OUR
GLOBAL
COMMITMENT
“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” Barack Obama
OUR GLOBAL COMMITMENT What we believe We aspire to a world where local and global communities come together to take action for positive change. This is a vision led by the principles of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and inspired by our commitment to make an enduring, positive contribution to the destinations in which we work. It’s ambitious, so are we, and we’ve grappled with our effective contribution in this space. Recognising the limitations of our skills and the power of our enthusiasm, we work in five key global action areas. Areas where we can confidently and responsibly make a meaningful impact. We don’t work from ivory towers at head office but through powerful partnerships that are driving community led initiatives on the ground. Our collaborations with communities are always motivated by an open dialogue with local people so we’re strategically supporting their ambitions, not ours. We’re motivated by this approach and aim to inspire a lifetime of action. We hope this is just the start.
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WHY WE VOLUNTEER We know there’s a debate. We are listening, we’re contributing and we’re still volunteering. We have no interest in disempowering skilled labourers, we provide non-skilled labour and economic support to accelerate community led initiatives. Communities make commitments too, they take time out to paint the bigger picture, they offer us accommodation and often volunteer labour themselves. Our financial contributions to projects are valuable, they’re also appropriate. We use them to invest in materials and tradesmen to get the job done. We plan with communities to finish the job, that means long-term, often multi-team collaborations where work frequently starts long before we arrive and continues after we leave.
We are committed to the value of short-term volunteering because we do not want to become a burden on local resources. We believe in fostering independence, reimbursing the communities with whom we stay appropriately and not outstaying our welcome; we buy local, eat local, stay local. For conservation, efforts don’t stop, so our engagement remains strong into the future. If we’re going to get this right, it starts with the right conversation. We choose our partners and our projects carefully, where communities are driving their own ambitions, not ours, and we only want to engage in work where we can make a meaningful contribution. Working towards a balance of input and outcomes is important to us, there must be mutual benefit.
Fundamentally we also believe in the value of young people seeing and learning from inspirational communities who are driving change in their world. In exposing young people to that drive we hope they will take that energy back into their own lives, shaping their own behaviours and our future. There are two sides of the fence, those that believe in the value of global human experience and those that seek to create division. We know which side we’re on. We’re working together to inspire commitment to change both local and global.
of inclusion, appreciation and celebration. We celebrate the question ‘who are you?’. It’s the hands in the kitchen, it’s on the football pitch, it’s seeing systems of exchange outside the dollar, it’s in folk music, faith, family, cooking, it’s in interdependence, work, laughter. We love the debate. Feel free to get in touch. We’ll always listen.
It’s not just about changing things, it’s about experiencing things. Wealth is measured by more than money. Sharing culture, time and experiences are imperative to building a world 3
FIND YOUR WAY
AROUND Global action areas 1. Education
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2. Sustainable livelihoods
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3. Conservation
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4. Health
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5. Welfare and housing
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Issues we make a stand on Animal welfare
32
Responsible childcare
34
Environmental impact
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“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.� Nelson Mandela
1. EDUCATION We believe that education is the key to unlocking doors, to creating choice and self-determination. Once the foundations of basic learning are established, education becomes about empowering people to shape their own independence. Education spans beyond the classroom, reaches further than children; it touches adult literacy, vocational training and entrepreneurial endeavour. Our students will explore global learning environments and we hope they will be inspired as they see how education, in all its forms, enables people to establish independence and their own income.
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LEFT Repairing teacher housing, Senga Bay, Malawi
Improve learning Teacher housing in Malawi In a land of great scale, teachers often live on site at school. For great learning you need great teachers and all teachers need the basics – shelter, nourishment and to feel valued. To inspire teachers and avoid aspirant teachers moving to the city or other industries, many communities are committed to providing adequate accommodation.
What they’re doing and how we’re helping • Repairing dilapidated buildings • Constructing new homes • Installing working kitchen facilities • Ensuring each home has access to water and sanitation
Support learning Literary initiatives in Botswana In Botswana, home to the first functioning welfare and education state in Sub Saharan Africa, we are actively collaborating with communities committed to enriching access to education, enabling literacy for all. Utilising financial support and investing in local labour, through a long term plan the community are providing a free library resource for the region, built from the ground up.
