Supply the Love: Guatemala
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.
Erika in Guatemala
The first time I traveled out of the United States, I noticed that most kids the same age as me didn't have pictures of themselves or family. This peaked my interest in how I could make a difference by giving them a photo to keep. I thought I was a genius at age 13, but to do that you need a Polaroid or a portable printer and where was I going to find the money for that? So for a while, I left it at that.
My parents and I watch the television news almost every night. There was a story about an organization that takes Polaroid cameras to different countries, and their sole purpose is to give the pictures away. I thought this was so cool, so I looked them up on Google and found that you can apply/request to bring a camera with you if you are traveling to a third world country.
My family leads a group to Guatemala every year to build a house for a family-in-need. I saw this as the perfect opportunity to bring one with me. Print the Love did a wonderful job at communication, and supplying me with the camera and film for our trip.
When I first pulled out the camera in the remote area in the mountains of Guatemala, the kids were a little skeptical and shy about having their photograph taken. But, after I gave one out, every single kid came rushing wanting one for themselves. One with their brother, one with their friend, one with their stuffed animal. It was a new-found treasure for each child and adult.
When we were building the house, coming together in a matter of days before their eyes, the pictures provided a memory that could be kept forever, and posted prominently on the wall, or in a plastic frame (leftover film container, go recycling)! Memories of when the “gringos” came to build them a home and relationships were made that will never be forgotten.
I extend my deepest thanks to Print the Love for supplying me, free of charge, with a memory maker, not only for me, but for the lives we touched, and for allowing me to leave a memorable mark in a remote neighborhood overlooking the mountains in Guatemala.
