The doctor looked tired and a bit wary. Here she was at the end of what must have been a long shift at the Policlinico Universitario Aguacate, confronted by two obviously foreign visitors trying to press on her a suitcase brimming with drugs and medical supplies.
She studied the letter explaining in Spanish that the contents were a gift from Canada to the people of Cuba, looked again at the case and did what any government employee would do. She stalled. From her long string of Spanish, we picked out "mañana" and "ocho."
Sorry, doctor. Even if we could return tomorrow at 8 a.m., we'd be hard-pressed to retrace our rented Hyundai's route to Aguacate (Avocado), an inland farm town east of Havana. Road signs are rare on an island that still fears invasion, and our rudimentary map made little distinction between paved highways and axle-bending goat tracks.
Whether she understood, or whether she just grew weary of our arm-waving gestures, the doctor offered us a cautious smile and an even more cautious signature on a receipt. And with that, our second Not Just Tourists suitcase had been delivered.
Our efforts to get off the beaten path notwithstanding, the Not Just Tourists process couldn't be easier.
Collect a loaded suitcase from a nurse who will explain the program's ins and outs, unload and repack it (so you can answer the "Did you pack this bag yourself?" question honestly), carry it to your vacation spot and present it to a clinic or hospital. Our first suitcase was accepted with practised appreciation at a large clinic in Santa Cruz del Norte on the coastal tourist track.
Nor could it be more efficient and cost-effective. You're going anyway, and probably have some room in your baggage allowance (if you don't, many carriers will waive the extra fees for these cases). Volunteers collect and pack the supplies.
And the items you bring -- medicines, dressings, perhaps hospital linens or dental hygiene gear -- all have been declared surplus. Some have reached their expiry date (but still are considered safe for use), others may have been returned by a patient's family but by regulation cannot be returned to the hospital supply.
"We're rescuing things that would go to the landfill," explains Mary Metcalfe, founder of the Not Just Tourists-Ottawa group.
None will go to waste in Cuba, destination for most Not Just Tourists cases. The target of a United States trade embargo for nearly half a century, the communist island nation is short of even such basic supplies as bandages and pain relief pills. Revenue from tourism and resources has not made up for the Soviet aid that once sustained Cuba.
"The greatest need this year is for over-the-counter medicines and vitamins for children," says Metcalfe.
Also in demand are asthma inhalers and glucometer test strips. Respiratory problems and diabetes are common in Cuba.
Still, considering the shortages, the island has achieved a remarkably effective health-care system, with doctors in every village, a low infant mortality rate and high life-expectancies.
"We're treading a fine line in providing this, but respecting the pride they have in their system," says Metcalfe, who established the Ottawa group in 2005 after reading about Canada's original Not Just Tourists program, founded by St. Catharines family doctor Ken Taylor and his wife, Denise.
The program is intentionally low-key, collecting small quantities here and dispatching them there. It doesn't approach pharmaceutical companies for donations, for example, because the drug manufacturers already support large-scale aid efforts.
Yet Not Just Tourists-Ottawa has already shipped more than 1,550 kilograms of medicines and supplies to Cuba and a range of other countries, including Rwanda, Kenya and Bolivia. This winter alone it has shipped 70 suitcases. The group has charitable status through the Phoenix Community Works Foundation based in Toronto.
Other groups operate in Toronto, Montreal, Kingston, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver. Each group is independent and may differ in its policies and practices.
For vacationers, being part of Not Just Tourists is a chance to get away from the resort and enrich a holiday -- and perhaps to assuage some of the guilt of knowing that your destination's low standard of living helps make possible your inexpensive winter getaway.
CanWest News Service
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