Supply the Love: El Salvador
In 2017 we launched Supply the Love! We supply the camera and film and you supply the love. We would love to have you be an ambassador of Print the Love! If you are traveling to an under-resourced community anywhere on the globe in the next year and would like to participate in spreading random photo kindness to the local people, lets chat! Together we can make a difference! Application is online.
The Supply the Love program is 100% supported by donors. If you are not travelling, you can still donate funds towards the camera and film for those who are.
As part of the program, we ask that ambassadors write a short description of their experience. All the words are their own.
Check out other self-trekking ambassadors’ experiences on our blog! Like Sharon in Haiti, Laura in Israel, Nathan in Puerto Rico, Allison in Kenya, Kelsey in Guatemala, Anne in Tanzania, Dan in Malawi, Krystal in Argentina, Cindy in Haiti, Lea in Cambodia and more!
Katie in El Salvador
There are many reasons why I travel but the most impactful reason is the desire to understand
another way of life — to wander among the people, to taste the flavors, to immerse in an
experience that is completely unlike the one I have at home.
Two recent trips have allowed me to go even further beyond these experiences and to truly
immerse myself and engage in a way that I never thought possible. For the past two years I
have participated in week-long travel as part of a group called The WildHive. We are a group of
strong, energetic, open women who seek adventure through volunteer service and dance. The
group was formed by an energetic force — Mollie Krengel — who leads pop-up dance
experiences in the Twin Cities, “WildHives”, and who also runs a successful travel website
called “The Wild Bum”. She saw an opportunity to combine travel with wellness and service — a
way to give back to the community — and WildHive Service Adventures were born.
This February I participated in my second WildHive Service Adventure to El Salvador, joined by
26 other women, open to adventure and looking to make an impact. As a group, we had raised
money to make improvements to a local school. I was joining the experience not only as a
participant but as a photographer and thought this would be a perfect opportunity to apply for
Print the Love and add this work to our volunteer agenda.
Arriving at the school, our team was eager to work. We were in a very rural community and it
was clear that the school would benefit greatly from these dedicated funds and the labor hours
that we were excited to give. The students ranged from Kindergarten through 6th grade and
there were roughly four classrooms, although during our three dedicated volunteer days, that
number varied depending on whether teachers were able to make it in to teach each day.
For three days we worked hard — installing window treatments (keeping the rain and wind out
of the classrooms), cleaning and painting the bathrooms and kitchen, and hauling many many
MANY loads of dirt and rock in preparation of a new library to be built with the funds we raised.
Although we were only able to complete three days of volunteering, the construction crew has
since sent us pictures of the new plumbing (sinks, toilets included) in the bathroom and the
beautiful new library for all at the school to enjoy. While we were there to work, we also took
breaks and had many opportunities to bond with the kids through dance, soccer and other
games.
The final day we left time for celebration and our Print the Love volunteer work. The group was
so excited, as we had been taking pictures throughout but couldn’t wait to gift the children with
school pictures to take home to their parents. Gathering the kids in the classrooms and
demonstrating how the instant camera works was such a highlight. Each child took their turn in
front of the camera — some with huge smiles, others very serious and still others with deliberate
photo poses. The kids were so excited to see their picture develop and soon the classrooms
were filled with kids comparing pictures and giggling together. We also took pictures of the
teachers and a class photo. The teachers were thrilled to participate!
After all the school photos were complete, we were able to take many candids of our group and
the activities that were happening with construction, dance, soccer and new friendships. We
gifted these prints to the principal who was excited to put them up for everyone at the school to
share.
It’s hard to explain the joy that something as simple as gifting a print to someone can feel. As a
photographer I photograph people — families, businesses, children — all the time. Every
moment I capture feels impactful and part of a bigger whole but photographing on behalf of Print
the Love —having the experience of capturing a moment and standing with them as they see
their face appear, then gifting that memory to them instantly — has given me a whole new
meaning to my work and to the people we can impact every day.
