H.E.L.P. Travel: Human Experiences Linking Project
Location
H.E.L.P. Travel is a non-profit association whose main goal is to promote tourism-related sustainable activities, aiming to bring solidarity and aid to the populations visited by our itineraries.
Our trips are the result of a unique blend of discovery, excursions and Community Development Projects: conceived according to the ethic of a profound respect towards the environment and the populations, constantly in deep tune with Responsible Tourism and Sustainable Development norms and guidelines.
Our 'Fundamental Travel' innovative concept embodies all aspects and principles of Geotourism, responding to the latest trends in terms of Sustainable Travelers' expectations and objectives.
Back to the origin, emphasizing the essential, Fundamental Tourism is constantly oriented towards environmental respect, cultural integrity, and economic equity in all of its activities.
The main aspect of its feasibility is the incorporation of a specific and personal Community Project to the ethical travel concepts above-cited.
These Aid and Assistance individual achievements will be undertaken by travelers to help a person or a community in the lands they are visiting and exploring.
Conceived, prepared and developed by qualified professionals, our programs aim to optimize the cultural exchanges, provide an authentic and enlightening discovery travel, within profound integration conditions.
Your idea
This will be the address used to plot your entry on the map.
Street Address
Route de Kandé
City
Ziguinchor
State/Province
Casamance
Postal/Zip Code
BP 1456
Country
Senegal
Year innovation began
2006
Geotourism Challenge Addressed by Entrant
Quality of tourism management and impact on the destination
Place your video embed code here from YouTube, Google Video and other video sharing websites. How to embed a video from YouTube.
Indicate sector in which you principally work
Community Organization
Geographic location
Multiple locations.
Plot your innovation within the Mosaic of Solutions
Main insight addressed
Education through hands-on experience
Name Your Project
H.E.L.P. Travel: Human Experiences Linking Project
Describe Your Idea
H.E.L.P. Travel is a non-profit association whose main goal is to promote tourism-related sustainable activities, aiming to bring solidarity and aid to the populations visited by our itineraries.
Our trips are the result of a unique blend of discovery, excursions and Community Development Projects: conceived according to the ethic of a profound respect towards the environment and the populations, constantly in deep tune with Responsible Tourism and Sustainable Development norms and guidelines.
Our 'Fundamental Travel' innovative concept embodies all aspects and principles of Geotourism, responding to the latest trends in terms of Sustainable Travelers' expectations and objectives.
Back to the origin, emphasizing the essential, Fundamental Tourism is constantly oriented towards environmental respect, cultural integrity, and economic equity in all of its activities.
The main aspect of its feasibility is the incorporation of a specific and personal Community Project to the ethical travel concepts above-cited.
These Aid and Assistance individual achievements will be undertaken by travelers to help a person or a community in the lands they are visiting and exploring.
Conceived, prepared and developed by qualified professionals, our programs aim to optimize the cultural exchanges, provide an authentic and enlightening discovery travel, within profound integration conditions.
Innovation
What is the goal of your innovation?
Exploiting traveling as a means of understanding among different cultures, and consequently as a source of sustainability awareness.
How does your approach support or embody geotourism?
The core of our travel concept is the respect of all aspects concerning geotourism.
We have limited the number of Guests to a maximum of 10 people, as to provide an authentic discovery, and to offer veritable contacts with local populations.
Working with small groups, making them aware of environmental issues and norms, educating them on local traditions and beliefs; we aim to provide high quality services as to generate a higher perception of all matters related to geotourism.
Furthermore, the key components of our trips are individual and specific Community Development Projects: that is to offer a unique opportunity for exquisite integration conditions, primary source for exchange and mutual comprehension of cultures and knowledge.
Respecting our planet and mankind becomes then a clearly visible reality, and no longer mere rules to be followed inattentively.
Describe your approach in detail. How is it innovative?
Traveling to a foreign country, where a friend or a relative of yours awaits your arrival.
Enjoying privileged conditions in terms of feeling, sightseeing and discovering, thanks to this special guide, ambassador of cultures: yours and the visited country's one.
Add to these unique travel chances the fact of being the donor and primary initiator of a humanitarian action.
A family or an entire village is waiting for you, from several weeks in advance, to complete an already-commenced project which awaits your arrival for its accomplishment.
