Australia’s first adventure travel company and world renowned Himalayan experts World Expeditions CEO wanted to do something to improve the lives of the people she encountered and the environments they live in...as a result she set up ‘Community Project Travel’, a not for profit division of the company. Sue describes it as follows:
Community Project Travel (CPT) is a unique “philanthropy” program that we have operated since 2005, functioning entirely as a ‘not-for profit’ division of our company. The program offers purposeful voluntourism style adventures for everyday travellers, where the main objective is to improve the lives of other people or the environment in a meaningful and sustainable way.
In each case, the affected community receives little or no government funding, and coupled with the dire economic predicament of these areas, makes our assistance so essential. It is important to us that the projects are sustainable, in that the work is started and then completed by the time we leave the community, which results in both an immediate and longer-term tangible benefit. No skills are required to join our Community Projects; you just need to pack an open mind and a keenness to commit to physical work in a team environment.
Since its inception World Expeditions’ CPT program has successfully completed 34 humanitarian and conservation projects across many countries; including 10 in Australia, 9 in Nepal, 5 in Peru, 3 in Vietnam, 2 in India and Tanzania, and 1 in Kenya, Cambodia and Laos. This wonderful result was made possible by the combined effort of over 350 travellers from across the globe. These travellers elected to dedicate 3 or 4 days of their adventure holiday as well as their physical effort towards completing a project. The community project component allows you to work alongside the local people and assist in a tangible and measurable way. These are very special trips and are a great combination of experiences - the people you will meet, the laughs you will share and the breath taking views in which you see will remain with you for so much longer than a ‘conventional overseas holiday’.