Project Partners

Planeterra’s Project Partners have been working toward social and environmental goals for many years, some for several decades.  Their work spans the globe reaching the most vulnerable regions and peoples of Antarctica, Africa, Asia and Latin America. They address a wide range of issues, including education, healthcare, housing and skills training for youth, access to water, microfinance, healthy ecosystems, sustainable forestry and environmental research. We work with these partners to support ongoing programs and projects that our travel industry partners can become involved with.

Andaman Discoveries Logo

Andaman Discoveries

Andaman Discoveries is a non-governmental organization (NGO) and award winning sustainable tourism operator working for the sustainable development of the villages affected by the 2004 Tsunami. With the consent and assistance of the villagers, Andaman Discoveries conduct numerous community feasibility studies to assess whether tourism meets the wider needs of the community.  All projects implemented have focused on long-term social, economic, and environmental sustainability and creating realistic economic opportunities through training and marketing for these villages.  Planeterra partners with Andaman Discoveries to fund the Mulberry Learning Centre to promote accessible education to marginalized communities living within the region.  

 

Asociación Ati't Ala' 

Ati't Ala' is a non-governmental organization (NGO) working for the sustainable development of the Lake Atitlan region of the central highlands of Guatemala.  Since 2001, the organization has strengthened and empowered local Mayan communities through creating opportunities for innovative employment, while protecting the watershed, and preserving ancestral knowledge.  Their work includes: Developing mechanisms and tools for the protection of Lake Atitlan through environmental management, research, policy and education; Developing municipal strategies and supporting the growth of small community tourist businesses, including a best practices program to assure sustainability and respect for local culture and resources; providing support and training to small businesses; and works together with other institutions, both non-governmental and governmental to effect regional policy and legislation to protect the lake region.  Planeterra partners with Ati't Ala'  to promote food security and lake heath through our Save Atitlan Project as well as to provide capacity-building to our Mayan Community Homestay Project.
 

Bal Prakash Children’s Centre, India

In Hindi, Bal means children and Prakash means light. Bal Prakash Children’s Centre is a school and refuge for at-risk children in Ajmer, India. At the moment, there are about eighty children in the school, 26 girls and the rest are boys. Their age range from six to seventeen and the oldest have been there for twelve years now. The centre is aimed at providing the children with an education, and the skills needed to help them develop into self-sufficient adults with a bright future.

View more details on this project ›

 

The BOMA Project

The Boma Project uses innovative microfinance and job skills training programs to help the pastoral nomads of Kenya to establish sustainable small businesses in their communities.   Northern Kenya is facing a devastating “permanent” drought which has driven millions from throughout the Horn of Africa to seek help in refugee camps.   Boma is helping local women to find a more self-sufficient means to provide for their families.  Seed capital grants are provided with training for women to launch small village based businesses.  The funds women earn provide crucial support for families to pay for education and medical care.  Planeterra partners with the Boma project through its Kenya Drought Survival project. Learn more about Planeterra’s project ›

 

CARE Canada

CARE Canada's mission is to serve individuals and families in the poorest communities in the world. Drawing strength from their global diversity, resources and experience, they promote innovative solutions and are advocates for global responsibility. CARE helps strengthen communities through an array of programs that work to create lasting solutions to the root causes of poverty. CARE acted as our local partner for our 2011 East Africa Drought Relief Campaign.

 

The Happy Africa Foundation

Happy Africa Foundation’s mission is to empower the African people through the support of community and conservation based initiatives that operate at grass roots level. The Happy Africa Foundation works together with local African communities to conserve and protect the environment, wildlife and cultures in areas where the Foundation is involvedand to initiate, facilitate and support community development projects that are sustainable. The Happy Africa Foundation gives travelers, volunteers and other donors the chance to give back to the communities and conservation areas they visit or volunteer in during their African journeys. Planeterra partners the Happy Africa Foundation through our Limuru Children’s Centre, the Mwandi Community Farm, and Red Hill Primary School projects.

 

   

Inti Runakunaq Wasin, Peru

Inti Runakunaq Wasin (IRW) “House of the People of the Sun” is an institution in Cuzco, Peru, with the mission of contributing to the integral development of children and youth who find themselves in situations of risk, neglect and/or are victims of domestic violence, working towards familial integration, improvement of quality of life and promoting their positive participation in the development of the country.

Inti Runakunaq Wasin is open daily Monday to Friday from 8:30 to 12:30 and 2:30 to 6:30 and Saturdays from 3:00 to 7:00 providing the following programs: Personal Development, Education, vocational Skills, and program for children with special needs. Learn more about Planeterra’s support of the project ›

New Hope Cambodia

New Hope Cambodia, located in the community of Mondul 3 inSiem Reap, is a grass roots, rapidly growing Non-Government Organisation (NGO) run by two dedicated individuals, a local Khmer called Sot Suo (Kemsour) and an Australian woman, Kerry Huntly.
 