What they’re doing and how we’re helping • Constructing library building • Installing lockable windows, doors and electricity • Building shelving, desks and benches • Collecting literacy resources
PROJECT Long standing collaborations with rural communities in Botswana
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BELOW
Vatsalya, Laadli Women’s Initiative in Jaipur, Rajasthan
Using learning Vocational skills training in India There are groups in India committed to the positive empowerment and value of the women in its society. Local trusts are driving the creation of safe, comfortable community spaces for women, facilitating access to vocational skills, basic education and literacy competence. The end goal is to empower them through microfinance schemes to be self-funded, able to define own their own future.
What they’re doing and how we’re helping • • • •
Constructing new buildings Installing running water and toilets Renovating existing facilities Getting involved in vocational skills training
Increase learning Increasing classroom capacity in Nepal In a country whose government’s priorities have shifted following natural disaster, the economic mainstay of tourism has been slow to return. Local education leaders and families aware of the need for positive learning spaces and a need for greater access to education are working alongside a countrywide NGO. Exciting initiatives are underway with communities driving their own school improvement plans. In some places literally starting again.
What they’re doing and how we’re helping • Constructing new classrooms • Repairing dilapidated buildings • Renovating existing classrooms and equipment • Enriching sites with play spaces
Inspire learning Maintenance and Improvement in Morocco In a society committed to its people becoming autonomous, local authorities and community members are leading a drive to inspire female attendance at school and close the gender inequality gap. Working alongside health awareness initiatives there is a positive understanding that healthy pupils attend more school. Through providing appropriate sanitation at schools, girls don’t have to worry about basic needs.
What they’re doing and how we’re helping • Constructing new sanitation blocks • Installing running water • Promoting good hygiene practices
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“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.� Emerson
2. SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOODS Rural communities around the world are working to preserve their values in the face of climate change and creeping modernity. Whilst young people are drawn to the cities for jobs, climate change is impacting agricultural success and technology is opening up access to once remote locations, some communities are choosing to set their own agenda. Designing strategies to diversify their income and embrace modernity on their own terms, they are finding local solutions to modern dilemmas. We hope our students will be inspired by the resilience and energy of these communities, seeking to create a future they can sustain themselves. We also hope these experiences inform an understanding of responsible travel and inspire respect for cultures much older than ourselves.
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LEFT Community weaving demo, Southern Peru
Embracing natural wonders Ecotourism initiatives in Peru Rural communities in Peru are harnessing the power of curiosity and offering strangers an insight into their world. They are creating trails to natural beauty spots in their area, teaching visitors about traditional weaving techniques and herbal remedies, and offering catered homestays. Communities are pro-actively diversifying their income to sustain themselves into the future and preserve their cultures.
What they are doing and how we’re helping: • Creating trekking trails to natural beauty spots • Building a community restaurant, greenhouse and kitchen • Developing tourist homestay facilities • Promoting local weaving association
Embracing indigenous roots Ecotourism initiatives in Malaysia Attracting tourists on their own terms, indigenous Malay people are breaking the cycle of poverty. Once marginalised with poor access to healthcare and education, Tazik communities are driving their own improvements in living standards and celebrating their tribal jungle heritage by inviting tourists to experience their world. Learn how to fish, use a blowpipe, light a fire and see how tourists are helping to preserve the Tazik peoples’ right to self-determination.
What they are doing and how we’re helping: • Renovation of boardwalks in the jungle • Participating in cultural workshops • Learning how to live in the jungle from local guides
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“The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will solve it.� Robert Swan
3. CONSERVATION Wildlife and our environment are global responsibilities. As our population rapidly increases, we have a short window of opportunity to make choices for the benefit of the planet, not just humans. Local organisations are involved in understanding our impact and many believe it is their responsibility to empower us with the knowledge to help us combat the threat to our natural resources. By understanding the planet's basic needs we can learn the impact our decisions at home can have locally and globally. It will be your choice whether you are part of the change, or part of the belief that someone else will solve it for you.
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BELOW
Minimal and careful handling of turtle eggs on the Osa Peninsula
The planet needs wildlife Wildlife protection and rehabilitation in Costa Rica In the country striving to be the first in the world achieving carbon neutrality, development is increasing at pace. One impact of population increase is the destruction of habitats and ecosystems utilised and enriched by the turtle. Locally owned and internationally supported conservation programmes are working hard to provide safe breeding grounds for turtles, conduct scientific research and promote education.