Last but not least, the parties and celebrations run in your honor will have such a degree of intensity that you will truly feel like having lived a unique Life experience.
For once, not simply seen and heard, but instead felt, exchanged and understood.
How is it innovative? Actually, tourism lost its true meaning along the way.
We try to go back to the essential: to discover, to participate, to evolve.
What types of partnerships or professional development would be most beneficial in spreading your innovation?
Our concept encompasses two main aspects: Tourism and Incentive to Local Development.
Apart from media and advertising campaigns, which will certainly increase our popularity, the ideal partnership would be with:
-An important company in the Tourism Industry who believes in the concept, giving us the means to create additional H.E.L.P. Travel units in many other developing countries.
-A NGO recognizing in our innovation an effective method of conceiving tourism as a resource for educational and sustainability purposes.
Impact
In one sentence describe what kind of impact, change, or reform your approach is intended to achieve.
Offer an optimal form of geotourism that can truly contribute to the improvement of local communities’ sustainable development.
Describe the degree of success of your approach to date. Clearly define how you measure quantitative and qualitative impact in terms of how your approach contributes to the sustainability or enhancement of local culture, environment, heritage, or aesthetics? How does your approach minimize negative impacts? 200 words or less
2006: Constitution of the H.E.L.P. Travel Association in Senegal. Launch of the websites: www.helptravel.org, www.helpassociation.org. Constitution of H.E.L.P. Travel Association in France.
2007: Listing in several travel-related web resources and collaboration with international tour operators. Launch of Responsible Tourism and Fundamental Travel itineraries. Media coverage of our projects: magazines and newspapers articles, travel blogs, distribution and advertising of video footage.
We attained:
.Building of several wells and educational/rehearsal facilities.
.Accomplished multiple Community Development Project.
.Provided school gears and equipments.
.Established deeper and trustworthy relationships with local communities.
Eventually, witnessing traveler's reactions and appreciations going far beyond our expectations.
Working with small groups reduces all negative impacts that mass tourism can generate: higher attention and care, for a deeper learning and awareness.
Our tour leaders, fond of both cultures (visitors and visited ones), create the ideal filter to avoid all incomprehension, as to assure all requirements for an authentic cross-culturalism.
The specific Projects accomplished by the Participants provoke deep emotionally moments in terms of respect and understanding, minimizing even more the possibility of negative impacts
How does your program promote traveler enthusiasm, satisfaction, and engagement with the locale?
Our itineraries are settled towards destinations unknown by classic tourism, and are operated within conditions of professionalism and guest dedication; that is an effective gateway for generating travelers' enthusiasm and awareness.
The challenge of a personal Community Project to be accomplished creates an additional care and motivation within the participants.
Travelers and local residents actively work together towards the same goal; the project fulfillment is a mutual success and achievement, for a partaking of joy and gratification.
Describe how your innovation helps travelers and local residents better understand the value of the area’s cultural and natural heritage, and educates them on local environmental issues. How do you motivate them to act responsibly in their future travel decisions?
The success of our innovation relies in the importance we give to the links between environment and populations, between travelers and local residents.
It is not easy to arrive in a foreign country and understand immediately all of its codes and norms: we aim to be the intermediary agent whose goal is to allow a respectful discovery of the lands and their cultures.
Environmental awareness is also a primary issue in our itineraries;
Travelers are informed and taught about the essence of our existence: the respect of the Earth, a living being who nurtures us all.
In what ways are local residents actively involved in your innovation, including participation and community input? How has the community responded to or benefited from your approach?
We exclusively work with local people and guides, native from the lands visited.
Who can be a better ambassador then a local resident, proud of his own culture and tradition?
Local resources, as locally owned hotels, restaurants and services are used throughout all of our trips.
As for our actions and projects, we strictly employ local workforce, at a good and fair wage.
We firmly support local business to enhance our impact on the community: money spent on locally produced goods and needed services support both incomes and employment to the communities that we visit.
This Entry is about (Issues)
Sustainability
Is your initiative financially and organizationally sustainable? If not, what is required to make it so? What is the potential demand for your innovation?
Our organization is a non-profit association whose main goal is to promote tourism-related sustainable activities, aiming to bring solidarity and aid to the populations visited by our itineraries.
