to support the community you’re visiting, become an Impact Ambassador through the Rustic Pathways Foundation.

By partnering with our Foundation as an Impact Ambassador, you can support all of our global projects. Your efforts will have a concrete, tangible impact and the funds you raise will be used to support projects that support best practices in sustainable development.

Click below to join Rustic Pathways students and alumni who are making an impact.