Over the past few years we have become more actively involved in supporting local community projects, usually working alongside our ground operators. We always ensure that our help goes to a worthwhile, long-term project and is managed fairly and with sustainable development in mind.
We are committed to continuing to help such projects on a long-term basis, and welcome your support.
Chacan, Peru
We are committed to working long-term with Chacan, a village in the Sacred Valley of Peru, and home to some of our regular cooks and porters.
We have helped to build a new play area for one of the infant schools, and funded a fence to separate animals from another play area, improving safety and hygiene. More recently, we've donated funds for playground equipment and provided the first toilets for one area of the village.
As well as money and gifts being donated directly from Discover Adventure, we encourage many of our groups to bring unwanted or second-hand books, toys, children's craft materials and clothing to be distributed among the community by the village committe.
Groups are also given the option to visit the village on their free day after their trip if they wish.
We are also involved in supporting projects near Moshi in Tanzania, including Light in Africa, an orphanage which provides education and medical care as well as a home. The children and babies who come to the home have often been mistreated, or simply suffered through poverty, before being orphaned - often because of parental AIDS. The children are given treats such as birthday parties and days out, quite a difference to their former lives.
We have also encouraged tour leaders, friends and clients to help with practical work to improve the buildings and facilities, and work with the children, and will continue to spread the word.
Our Kilimanjaro groups are able to visit Light in Africa or other projects on their free day, and are always very grateful for any small sums of unspent spending money, which will equate to little in sterling once back home. Good locally-made crafts are available for sale at very good prices at Light in Africa, so we encourage our groups to buy their souvenirs here too.
Kathmandu, Nepal
There are many mothers in prisons in Nepal whose children live with them and receive little schooling or care. We have just started to support a children's home in Kathmandu which gives a modern, loving home to children who would otherwise be in prison because they have nowhere else to go. Such children encounter prejudice, but the home teaches life skills and allows them to start living a 'normal' life, attending local schools.
As well as our own support, we'll be encouraging our groups to visit the home on their free day after treks in Nepal and take unwanted clothing, books etc as well as any left-over rupees.
We are always looking into other projects in areas which our groups visit regularly, where we will be able to provide useful, sustainable help on a long-term basis.
Project Work on Trips
We also also able to link an overseas challenge with a project local to the community, which adds real value to the whole trip experience and allows you as a group to give something back to the region hosting your challenge.
This is a particularly good option for a corporation involved in a fundraising challenge, but there's no reason that any group can't get involved in project work at the end of their trip. Through our long-standing, mutually trusting relationships with our in-country partners, we can source suitable, sustainable hands-on project work to suit any length of time after a trek or cycle challenge.
We've set up worthwhile community project work for DeutscheBank groups in Costa Rica and Ethiopia on past trips. Because we go back to the same areas time and time again we can see the difference these efforts have made to the communities. Similar project trips are being discussed with other charity-corporate teams this year.
DeutscheBank fundraisers helped to build a classroom for a local school in Costa Rica after trekking through the jungle for 7 days. We had fabulous feedback from the participants themselves and the local people, who thoroughly appreciated the efforts made to help them.
In Ethiopia we helped to build a health centre for a mountain community which had no local access to medical care. Our support to this area is on-going.
