NGOs in the Spotlight - Dog Meets World

The mission of Dog Meets World is to "put a photo in the hands of all children and families in need."  Founder and admitted shutterbug Carolyn F. Lane realized that w

hile we Westerners have thousands of photos and videos documenting our lives, 

few people in developing countries have access to a camera, let alone a printer.  Many of these folks have little, if any, photographic evidence of their lives on earth.  Imagine not having one photo of yourself or of your childhood!

"You've documented your own life, now its time for you to help document the lives of all children from around the world"                                                                - Caroline Lane, Founder

Caroline and her husband Austin set out to change all this when they founded Dog Meets World as

 a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization in late 2008.  Now, w

ith the help of a digital camera, a little stuffed dog named "Foto" and a portable printer and photo paper, volunteer 

"phoDOGraphers"

can print and hand out photographs on the spot.   In addition to spreading the gospel of what Caroline calls "Photo Diplomacy,"  

Dog Meets World provides travelers with helpful tips and ideas for how to safely and effectively share their photos.

So far, more than 160 volunteer "PhoDOGraphers" have given over 5,200 photos to people in 37 countries.  Caroline says that i

t is "like giving tangible joy," something that can be witnessed often in the organization's promotional You Tube video (see above).

From personal experience, it is a wonderful gift to be able to share photos with people who you know will treasure a snapshot of their childhoods.  The lack of photo developing facilities and the realities of world travel make it a real challenge to get hard copies of those photos into the hands of your subjects afterward though.  My husband took some amazing pictures of our neighbors during our four months in Fiji last Fall.  We have been meaning to send along copies these shots as a small thank you for their amazing hospitality.  Unfortunately, our schedule since our departure and the realities of the Fijian postal system have made this task surprising difficult. Oh how I wish we'd know about this worthy organization before our departure!

Waivunia, Fiji.  Photo courtesy of Ben Drury. 

For more information about Dog Meets World, click on the information sheets below, or click here.

Voluntourism - Gain Through Giving on Your Next Trip

From time to time, we will pass along content and links to other travel blogs we think our users with find of interest.  This week, the bloggers at Lonely Planet released a great article titled, 27 Travel Tips (or, How to Get More Out of your Trip).  Some of the ideas shared here are pretty intuitive -- like researching your destination before you go (#1) and planning activities other than "touristy things" (#18).  We liked some of the not-so-obvious suggestions, like #9, "take your hobbies with you" and #20, which espouses author John Steinbeck's practice of searching for some obscure item that you don't think would be available at your destination.  The resulting "wild goose chase" can show you a side of your destination that no tour book could possibly offer.

No. 28 - Lend a hand!

We would add a 28th tip to the list.  Getting involved in the community or "voluntourism" is a wonderful way to give back to the community you are visiting, but the experiences and insights gained are of equal if not more value.

Fiji Day Cleanup of Savusavu 2009
Savusavu, Fiji

Last fall, our family spent four months in Savusavu, Fiji, a little town on Fiji's second biggest island, Vanua Levu.  We were lucky to connect early on with the Rotary Club of Savusavu, which does wonderful work improving schools, providing safe drinking water systems for local villages and doing other community service projects.  We are not Rotarians, but were welcomed into the fold and immediately put to work.  Over the course of our stay, we did a lot with the organization, helping to feed hungry school kids after a city-wide garbage cleanup, making local treats and crafts to sell at to tourists on cruise ship day, and keeping a photographic record of some of the groups many community projects.  We learned a lot in the process.

It felt good to lend a hand in a place where there is an incredible amount of need.  At the same time, we got to meet some wonderful locals who filled us in on many of the day to day struggles and stories in our temporary home.  We got to see Savusavu from a local's point of view (Lonely Planet Tip #3), we learned a lot about Fijian customs (LP Tip #13) and we learned, as the Fijians would say, "plenty phrases" in the local language (LP Tip #4).  Even today it is hard for me to say who benefited more from our participation.

So check to see if there is a Rotary Club chapter or other social service organization in your next destination.  Attend a meeting or two and, if possible, sign yourself up to volunteer.  In addition to lending a hand, you'll meet new people and learn a heck of a lot about the local community, making your trip all the more memorable.

Have you "voluntoured"?  What was your experience?  Please use the comments section to pass along your thoughts and suggestions to our readers.

Savusavu Hospital Children's Ward Beautification Project
December 2009

-- Brooke Drury, staff