Conceived according to the ethic of a profound respect towards the environment and the populations, our trips are in deep tune with the Responsible Tourism and Sustainable Development norms and guidelines.
Our 'Fundamental Travel' innovative concept embodies all aspects and principles of Geotourism, responding to the latest trends in terms of Sustainable Travel demands and objectives.
How is your initiative currently financed? If available, provide information on your finances and organization that could help others. Please list: Annual budget, annual revenue generated, size of part-time, full-time and volunteer staff.
H.E.L.P. Travel is primarily financed by travelers, who participate to our itineraries.
Incomes from both kinds of trips we offer are invested as follows:
-60% planning, full board, itinerary and logistic.
-20% participation to the Association's costs.
Then, specifically:
-20% of our Voluntourism trips costs are invested into the specific project chosen by the participant.
-20% of our Adventure&Discovery trips costs are invested into a Community-Based Development Projects Fund.
The Association also works thanks to donors who contribute to our projects and assistance-actions.
Annual Budget 2008 (prevision): E140.000, 00.
As a non-profit organization, all of the final revenues are reinvested into a Community-Based Development Project Fund. (expected % of revenues: 10/15% of the total income).
Part-time: 14 (workers, part-time guides, artists, scouts).
Full-time: 10 (tour-leaders, guides, driver, maid,chef, mission manager, secretary)
What is your plan to expand your approach? Please indicate where/how you would like to grow or enhance your innovation, or have others do so.
-Enhance our research for additional itineraries and projects.
-Increase our web visibility.
-Participate to travel-related international fairs.
-Host travel writers and reporters for acquiring multimedia coverage of our activities, and subsequently launch innovative advertising and promotional campaigns.
-Amplify our network of partnerships with international tour operators.
What are the main barriers you encounter in managing, implementing, or replicating your innovation? What barriers keep your program from having greater impact?
We encounter two types of barriers in terms of expanding and replicating our innovation:
1)Finance: the Association and its projects had been initially funded by our own private means;
The shortage of capitals limits the possibilities to rapidly expand and progress.
2)The difficulties in being accepted and recognized by the travel industry that largely formatted its products, and taught potential travelers to search for the same offer over and over.
Travelers are nowadays accustomed to buy an already prepared travel package: our itineraries are primarily custom made, concerning dates and period of visit, and type of Community Project to be accomplished.
It is then from the beginning that we have to work and change travelers' habits in terms of choosing and programming their vacations.
These are though the steps to be taken in order to switch the concept of tourism from an economic and managerial side to a human-oriented aspect.
The Story
Please provide a personal bio. Note this may be used in Changemakers' marketing material.
Marc Cirilli was born in France, and he is currently the President and co-founder of the H.E.L.P. Travel Association, and the Vice-President of the ‘Keur Xaley’ Association, for Autistic Children' Parents in Senegal.
Formerly manager of an import-export supplying enterprise in Dakar, he also has wide experiences in terms of hotel and restaurant managing, and products international marketing and selling.
Firmly believes that tourism should be one of the main sources for exchange and comprehension among cultures and human beings.
What is the origin of your innovation? Tell your story.
Originally from France, I have been living in Senegal since 1989: my working activities had always been in the Tourism and Commerce sectors.
In 1997 the birth of my daughter Dianaba changed my life, diagnosed with severe autistic problems at the age of 3years old; abandoned by her mother incapable of standing her sight, she captured then all of my time, love and attention.
I adapted my activities to her needs, and created an hygiene products supplying company in Dakar, specifically for hotels, hospitals and public communities.
The encounter with Mr. D'Ottavio Luca, at first friend, then associate, gave an additional acceleration to my enterprise, which became the leader in its sector of activity in Senegal.
The amelioration of Dianaba's conditions, and the presence of many other kids in her same conditions, encouraged me to create an Association for Parents of Autistic Children in Dakar.
Our efforts gave birth to the funding and building of a PedoPsychiatry Center inside a Dakar' public hospital.
Assisting people in need, and the mutual spiritual rewards coming out of it, inspired me to spread the chance of providing support and help: while receptioning friends and relatives, I started to propose them to reinvest a part of their travel budget into an Aid and Assistance action, to be accomplished during their time in Senegal: once back home, their most profound souvenirs where the moments spent while performing this action, leaving the sandy beaches and the river excursions to the ordinary side of a travel memory...