What they’re doing and how we’re helping • Night time beach patrols to deter poachers and identify nests • Safeguarding of identified turtle nests • Maintenance of hatchery infrastructure • Involvement in education
The planet knows what it needs Restorative planting in Madagascar In one of the most ecologically diverse places on the planet, local populations are increasing rapidly and causing high levels of stress on natural resources. Coastal communities are working alongside local NGOs, with the mutual aim of protecting the environment and improving local livelihoods. Local communities are rethinking sources of sustainable income and preserving the unique natural wealth of the mangrove ecosystem.
What they’re doing and how we’re helping • Building boardwalks for less invasive access • Restorative planting of mangroves • Creating an education centre • Promoting awareness in local communities
RIGHT
The Kilimanjaro Tree Planting Project. So far, teams have planted more than 2,800 new trees. 19
RIGHT
Guided by scientists, teams use underwater equipment to photograph marine life
People learn what the planet needs Marine research in Mozambique In a hot spot for marine wildlife encounters (manta rays, humpback whales, whale sharks) which draw potentially damaging volumes of tourists, local community members are working alongside marine biologists as part of a drive for a better global scientific understanding of these keystone species. Their collaborative development of effective tourist practice and regulations are seeking to protect sea life and local livelihoods.
What they’re doing and how we’re helping • Monitoring local marine life and surveying coral reefs • Photographing marine life underwater • Entering data into global scientific database • Promoting awareness and education
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“A thousand lives have lived without love but not a single one without water.� WH Auden
4. HEALTH Communities around the world understand the link between health, happiness and productivity. Clean water, sanitation and healthy diets all contribute to positive human development. Whether it’s in the middle of nowhere in a dry desert or in an urban jungle with scarce water resources, local people are committed to providing themselves with the best chance at staying healthy. There are billions of us all with the same basic needs and our students will spend time with those who truly understand the value of a glass of water.
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RIGHT
Bending and welding water pipes with the community
Turn on the tap Laying water pipes in Uzbekistan In the dry mountains in rural Uzbekistan local communities are committed to the concept of hashar, where each family contributes one pair of hands to fulfil a community goal. Our Challengers work alongside this community collective to install simple water pipes to ensure everyone has reliable access to water. Natural water pools move and so the piping needs to as well, making this commitment to maintaining access to water an ongoing project.
What they’re doing and how we’re helping • Laying water piping • Installing protective fencing • Cleaning springs and water pipes
Keep it clean Building toilets in Vietnam As populations increase, water contamination is one of the greatest risks to health for some rural villages in Vietnam. Local villagers are clubbing together to provide sustainable toilet facilities for families and schools in order to improve levels of hygiene and their ability to be productive.
What they’re doing and how we’re helping • Identifying requirements and priorities • Building sustainable toilets
Food matters Health initiatives in India In a culture celebrated for its delicious sugar-loaded Chai tea, diets are being supplemented by an increasing volume of processed foods, and the next generation are experiencing the impact with higher rates of obesity and diabetes. Although the government continues to subsidise refined white sugar and white rice, some communities are creating youth community spaces where organic farms, juice bars and healthy eating clubs are breaking the trend.
What they’re doing and how we’re helping • Constructing youth community halls • Building juice bars • Starting vegetable gardens • Running healthy eating workshops
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“A home is a shelter from storms. All sorts of storms.� William Bennett
5. HOUSING & WELFARE Every human on the planet needs to first and foremost fulfil basic physical needs, including access to food, water and shelter. Having somewhere to call home is not just about sheltering from the elements. We believe a place to call home is also the foundation on which people build their sense of security, their confidence. When that happens, we then have the ability to begin unlocking our broader potential. If people are empowered to create their own homes, we know these values become instilled even deeper. We hope our students will be exposed to various global settings of home and see the importance and universal value of what a sense of home truly means.
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LEFT Monsoon proofing pathways at Murapola Monastery
A place of worth Female monks in Sri Lanka In a society where statutory funding supports male access to monastic vocations, there are inspirational self-founded communities of female monks who are guiding lights in their local societies. Highly regarded and positive female role models, they are passionate about creating enriching, spiritual spaces and we work closely to support their drive to provide themselves with functioning spaces to live.
