To Ship or Not to Ship?

Along with the books for the regional high school, IAIA shipped two pallets of goods for San Pedro Columbia this year. Most of the goods were collected from Columbia's sister villagers in Athens, Ohio, and included primarily the following targeted items: linens and fabrics, children's clothing, t-shirts, denim, and several used computers and sewing machines. For the school, which we have supported since the mid-1990s, we shipped a used VCR and television set, prizes and fabrics for holiday celebrations, and a set of coveted, restaurant-sized baking/serving pans from the Purple Chopstix Restaurant in Athens, a longtime supporter of our sister village.

While these items are needed in the village, and it is a wonderful way for sister villagers in Athens to connect, even though indirectly, with the residents of San Pedro Columbia, shipments of this sort entail several obstacles:

1. Trucking and shipping costs are high, often taking needed funds from other activities.

2. The Government of Belize, in its efforts to ensure that the goods will indeed be used for humanitarian aid purposes, has a rather complex process to go through to obtain duty-free status for the incoming supplies, involving letters from various governmental departments, multiple trips to the capital and commercial centers (six hours away by bus), the engagement of customs brokers, etc. This process can be taxing.

3. The village is rapidly growing and now houses about 250 families. Fair distribution of a small amount of goods is difficult and causes displays of greediness and envy on the part of the villagers and accusations of unfairness directed at the distributors.

While shipping goods has always seemed like a worthwhile activity, and it is exciting to see a young person walk by wearing a Roger's tie-dye t-shirt from Athens or a t-shirt advertising O.U. COM's 10K Run, we have decided to take at least a temporary break from shipping this year. We are not totally comfortable with this decision, though, and comments and advice will be most welcome.

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