I was prompted to repeat this approach with several other visitors and friends who were told about us.
Considering the success and deep integration moments we managed to obtain, we decided then to give a public exposure to this innovative association of voyage, discovery, community participation and human exchanges.
We sold then our activity in Dakar, and moved to the Casamance Region, the Southern Senegal Tropical Forest area.
These lands are still preserved in terms of Fauna and Flora, and still nurture ancient and authentic traditions among its native ethnic groups.
The H.E.L.P. Travel Association was born then: Dianaba's health conditions are improving day by day, she no longer needs any medical assistance, and she is definitely the inspirational muse of these projects of ours.
Please write an overview of your project. This text will appear when people scroll over the icon for your entry on the Google map located on the competition homepage.
H.E.L.P. Travel is a non-profit association whose main goal is to promote tourism-related sustainable activities, aiming to bring solidarity and aid to the populations visited by our itineraries.
Our trips are the result of a unique blend of discovery, excursions and Community Development Projects: conceived according to the ethic of a profound respect towards the environment and the populations, constantly in deep tune with Responsible Tourism and Sustainable Development norms and guidelines.
Our 'Fundamental Travel' innovative concept embodies all aspects and principles of Geotourism, responding to the latest trends in terms of Sustainable Travelers' expectations and objectives.
Back to the origin, emphasizing the essential, Fundamental Tourism is constantly oriented towards environmental respect, cultural integrity, and economic equity in all of its activities.
The main aspect of its feasibility is the incorporation of a specific and personal Community Project to the ethical travel concepts above-cited.
These Aid and Assistance individual achievements will be undertaken by travelers to help a person or a community in the lands they are visiting and exploring.
Conceived, prepared and developed by qualified professionals, our programs aim to optimize the cultural exchanges, provide an authentic and enlightening discovery travel, within profound integration conditions.
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 | marccirilli said: Hello Dana, this is Marc, how are you today? Greetings from Ziguinchor! I believe you are all quite busy with the last days before ... about this Competition Entry. - 1358 days ago read more > |
| erindavis said: Hello, I have recently returned to Colorado after traveling for 3 weeks through the Casamance region with 10 high school students and ... about this Competition Entry. - 1359 days ago read more > |
| partner55423155 said: Topic is very informative. Thanks. hair for prom about this Competition Entry. - 1366 days ago read more > |
Comments
Hello Marc,
Fantastic photos! Really wonderful. You mention that one of the challenges you face is competing with travel arrangements that are pre-made while your travel is customized to each individual. This customization is great, for those who want it, but could you also offer some pre-designed options to enhance the ease of booking the trips?
I look forward to hearing from you.
Dana Frasz
Changemakers
Dear Dana,
thank you for the consideration and appreciation of our activities and projects!
Sorry for these two late replies, we had been out in Eastern Senegal for the whole last week, for the building of two wells in two different villages, in the Bassari and Bedick lands!
Well, it is true that our approach is definitely individual oriented.
We do prefer to have a direct contact with our potential Guests, as to precisely describe the concept of our travel proposals.
We have also prepared though a pre-designed description, with a list of seven options of participation;
The fields of interventions are: educational, agricultural, artistic, fishing, sport, women communities and providing access to water.
These options can be chosen in advance by the participants, and are provided with a full description of each single project.
The seven issues proposed are vital to local communities, as for their economical and social development.
We have proposed this list to several online sustainable travel providers, and we are starting to receive some good results.
It is evident that our choice is kind of difficult to introduce in this era of speed connectivity and relatively short time of visibility, but we feel that the trend is somehow heading back to a human dimension, in which men take his time to objectively choose his own way of finding chances for self-improvement and soul enlightenment.
The challenge is exciting and worthy, considering the feedbacks we receive!
Thank you again Dana,
Looking forward to your reply
Take care
Marc
Hello Marc,
Can you give us some numbers to help quantify your impact? How many trips do you organize? How many travelers go through your program? How does H.E.L.P. travel benefit the local communities?
Lastly, could you be more specific in the question "In one sentence describe what kind of impact, change or reform your approach is intended to achieve"?
Thank you
Dana Frasz
Changemakers
Bonjour Dana,
here are some details concerning our activities and projects.
