A. The procedure is simple. Just complete the online Record of Traveller Form.

Q. Is the transportation of donations of medicines and medical supplies legal in both Canada and Cuba?

A. Yes. Canada encourages humanitarian aid and Cuban law allows each visitor to import up to ten kilos of humanitarian aid. (Our donations qualify as humanitarian aid.)

Q. Does the suitcase of donations count as part of my baggage allowance?

A. Yes. But some air carriers will allow you to carry extra weight if it’s humanitarian aid. You should check with your air carrier if necessary as their policies change from time to time.

Q. Can I see what is contained in the suitcase of donations?

A. Yes. In fact, we ask that you empty and repack the contents of the suitcase so that you can truthfully tell airport officials that you’ve packed all of your luggage.

Q. Are there any narcotics or controlled drugs among the donations?

A. No. We do not accept or send any narcotics or controlled drugs.

Q. Do the donations include medicines that are beyond their expiry date?

A. We do not accept donations of medicines or supplies past their expiry dates. When we receive medicines we pack and send them as soon as possible in order to avoid including any that have expired in our suitcases.

Q. Will I be required to declare the suitcase at Customs in Canada or in Cuba?

A. No. But your suitcase will contain a letter in both English and Spanish signed by a Canadian doctor explaining the donations and citing the Cuban law on the matter that you can show to Cuban Customs officials if necessary. Often luggage is waved through, but Customs officers have the right to inspect your luggage should they choose to do so.

Q. Once in Cuba, what do I do with the suitcase?

A. We send donations to health clinics and hospitals. We will try to send you to a location close to where you will be staying and provide you with all the information needed to deliver the donations, but you are responsible for getting the donations to the designated recipient.

Q. Is it easy to make the delivery?

A. Usually, but it is possible that it could take a few hours to travel to your destination and find the person in charge to accept the donations. We do have an extensive list of delivery destinations and will try to make it as easy for you as possible.

Q. What do I do with the doctor’s letter that NJTT has given me?

A. Please have the medical professional to whom you have delivered your suitcase sign that letter and send the letter to us by mail after you return to Canada.

Q. What happens to the empty suitcase after we’ve delivered the donations in Cuba?

A. You may leave the suitcases with the clinic or hospital. Occasionally travellers have returned suitcases to us to use again and we accept those with thanks.

Q. Can I give some or all of the medicines to friends in Cuba?

A. No. To comply with medical professional ethics, the suitcase must be delivered with nothing removed to the clinic or hospital identified in the letter. By participating in our program you must agree to do this.

Q. I have been collecting clothing, toys, toiletries and educational materials to give to people in Cuba. Can I include these in the suitcase of donations?

A. No. The NJTT suitcase and its contents must be delivered as is. Cuban law is clear on the importation of humanitarian aid. Medicines and medical supplies qualify. We suggest you read the Cuban Customs regulations at www.aduana.islagrande.cu if you wish to take gifts with you on your trip.

Q. Where do we pick up the suitcase, or can it be delivered to our house?

A. We’re all volunteers and don’t have the capacity to make deliveries or to ship a suitcase to you. Besides, we’d like to meet you before you go to make sure that you have all the information you need. You can pick up your suitcase of donations from a location near you. If you are traveling to Cuba through Toronto and have a little time, it is possible to pick up a suitcase from a location not far from the airport.

Q. What should I do if my suitcase is confiscated?

A. We work in conjunction with Cuban officials in both Canada and Cuba and many of them are quite familiar with our project. In the highly unlikely event that your suitcase is confiscated please collect all the relevant data, such as a copy of the form that Customs will be required to complete, the Customs officers name, the date and time of the incident and inform us of what happened as soon as you return to Canada. We will then follow up immediately with the Cuban Embassy in Ottawa.

Q. May I take NJTT medical aid to a country other than Cuba?

A. Yes. While we focus on Cuba, travellers to other developing countries which are in need may request that we give them aid to take with them. Travellers will be responsible for providing us with the name of an appropriate medical facility and the name and contact information for the receiving doctor . In addition, travellers must ensure that the customs regulations of the destination country permit the importation of medical aid which may include medicines which may be slightly beyond their expiry dates.

Q. Is it true that Not Just Tourists exists in several cities in Canada?

A. Dr. Ken and Denise Taylor started Not Just Tourists in St. Catharines, Ontario, in the mid 1990’s. In 2004 a group of us used the Taylors’ idea to start a similar project in Toronto. Ken and Denise were very generous with their support and allowed us to use the name as well. Since then similar projects have started in Ottawa, Edmonton, Kingston, London, Calgary, Vancouver, Montreal, Saskatchewan, and others are in the works. While the projects co-operate as much as we can with each other, we have maintained our independence and each group has established its own policies and procedures.

Q. Can I carry the NJTT donations as hand baggage?

A. We recommend that you do not do this because our donations often include such things as syringes or surgical instruments which may not be carried in hand baggage.

Q. Why doesn’t NJTT just ship the medicines and medical supplies to Cuba?

A. There are several good reasons why we don't ship or mail donations. First, we sent over 6000 kilograms of donations in 2007. The packing and shipping costs and the labour required to pack and ship it would be more than our very limited budget could handle.

Second, donations would have to go through a great deal of bureaucracy before they got to the people who need them. We cut through the bureaucracy and get donations directly to clinics throughout Cuba in a very short time while staying within Cuban and Canadian law.

Finally, person-to-person contact between Canadians and Cubans that takes place when travellers take the donations. This helps to build bridges between the peoples of two neighbouring countries.