What they’re doing and how we’re helping • Improving drainage and pathways to cope with the rainy season • Developing kitchen facilities • Upgrading living quarters • Renovating shrines and places of worship
A place of safety Women’s empowerment in India In a hierarchical society with a still developing sense of space for female empowerment, which can often end in abuse, there are places of recovery where communities of women are choosing to make their own way. Through accessing education and learning autonomous means of financial independence, these women are empowering and redefining themselves.
What they’re doing and how we’re helping • Constructing new community halls and spaces • Renovating dilapidated building • Running vocational skills programmes (we’re there to learn too) • Supporting English oral practice and reading sessions
PROJECT Laying foundations on site in, Surethi, Rajasthan 29
A place to begin Mwandi house building in Zambia
In a land focused on political recovery and mineral wealth, yet to establish an effective welfare state, there is a community collective driving their own provision of housing. Giving their own neighbours a safe place to start, they prioritise community members with the biggest need and utilise financial support to provide environmentally appropriate housing.
What they’re doing and how we’re helping • Constructing new homes • Using local materials and techniques for ease of ongoing maintenance
PROJECT Installing a water storage tank at Ndinda NCP
PROJECT Using traditional methods to build community housing in Mwandi village
A place to grow Neighbourhood Care Points in Swaziland
In a society beginning to recover from a generational impact of HIV/AIDs there are communities driving their own initiatives to provide communal support in the form of nutrition, education, finance and basic healthcare. These care initiatives provide children within the community with warmth and familial love, creating an opportunity to survive and thrive outside of institutional care.
What they’re doing and how we’re helping • Constructing new classrooms/spaces • Ensuring each site has a source of running water and water tank storage • Constructing kitchen facilities and installing open fire cooking areas • Installing sanitation blocks
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ANIMAL
WELFARE MAKE A STAND
Working in partnership with World Animal Protection we ensure our expeditions do not play a role in perpetuating animal exploitation or cruelty. We consider • The purpose and vision of the organisation • How well an organisation fulfils the Five Freedom guidelines • How and if they conduct public tours • Do they deliver an effective educational component? • Do they take animals from the wild when they are not injured?
WE AVOID
• Venues that do not adhere to the Five Freedoms • Animal shows for tourist entertainment • Direct contact with animals - no petting, feeding, washing, riding • Venues that sell animal products (skin, fur, teeth, coral, ivory, shells) • Venues that engage in captive breeding
Proud to partner with
“We move the world to protect animals. We end the suffering of animals because animals have a right to live free from pain. We do it by tackling cruelty and suffering worldwide.� Vision of World Animal Protection
The Five Freedoms
The principles of good practice we consider before working with a partner organisation
1.
2.
3.
Freedom from Hunger and Thirst
FREEDOM from Discomfort
FREEDOM from Pain, Injury or Disease
by ready access to fresh water and a diet to maintain full health and vigour.
by providing an appropriate environment, including shelter and a comfortable resting area.
by prevention or rapid diagnosis and treatment.
4.
5.
FREEDOM to Express Normal Behaviour
FREEDOM from Fear and Distress
by providing sufficient space, proper facilities and company of the animal's own kind.
by ensuring conditions and treatment which avoid mental suffering. 33
RESPONSIBLE
CHILDCARE Understand the issues 1. 2. Putting the welfare of children first Many children who live in children’s homes have suffered abandonment earlier in their lives. Having regular, shortterm visitors to their home, with whom they form a bond of friendship, can reignite and exacerbate damaging feelings of abandonment. In any place called home, children have the right to privacy.
Creating places to call home Institutionalised care often has a detrimental effect on a child’s development; increasing their chances of mental illness, attachment disorders and growth and speech delays. It is widely acknowledged that alternative family-based models of care, supporting living relatives or finding foster homes, offer a substantially more nurturing and sustaining approach.
3.
Breaking the cycle of demand Regrettably institutions are often driven by wellmeaning but uninformed support of foreign donors and orphanage voluntourism. At best institutions can become reliant on financial aid, at worst they drive child trafficking. By ceasing to visit orphanages, we are opting to end our contribution to this cycle of demand.