Apart from the Fundamental Travel options, in which travelers choose to participate to a specific Community Development Project, we have decided to provide three additional Responsible Travel itineraries, as to promote our Association's activities, and to give the chance to Guests to know us, and to appreciate the beauty of the Casamance Tropical Forest Region.
These three latter trips are fully operated by our Organization, with our guides, groups of artists and performers: 20% of the cost of these itineraries is invested directly into a Community-Based Development Projects Fund (e.g. for distributions of baby-kits, food provisions and anti-mosquitoes nets to families and people in need. When possible, these actions are performed together with our travellers groups, as to allow a deeper interaction and understanding).
We take Guests from West to East Casamance, from the Ocean seashores to the Diola Villages, passing through the Casamance River and heading towards the mountains on the East, in the Niokolo animal reserve, the Dindi Felo waterfalls and the Bassari and Bedick lands.
We take Guests to witness the Projects already accomplished by our Association, as to truly understand the width of our intervention.
So, we provide two basic Fundamental Travel itineraries ( one or two weeks ), and three Adventure/Discovery trips ( one week ).
Local Communities are constantly involved in our projects:
.as for being directly touched by one specific intervention,
.or by being employed, full time of part time,
.by encouraging our Guests to buy souvenirs such as arts, crafts and clothes locally as well as eat and drink in locally owned bars and restaurants,
.or by all of the items and goods strictly purchased locally, as to assure a larger distribution of economical revenues.
The logistic and main base of the Association is here in Ziguinchor, which assures a constant monitoring and real support of all of the projects and actions.
I will reply to your latest question in a further mail, as a little space is left on this!!
Talk to you soon,
Marc
Dear Dana,
Concerning the kind of impact we intend to achieve:
We believe that a specific form of travel can truly contribute to planetary improvement, in terms of human comprehension, sustainable development, preservation of the environment and local traditions.
We personally aim to introduce the beauty and secrets of these African lands with the bias of an Aid/Assistance action, as to provide a mutual benefit to Travelers and Hosts.
Our purpose is to be the link between Visitors and Visited, as to assure that the trip and its project is only the beginning of a real and authentic lifetime experience.
We would like foreigners and local populations to obtain a true enlightenment from our travel proposals, not only in terms of economical and social achievements, but widely in terms of a larger perception of human boundaries and its links with Nature.
That is how we thought and interpreted the word Geotourism, and the way we would like to perform our activities.
I am definitely waiting to your reply; we are truly honored of your genuine interest in H.E.L.P. Travel!
A bien tot,
Marc
Hello Dana,
this is Marc, how are you today?
Greetings from Ziguinchor!
I believe you are all quite busy with the last days before voting begins!
We lately welcomed a group from the Lowell Whiteman College, in Colorado; ten students and two enthusiastic teachers came for a three weeks community-based travel experience.
They enjoyed homestays in remote villages, participated to the daily lives of local communities, shared their hopes, responsibilities and activities.
We took them all around the Southern tropical Casamance region of Senegal, within profound integration conditions; multi-activities days were planned: trekking, local wrestling, pirogue contests, football/baseball friendly matches;
They participated to the agricultural tasks of local croppers, learned dancing and drumming skills, performed in a show, and donated twenty brand new tables to a school who hardly had any;
The students literally built and painted the tables, together with local students.
You can find a comment just posted by the leader of the group, Mrs Erin Davis;
This is to further explain our travel concepts, which are based on a profound respect towards local communities, for a higher understanding of cultures, traditions and beliefs of this preserved side of our Planet.
Wishing you a nice day,
Sincerely
Luca
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Hello,
I have recently returned to Colorado after traveling for 3 weeks through the Casamance region with 10 high school students and HELP Travel. The experience was profound. HELP delivered on its promise to offer a custom program and connect us, genuinely, with the people and culture. For the first time in my many years of leading such trips, the students, and myself, were not longing to return to the comforts of home. Rather, though we were excited to see our families and beds, we were reticent to leave the connected, raw and "pas de probleme" way of life we experienced in Senegal for 3 brilliant weeks. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me: davise@lws.edu. Thanks!
Erin Davis
French Teacher/Foreign Trip Leader
Lowell Whiteman School
Steamboat Springs, CO