The focus of New Hope is 'free education for all' as the founders recognise the vital role education plays in helping break the cycle of poverty. However the organisation cannot ignore the chronic malnutrition, ill health and horrific living conditions of its community.This environment places families at high risk of falling victim to child traffickers. For this reason, New Hope Cambodia's activities and programs address the daily issues facing families in crisis situations and, at the same time, find ways to work toward a better future. New Hope Project ›

 

Operation Safe Drinking Water

Operation Safe Drinking Water is a non-profit organization based in Bocas del Toro, Panama, working to provide access to safe drinking water throughout the archipelago where traditionally indigenous families have been forced to drink contaminated water.
We install rain catchment systems to provide safe drinking water for indigenous schools and villages suffering the effects of disease-bearing water.  Why should children suffer and die from bad water where it rains a lot?

Watch their latest video on Youtube or check out their blog for lots of stories and photos.

 

Rupalaj K’istalin

The Community Association of Ecotourism Guides at Rupalaj K’istalin offers new travel alternatives for visitors to gain a deeper understanding of the natural and cultural heritage interwoven into the fascinating mosaic of modern-day Guatemala. Lake Atitlan is considered one of the most beautiful destinations in the world. On its shore, surrounded by rolling hills and jagged peaks, lies the pueblo of San Juan la Laguna, the place where the Tz’utujil people live. Rupalaj K'istalin manages a community homestay program and a cultural tour that visits several small artisan businesses in the village. Planeterra is working with Rupalaj to help improve their homestay business through our Mayan Community Homestay Project.

 
 

Salaam Baalak Trust

Celebrating the Spirit of Survival… For children with no home, life is a fast train to nowhere, Salaam Baalak Trust works to restore them to the world of childhood, take them from a lonely dead end to bonding, learning and the joy of a professional life. In the last twenty years, the Trust has helped thousands of children come off the streets and into a safe and nurturing environment. Today SBT provides a holistic safety net of services catering to the individual needs of street children in Delhi and Mumbai, covering the entire area of child development from physical and medical needs to encompassing the educational, creative, cognitive, social and vocational needs of the children. Planeterra partners with Salaam Baalak Trust through our New Delhi Streetkids Project ›
 

 

 

Seva Canada

Seva (pronouced say-va) Canada is a Sanskrit word for service.  Seva believes that restoring a person's sight and preventing blindness is one of the most effective ways to alleviate suffering, transform the lives of individuals and families, and alleviate poverty. Seva believe that everyone has the right to sight and that compassion in action can be done by creating sustainable, economically viable, locally managed eye care programs that will continue to serve local populations long after Seva’s involvement is complete.  Planeterra partners with Seva Canada through our G Adventures 20/20 Vision Centre ›

The South Georgia Heritage Trust

The South Georgia Heritage Trust (SGHT) was established in 2005 to raise funds to support its two primary purposes:

To help efforts to conserve and protect those species of indigenous fauna and flora that breed and grow on South Georgia or in the surrounding seas and to raise awareness of South Georgia’s threatened species.

To assist with efforts to preserve the historical heritage of South Georgia, including selected historical sites of importance, and increase international awareness of the human history of the island through the South Georgia Museum.

SGHT is registered as a charity in Scotland, with a branch in Norway and representation in the USA. It has a board of ten international trustees, who administer SGHT funds in pursuit of SGHT’s primary purposes. Planeterra has partnered with South Georgia Heritage Trust through our Habitat Preservation in Antarctica project.                                                                                                                                 
 
 

UMPMRS Favela Day Care Centre, Brazil

“Uniao de Mulheres Pro-Melhoramento da Roupa Suja” (UMPMRS), which means “Union of Women for the Betterment of Roupa Suja”, runs a free daycare for young mothers in one of the poorest neighborhoods (Roupa Suja) in Rio de Janeiro’s largest favela (Rocinha).

The daycare is UMPMRS’ flagship program- opened officially in a home in 2002 with about 10 children. Now, 12 women, including the administrators, care for over 100 children ages 4 months to 14 years old. The daycare is separated into four classrooms- from the nursery to the pre-kindergarten class. The children receive 3 meals a day, medical attention when needed, proper hygiene and most importantly, a loving and fun atmosphere. Learn more about this project ›

 

 

 

Voluntario Global

Voluntario Global is an Argentinean NGO founded and run by members of the community. We aim to empower people from disadvantaged backgrounds by giving them the education, training and support needed to succeed. Voluntario Global promotes education and training as a means to enhance the future of individuals and organizations. They create links between different social organizations to promote decent employment for youth and the development of social consciousness. Planeterra works with Voluntario Global who facilitates programs at Los Pibes, our Buenos Aires Community Action Centre project.

Wildaid

WildAid is an international organization with a mission to protect the world's wildlife and their threatened ecosystems. In Galapagos, Wildaid works to support the Galapagos National Park Service (GNPS) in the intensive task of managing and protecting the newly created Marine Protected Area (MPA). Through extensive field expertise and close cooperation with the GNPS, WildAid has developed a comprehensive enforcement model and operational program focusing on the law enforcement chain, which encompasses the activities of detection, interception/arrest, prosecution, and sanction. WildAid provides support to initiatives that: 1) Stop illegal fishing & strengthen the rule of law, 2) Educate Ecuadorians on pressing environmental issues, 3) Create sustainable economic alternatives compatible with conservation goals. 

Planeterra is partnering with WildAid in the Galapagos to develop an oil spill prevention and contingency response program with the goal of preventing minor and major oil spills from contaminating the fragile ecosystem of the Galapagos islands.