DONATIONS WISH LIST

Every CHNY participant is asked to bring a child's backpack filled with school & art supplies plus 2 children's books. 

Below is a list of what is needed based upon extensive research and interviews with Jamaican school administrators, teachers, and local Jamaicans.  This list is very useful for anyone wanting ideas of what items are best to put in the bookbag. 

Also refer to this list if you wish to bring extra books, school supplies, art supplies, musical instruments and recreational equipment in your suitcase and want ideas of what is needed.

Books:

Literature:
Jamaican, Caribbean, African, African-American authors.
Children's picture books
Pre-teen fiction
Young adult fiction
Early reading/beginner reading books
Children's Poetry (especially Caribbean and African-American)
Classics

Non-Fiction:
Jamaican, Caribbean and  African history
Civil Rights & Humanitarian Movement
World & Ancient Civilization
Geography
Autobiographies & Biographies of Jamaican, Caribbean and African            Historical Figures
Science

Reference & Miscellaneous (recent editions only!):
Dictionaries
Thesauruses
Encyclopedias (complete volumes if possible)
Travel and Tourism
Music
Art
Economics/Money Management/Business
Computer Science
Philosophy
Environmental Science/Ecology/Conservation
Career

Workbooks:

Elementary spelling
Vocabulary building
Beginning reading
French, Spanish, and German (beginner & intermediate)
Science Experiment books of all levels (using household/natural               materials, not lab science books)
Activity books, word games, puzzles, etc.
Coloring books (throw in crayons or markers)
Hard cardboard children's books

School Supplies:

Pencils
Pencil sharpeners
Erasers
Pens
Lined paper
Solar calculators
Non-toxic glue
Spiral notebooks
Folders
Post-it notes
Index cards
Math flash cards
Multiplication tables

Art Supplies:

Watercolor paints & brushes
Crayons
Markers
Sparkle glue
Sidewalk Chalk
Brushes, canvasses, and oil or acrylic paint
Construction paper
Beads & beading supplies
Art supplies should be non-toxic

Musical Instruments:                                                                        

Harmonicas
Hand drums
Shakers and other hand percussion
Recorders
Guitar and other stringed instruments (newly stringed)
Wind instruments (with reeds)
Keyboards, electric synthesizers

For those interested in our Rusea's High School Band Instrument Drive, please contact us for a list of the band instruments that are needed.
 

PLEASE note that all musical instruments MUST be in good shape and durable.  Instrument repair is hard to find and and replacement parts are scarce, so if the instrument needs supplies please include that in your donation.  This awareness should be applied to any and all donations.

Recreational Equipment:

Soccer balls
Jump ropes
Hacky sacks
Hula hoops
Footballs
Yo-yos
Sidewalk Chalk for hopscotch & 4 square
Swings
Frisbees (not ultimate)
Volleyballs with nets
Badmitton with nets

Other:

Handpuppets (animals, people of color)
Fingerpuppets (animals, people of color)

Before purchasing or collecting items to bring down that are not on this list, please contact us, as we have done extensive research on what is appropriate and of use to our recipients. (ex: there are no baseball fields, board games lose pieces too quickly, basketballs require courts, the roads are too dangerous for scooters, etc.).

We are also open to expanding the above list, so if you have an idea please contact us.

Other needed items:

Magnifying reading glasses
Men's and women's slippers
Canes for the elderly
Women's personal care items
Toiletries
Soap
Pens
Small battery or crank operated radios
Collapsible fabric coolers
Canvas tote bags
Crank flashlights
Fishing line
Fish hooks
Durable toys
Yarn
Rechargable batteries w/a charger
Flea collars and flea soap for dogs
decorative hairbands and barettes for girls
Children's underwear

Not needed…

U.S. textbooks
Random copies of serial based novels
romance novels/pulp fiction/bad pop fiction
Damaged books (no bindings, marked up, torn, missing pages)
Standardized test prep books (ACT, SAT. MCAT, GRE, etc.)
Toys and games with multiple/breakable parts
Battery operated toys
Candy
Non-sturdy shoes

If you plan on bringing a larger quantity of donations to Jamaica when you come to CHNY, contact us regarding import laws and customs rules so we can help you pack wisely.