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Give Back, Mon.. Part II

On March 21st, I wrote about a foundation that Sandals created that supports, and gives back, to the people of the islands that Sandals properties are located on. Today, I discovered that Couples Resorts also has a foundation, the ISSA Trust Foundation. Couples' non-profit organization was created in 2005, and helps support Jamaica's people through medical missions, and educational projects. (Unlike Sandals, the four Couples resorts are all located on Jamaica). Thus, the ISSA Foundation is solely dedicated to helping Jamaicans.

I fell in love with Jamaica when I first traveled there in 2004, but I was struck by the amount of poverty in the communities.  It is so rewarding to know that the "big players" in American tourist resorts are also giving back to the island communities that their facilities are located on. The island residents deserve our support.

 I encourage those of you who travel to these countries to give something back in return. If you stay at a Sandals or Beaches resort, I encourage you to make a donation to their foundation. For Couples visitors, please consider making a donation to the ISSA Trust Foundation. I think traveling to these countries is wonderful, but I also think that showing we care, only adds to the enriching experience that traveling creates for us blessed enough to travel.

Buy Trip Insurance - Plant a Tree

Travel Guard, one of the industry’s main  third party insurance agencies that I recommend to my clients, has collaborated with the Make A Mark Foundation, to launch a new program in Kenya, called Trees for Children. On April 22nd, any policy that is sold on that day will result in one tree to be planted at the Nyumbani Village, a devastated, poverty stricken area of Kenya.

This project is part of a ten year initiative to plant a high value tree species that will help the local village become self sustaining,  reduce environmental degradation, and to reduce poverty through job creation. The  trees will be harvested and sold as logs or for timber products when mature, but Immediate benefits to the village will include food crops grown between the trees, honey and hay production, and fuel (from wood pruning). The forest will help create a suitable micro-climate for more farming activities as well, which in turn will help the surrounding community through employment and sustainable agricultural practices.

What was once a dryland, will be transformed into a sustainable, agricultural region. The Trees for Children project will serve as a model for other communities in the Kitui region of Kenya as well.

Make a Mark Foundation was established in 1993 as a non profit humanitarian program focused on making a positive difference in the lives of people in global lands. The organization has been successful in building clinics, schools and orphanages in developing countries.

In the past ten years, the organization has focused on helping to solve the orphan crisis in sub Saharan Africa, as a result of the devastating AIDS pandemic. Nyumbani Village houses an orphanage for many of the abandoned children who have lost their families to AIDS. It is the hope of all the organizations involved in the new Trees for Children project that a sense of hope and new prosperity could be developed in this area.

To contribute to this worthy cause, buy an insurance policy for your upcoming trip through Travel Guard on April  22nd…..  or go to the Make a Mark foundation’s website. (www.makeamark.org)

Love Jamaica? ... Then Give back, Mon

If you've been to Jamaica, huge billboards along the highways advertise Sandals properties along the way. Opulent entrances and an overabundance of food and drink await guests once they get to their resort. Gorgeous beaches, and non-stop activity choices create an artificial paradise for the taking.... yet outside these establishments are people living in one room shacks.

I am proud of Sandals for creating a new foundation that gives back to the community. It is my hope that those of us who visit Jamaica, will also be willing to give back, and support charities, like the new one that Sandals has created.  For more information, or to donate,  please  click here.