What I Learned in Cuba and the Dominican Republic via Fathom...Part 3: Listen to the Locals, They Kn

Most of the Fathom travelers that I met on the Cuba and Dominican Republic trips were filled with curiosity and wanted to help the people in the country they were visiting. Their noble hearts were in the right place. There was a tough paradigm shift though that many had to overcome in order to make sure the social impact was truly helpful to the community to which they were spending only a week as a guest.

Many people wanted to bring a suitcase filled with items they could give away to people and when the Fathom Impact Team told everyone that it was frowned upon to do so, people were stunned, including myself. We threw on the superhero cape, before the cry for help or bat signal hit the sky. We had no idea of the unintended consequences of our good intentions that were outlined for us by the Fathom team on the ship and our local impact guides:

• The goal of the experience is to engage locals to learn more about each other and work together to better the community on their terms and needs…not what we think is best for them.

• Many of the people there we would classify as poor and unhappy, but that doesn’t mean that’s how they see themselves. Imagine if you were walking down the street where you live and a stranger came up to you and gave you a bag of used clothes, what would be your response?

• While giving is an important aspect of charity, it needs to be done in a way that doesn’t affect their everyday economy and life. If a reliance on the charity sets in, it could cause major problems if/when it ends. Fathom’s goal is to spend a good amount of time in one locatio