8 MILLION
children worldwide live in residential care homes
80%+
have living relatives
WE BELIEVE that an alternative, familybased model of care offers a more nurturing and sustaining environment for a child
WE RECOGNISE the harmful abandonment issues propagated by short-term volunteering in these environments
MAKE A STAND We have partnered with ReThink Orphanages, pledging to end our involvement with orphanages and residential children’s homes
Time for action Exit strategies, moving on We have committed to withdrawing from all residential care homes by the end of September 2017. This is a deeply sensitive and complex issue and we continue to talk with our former partners to promote understanding around our decision, providing support to help them transition into a de-institutionalised model, should they wish to.
Get informed, spread the word We are actively sharing our stance on the issue to raise awareness amongst the teachers, students and tourism providers with whom we work around the world. We will facilitate learning opportunities for teams visiting countries where the debate is most acute, empowering them with a knowledge base which aspires to inform their lifelong thinking.
Proud to partner with
Find out more, head here:
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ENVIRONMENTAL
IMPACT Other things we consider (when travelling) Camping We think about where we camp, where we designate wild toilet areas so we don’t pollute water streams and we don’t build bonfires.
Trekking
Wildlife
We operate as small teams, using trails and pathways wherever they are designated and hire local guides to keep us on the right track.
We respect wildlife, keeping respectful distances.
Litter
Water
We carry out what we take in, we help conduct litter sweeps on beaches and through community sites and we don’t buy plastic bottled water as a default.
We feel pretty strongly about this. We will collect and treat water, rather than default to buying bottled water. This not only ensures we have effective control of ensuring clean drinking water, but arrests an unnecessary contribution to plastic waste.
The world recycles less
than 5% of our global annual plastic production
It takes up to
1000 yrs for plastic to degrade
WE BELIEVE in the principles of leaving no trace, leaving wild places as you find them
WE RECOGNISE the impact of purchasing bottled water and the unnecessary plastic waste it generates
MAKE A STAND We won’t contribute a further 500,000 water bottles a year to the problem – we’ve taken the TAP pledge. We promote and supply every participant with water purification.
“Using disposable plastic bottles while travelling is hard on the environment, hard on the communities left with the garbage, it’s expensive, and it can often be unhealthy. No traveller wants to leave a trail of plastic water bottles behind them. The solution is easy, carry a reusable water bottle and clean your own water!”
Proud to partner with
Travellers Against Plastic
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WE ARE ALL
HUMAN
A guiding thought for our teams... As you head off on expedition, here is a guiding thought we champion among our teams; quite simply – remember, we are all human. Be conscious; we are lucky enough to be welcomed into real people’s lives for a short period of time – to learn from them, laugh with them, be with them. When you leave and come home, their life in its uniqueness will continue, as will their efforts that you have been a part of. Leave a positive impression of the part you play in the global community. Treat others the way you would want to be treated Everything is relative to your own experience, people don't have ‘nothing’ Wealth is not limited to $, it exists in family, community and culture Everyone has the right to own their own future Pity dis-empowers people, no one likes to be patronised Children and animals are not tourist attractions The communities we visit are exciting, they're driving their own way forward People are amazing.
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CELEBRATING COLLABORATION
We’re excited to announce a new partnership with the Elephant Valley project in Cambodia
Meet Jevan Our project coordinator in Nepal and the vice president of Mother and Children Art Foundation New classroom opened at Padre Juan de Velasco school near Tena, Ecuador. 8 World Challenge teams contributed
3 teams from Ridgewood School planted over 2,000 trees in 3 days in Iceland as part of reforestation efforts in Thórsmörk National Park
“An absolutely superb project full of cultural experience about life in rural India. Welcoming hosts and so many opportunities for community engagement. It’s probably the best project that I've been to.“ Jim Godfrey, Expedition Leader after project with Sambhali Trust, India
41 family toilets built in Mau Chai, Vietnam
"I have found the experience here eye-opening to say the least! During a beach clean-up lasting only a few hours, we collected 1800 pieces of rubbish. I’ve never felt more aware of the need to protect and conserve our environment� Issy Wyatt, Challenger, Osa Turtles Project, Costa Rica
Gillotts School helped complete disabled access and toilet facility as well as a volleyball court at Attawhid School, Goulmima in Morocco
We celebrated the opening of the Ndinda community clinic in Swaziland following local efforts supported by 7 World Challenge teams
Welcoming a new partner in Laos, Free the bears. Sent our first team to support efforts building enclosures at new site, more to come! 41
SPACE FOR
THOUGHTS
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