Since our inception Adventure International has supported developmental, educational and ethical practices through our tourism effort.
In Tanzania we set the standard methodology to our approach to all of our mountaineering and international teams.A focus on empowering, educating and developing our teams on and off the mountain has always been and always will be at the forefront of our agenda.Let’s be honest; a porters job for example is tough work and whilst relatively well paid in comparison to some roles it’s a job not without risks and heavily dependent on multiple external factors. If we can help a porter become a guide or train as an engineer, a farmer, a registered nurse, teacher, builder, entrepreneur, marketeer or whatever they want to be then shouldn’t we ?
We channel our philanthropy efforts through Destiny Foundation, and this works across all of our international partnerships. An entity that legitimizes our efforts, gives control and power to those whom it benefits and is a vehicle for positive impact. If you’ve ever been on one of our trips you’ll know that education and developmental tourism is a subject very close to our hearts. Giving folks the tools, skills and opportunities to improve not just their lives but to bring those up around them and our wider communities is what we aim to achieve. Organic growth if you wish.
When COVID-19 shut down the country our team of 350 mountain crew, 10 office staff and countless dependents wondered just how we’d all get through. The Tanzanian economy thrives on tourism its reach is wide reaching from the market stalls that provide our fresh food, the accommodation provider, the drivers that pick us up and safely drop us at our destination, the ladies that bring the tea on a misty morning for our crews before they head out on a climb or the dispensary that provides our first aid supplies it’s reach is significant. What would we all do now there are no tourists bringing in much needed income. In the first instance we looked at what resources we had available to our crew. A pilot test on a 3 acre plot of land we have at our office saw 30 of our team form a co-operative farming effort, we put up the initial funding and did what we could to support, taking advice from experts, teaching money management skills and devising a plan for the land and the re-investment to create a sustainable initiative. The teams first crop of onions has just been successfully harvested and now we move to phase two, where hopefully the team will raise some revenue and continue learning along the way. Investing and re-investing in their project, perhaps even leasing neighboring land and including more of their colleagues at the same time, where there is opportunity to join SACCOs there may well be wider spread community impact, self-sustaining small finance opportunities, greater inclusion and a real community effort. Our 3 acre plot remains organic, a test bed for permaculture practices, the seed for something greater our classroom is the outdoors and we are all willing students.
Over the years we’ve had many folks want to support a team member through school or sponsor a student through an education program we welcome this generosity wholeheartedly. Donors also support our training programs that run each season in subjects such as English, community based first aid, permaculture, money management, entrepreneurism, HIV / AIDS awareness and more. This has lead to a consistent bi-annual program that is now more often than not lead by members of our team and/or community.This year however we were blown away by a previous Kilimanjaro climbers incredible generosity and desire to help us succeed. When she asked what she could do to help we couldn’t begin to imagine just how far the answer to that question would take us! With support from their foundation we have been able to initiate a seed funding program that reaches each and everyone of our team in Tanzania equally, where they are able to see a grant that can be accessed immediately and comes with a no strings attached. This means that they have access to funds that can bring short term security and give an opportunity to invest in a longer term sustainable project. We helped organize individual bank accounts and are working with the institution to provide micro-finance opportunities in the future.On top of this additional funding was ear-marked for development of our test farming initiative and education platforms back at our home base near Arusha and a new well has been surveyed in the hope to provide clean water for the farm project increasing the opportunity for diversification and more effective yields.
The support from this wonderful family foundation and their team alongside charitable partners has given us the catalyst and basis to really up our game, legitimize the projects and build on a platform to do good.
Thank you to Terry for your incredible support and making it possible, thank you to your family, thank you to the team that worked hard to make it happen, and to Teresa and her team for all of your help getting it done.
It’s possible to bring communities together using tourism as a vehicle for positive change, through good, sustainable values and great foundations.
If you’d like to learn more email us: info@adventure-international.com
