Project for 2019 - Where to go and when. The choice is yours

As you know, 2018 has been written off due to my spinal surgery. It's a drag, but it wont stop me from preparing for 2019.

But this time I am approaching it from a different angle. You are going to choose between two destinations and tell me where you would like to go and when.

There is no commitment at this stage. Of course I am hoping that if you show an interest then maybe I can count on your support. I do understand that we all have other commitments and work and family situations can change. So, no commitment at this stage.

The length of these trips will be 14 or 15 days but of course you can tag extra days for extended travel. There will also be R&R arranged for the mid project weekend.

But it does allow you over a year to save up for another, or maybe your first, adventure of a lifetime. 

The program cost is approximately $2,300 CDN  $1,800 USD £1,300 UKP and will be finalized closer to the departure date. This includes accommodations, meals, in-country transport, program costs and a donation to the in-country partner. It does not include airfare.

For both Canadian and US citizens the entire program and flight costs are 100% tax deductible when paid through DWC. You can also fund-raise and we will issue charitable receipts for donations $20 CDN or greater. Unfortunately us Brits and Europeans are not afforded such tax breaks by our governments.

So the destinations are  Kenya and Cambodia. Who knows, if I get enough interest in both, then I will do both. But lets just wait and see.

The next decision is time of year. I am suggesting Spring or Autumn. And again if the interest is there and the dates work, then I could run both projects, one in the spring and the other in the autumn.

So that is the challenge. All you need do is email, WhatsApp, Messenger, Facebook or blog comment with destination and time of year. I will do the rest.

Now you need to know what the projects are and who I will be working with. Well the who is easy. Developing World Connections from Canada. And yes those of you from the US can still get 100% tax relief on the cost of the trip.

Each destination has an in-country partner with whom we will be working. I will put as much information as I can into this post so as to give you best chance of making a decision that you are happy with. I will try to give links to their websites so you can see what they are currently doing.  But don't forget these projects are not listed on  the DWC website as yet. We still have a way to go before they become cast in stone.

First Choice Kenya 

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

Naro Moru is located in the Nyeri District of Kenya, and people living there are among the poorest in the country with most residents living below the poverty line and beyond the reach of government services. With a weak village infrastructure, many families in Naro Moru have limited access to basic needs. Children attending Manyatta school also tend to come from families that lack access to clean drinking water. Many children attending the school have been orphaned by the AIDS epidemic or other fatal illnesses and simply live in abject poverty with minimal or no access to healthcare.

Inadequate educational infrastructure has led to local children not being able to access the teaching and attention they need. In some cases, children do not come to school at all because they have to go fetch water, farm and have minimal finances to pay the required school fees. This limits the students’ ability to achieve a basic education and also diminishes their chances of continuing on to secondary education.

The project consists of constructing a water collection system to capture rooftop rain water at a local

primary school in Naro Moru, called Manyatta Primary School. There is a lack of adequate access to clean drinking water at the school. Access to clean water is a huge challenge in Kenya, as well as other locations in East Africa. Not having access to clean water affects students’ health, hygiene and nutritional requirements.

Currently there is a drought in Kenya that makes the demands for clean water urgent. Children in the local Manyatta Primary School are challenged with hunger and personal hygiene needs on a daily basis. Having access to clean water is a basic necessity that the school struggles to provide to the students. This project will provide clean drinking water for 315 students. This water will also be used for sanitary purposes, and to help with the agricultural program at the school.

Second Choice Cambodia

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

2.3 billion people worldwide still do not have basic sanitation facilities such as toilets or latrines.

Hygienic sanitation facilities are crucial for public health. Poor sanitation is linked to transmission of diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea, dysentery, hepatitis A, typhoid and polio. Inadequate sanitation is estimated to cause 280 000 diarrhoeal deaths annually and is a major factor in several neglected tropical diseases, including intestinal worms, schistosomiasis, and trachoma. Poor sanitation also contributes to malnutrition.

DWC teams will work alongside local Cambodians to build latrines for families in need in the rural area of Kep to help improve the health conditions of not only the families, but the communities as well.

So there it is. Two great choices, Two countries in need. Two wonderful projects that will help improve the lives of so many children and adults alike. How can we not want to make a difference.

The choice is yours, I would love to run both projects, I find it difficult to put one above the other in order of importance. So its up to you. I look forward to hearing from you.

The following are the details of the in-country partners for both projects.

Access Kenya

Located in central Kenya north of Nairobi, this non-profit has a focus on agriculture and water to help farmers and wildlife.

Access stands for Action Crew on Community Environment for Sustainable Services   It is a non-profit, non-government, community organization. The projects are based in Naro Moru, Kenya, East Africa. The organization was started in 2004 by a local group in Naro Moru as a volunteer program to deal with issues of deforestation, trouble with prolonged droughts and low productivity of agriculture, infrastructure rebuilding as well as a lack of adequate learning facilities around the Mount Kenya area.     

Education and volunteer tree planting serve to protect the wildlife and safe guard the essential water needed for the people and wildlife in the area.

The national government is supporting the creation of citizen based committees to plant new trees. These committees are comprised of all village stakeholders and are the umbrella bodies for many volunteer projects throughout the villages. The community/district of Naro Moru is made up of the town center and six other villages within a 25 km area and each of these villages have similar water shortage and reforestation issues.  https://acceskenya.org 

Equitable Cambodia

Chamcar Bei and Phnom Penh, CAMBODIA: Equitable Cambodia is an international, non-government organization formed to build bridges between the world’s people and Cambodians.

Equitable Cambodia works to raise awareness, facilitate exchanges of many kinds, and to support creative endeavours that affirm our common humanity. EC believes that responsible development and human rights are interdependent and interrelated and its work encompasses each of these beliefs.

The mission of Equitable Cambodia is to bring people together to overcome poverty, injustice and inequity in Cambodia. Their programs are primarily in Phnom Penh, but they started a rural community development program outside of Phnom Penh near Poipet in Northwest Cambodia. After five years and successful implementation of their program, they moved rural community development to Chamcar Bei, near Kep on the south coast of Cambodia, in 2007. Equitable Cambodia’s goal is to increase the standard of living in the community by improving health, education and livelihoods of Chamcar Bei residents.

Your choice, let me know where you would like to go and make a difference