WHL Travel Santa Marta against children´s malnutrition in Colombia.
About You
Location
Project Street Address
The "Divine Child" neighborhood in Santa Marta
Project City
Santa Marta
Project Province/State
Magdalena
Project Postal/Zip Code
Project Country
Colombia
Your idea
Name Your Project
WHL Travel Santa Marta against children´s malnutrition in Colombia.
Describe Your Idea
Innovation
Are you a traveler or a travel company?
Tell us your idea. What makes your idea innovative?
How can a travel agency and its clients contribute to sustainable tourism? We believe that by creating tourist products that are at once high-quality, interesting, and provocative, while contributing directly to people in need, we can help.
Why is this important? In Colombia, poverty is a major problem - 45 % of the people are poor and 17% are in need. In other words, 62% of Colombians are suffering from malnutrition, lack of basic sanitary conditions, and lack of public education.
Tourists visiting Colombia only see her superficial side – the resorts, the beaches, the beautiful cities and parks – and they leave without really understanding or being able to draw accurate conclusions about this country. Tourist operators haven´t offered opportunities to expose tourists to and integrate them with this 62% of the Colombian people.
Our mission is to contribute to the reduction of these high poverty levels by attempting to involve the poor people of Santa Marta in local tourism. Thus, we must try to provide tourism options which integrate the visitor’s personal leisure time with his sense of charity and desire to help.
Impact
What is the likely impact of your idea?
One way that we hope to help is by transforming city tours of Santa Marta. We are currently qualifying bilingual tourist guides from the most disadvantaged sectors of the city to lead these tours.
The guides will explain the real situation of poverty in Santa Marta to the tourists and inform them that the proceeds from the tour will be used towards the first in a series of free children’s dining corners in Santa Marta. With time, the tourists will be able to see the evolution of this project and eventually to visit the projects and see first-hand how they are contributing to the fight against children´s malnutrition.
What would it take to launch or spread your idea?
100% of the profits from this Santa Marta city tour will be invested in the project to create these dining corners for Santa Marta’s poor children. This project was created by the “Mundos Insolitos” foundation of which we are founding partners. For the first stage, we will need 6 million Colombian Pesos (2000 Euros). With this intial funding and the support of the mothers of the “The Divine Child” neighborhood, we will start with a dining corner for 30 local children. And in accordance with the progress of the project, we will make it grow and expand to other poor quarters of the city.
This Entry is about (Issues)
Sustainability
Describe yourself as a social innovator.
As a member of WHL travel, we are committed to promoting sustainable tourism in our local destinations. Starting with the Caribbean paradise of Santa Marta, our aim is to protect and take care of our city and its inhabitants.
Our mission consists of sending a message of love to both to the local people and to the environment. We want to apply these global concepts to our specific case. And when a tourist can do good and enjoy a great tour at the same time, won’t everybody be better off!
The project may also serve as a model for other tourist operators in Colombia and in other developing countries to follow.
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Comments
This organisation, Las Pleyades, is a brand new member of the whl.travel family and I have to say I am very proud to have them working with us. I look forward to seeing their portal live on the web and promoting the products they talk of here.
Initiatives of this kind are exactly what is needed.....connecting the benefits of tourism to improving local lives and protecting the environment.
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Len Cordiner
www.whl.travel
This sounds like a fantastic initiative. Supporting projects like this and helping to promote the benefits that tourism can bring to communities is vital to enhancing a traveller's understanding of their role, and ensuring that truly positive, reciprocal exchanges take place.
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Stephen Chapman
Founder & Editor
http://www.maketravelfair.co.uk
Your project sounds far more convincing than most of the agendas presented by the so-called political leaders around the world. We all have seen how they sell false hopes to poor and hungry people during their pre-election campaigns and how easily they forget their promises afterwards. I wish to applaud your vision based on 'live and let live'. Keep it up and give those children enough reasons to smile, for their smiles will be the truest measure of the success of your project.
With best regards,
Navin M Shrestha
whl.travel MPO, Kathmandu - Nepal
www.KathmanduHotel-Link.com
The idea is great because everybody wins. Modern day tourists don't just want to see the pretty parts of a country but understand more about the culture. What better way than to incorporate tourists with the "real Columbians" with activities which benefit both sets of people. The money from tourism in Columbia does not usually reach the population that need it most. If it is possible to redirect these pesos into the hands of the needy then I am all for it.
Idea perfecta donde las hayan, la conciencia, el altruismo y la razon, son los motores q pueden q este mundito algun dia cambie, lo mismo aparece alimento de la "Chistera"... Saludos
I think people are happy to help those in needs they know the thuth and have convenient chance...
Actions are anticipated....
The future of any society depends on how the children there are brought up. Every society must prioritise children's welfare to sustain its own prosperity. I think every individual can and should help deprived children in his/her community. By helping such children you are doing a great job and my best wishes are with you.
Rajendra Sapkota
Outdoor Himalayan Treks, Kathmandu, Nepal
www.kathmanduhotel-link.com
Im sharon virtue, and my project is Global Art expeditions.
I would like very much to work with you on a project in the future. Pehaps through In Movement, which is a spanish speaking foundation.
stay in touch.
sharon virtue.
virtue.vision@yahoo.com.
I am delighted to see you emerge as a winner in this competition. I will be following your efforts closely and am happy to support in any way I can.
Kind Regards............ Len
Hi Fabiola,
Hearty congratulations to you and your team!
We appreciate the commitment you have made to the deprived children out there and wish you every success on the project. Keep it up.
With best regards,
Navin Man Shrestha
http://www.KathmanduHotel-Link.com
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