elevate destinations

Kenya

Gallmann Africa Conservancy
(www.gallmannkenya.org)

The programs of the conservancy are focused on wildlife protection, environmental education, community service and the preservation of traditional skills and research.

Kuki Gallmann, known to many as the author of “I Dreamed of Africa” (which inspired a movie of the same name), began the conservancy 30 years ago and settled in Ol ari Nyiro . The hundred thousand acre wildlife reserve, Ol Ari Nyiro, offers extraordinary research and educational facilities, and an opportunity to connect humankind to the place of its origins.

South Africa

South African Youth Leadership Initiative (SAYLI)

The Southern African Youth Leadership Institute (SAYLI) aims to strengthen and supplement the efforts of young social entrepreneurs who are already committed to achieving the UN Millennium Development Goals in Southern Africa. SAYLI will play its part in making the passionate initiatives of youth not simply inspiring, but also measurably successful in effecting change by providing young leaders with an individually tailored program that will enhance their work.

India

Floating Desert School

The Floating School Project brings learning to a large rural area by realizing the idea of a floating school, a school that can move from place to place, a schooling philosophy that is anchored in community and local occupation strategies. The model is inherently flexible, adapting to the needs of each dynamic and particular village. The Floating Desert Schools Project came into being as a consequence of the terrible Indian Earthquake of January 26, 2001 in Gujarat India that devastated the homes of hundreds of villagers that live in the desert regions.

The Floating Desert School Project now embraces an international coalition of 3 constituencies: school children, an indigenous anthropologist and researchers from MIT Media lab (and Media Lab Asia) who believe that digital technologies can revolutionize learning.

Tsunami Relief

Elevate Destinations supports the Thoreau Group’s Tsunami relief efforts. The Thoreau Group is a non-profit organization dedicated to development and disaster relief. It is currently raising funds to help the Tsunami victims of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. These islands are located off the Southern coast of India and lie in close proximity to the epicenter of the Tsunami. The tribes that live there have little contact with the outside world, and the Indian Navy reports that they may have lost 20 to 30 percent of their populations. Some of the smaller tribes may have only a few survivors or may even have been wiped out entirely.

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Haiti The Lambi Fund (www.lambifund.org) Founded jointly in 1994 by Haitians and Americans, the Lambi Fund of Haiti is a unique grassroots organization whose mission is to assist the popular, democratic movement in Haiti. Its goal is to help strengthen civil society in Haiti as a necessary foundation for democracy and development. Disaster donation update: As millions of dollars pour in for emergency first response to Haiti’s humanitarian disaster, caused by a massive earthquake, please consider making a SECOND RESPONSE donation to rebuild Haiti. Your donation will provide resources to grassroots groups throughout Haiti and create an enduring impact once the initial wave of giving has waned. The earthquake and its 20+ aftershocks have pounded Haiti and destroyed many of the sustainable development projects run by grassroots groups that are partnering with the Lambi Fund of Haiti. Here are the Lambi Fund’s plans for helping communities recover: • The Lambi Fund of Haiti is not a first responder, but a second responder meaning Lambi Fund will be there to help Haiti rebuild long after the relief service providers leave. • Help members of peasant groups get food and essentials for their families to re-establish their lives • Help Lambi Fund field staff replace their belongings (food, clothing, furniture) that were lost in the quake. The sooner we help them get back on their feet, the sooner they can help peasant communities rebuild. • Recapitalize micro–credit funds run by peasant organizations so that people can replenish and continue their small businesses. • Rebuild grain mills, sugar cane mills and other economic development community enterprises lost in the earthquake. These buildings are the centers of communities’ economic livelihoods. • Repair rainwater cisterns so people will have a supply of safe drinking water The earthquakes have devastated communities that were already marginalized by poverty and economic inequities. Your donation will help re-build and strengthen what works in Haiti—peasant led development projects that help entire communities become environmentally and economically sustainable. Lambi Fund of Haiti is a registered 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization and your contribution is tax deductible under all applicable laws. Lambi Fund earned the highest rating from Charity Navigator, indicating fiscal responsibility and accountability. Thank you again for your support as we work together to re-build and strengthen the peasant communities of Haiti.

Nepal

The Nepalese Youth Opportunity Foundation
(www.nyof.org )

A non-profit organization bringing hope to the most destitute children in the beautiful but impoverished Hymalaya Kingdom of Nepal NYOF funds a variety of projects benefiting children and their families in Nepal. NYOF has created schools, children's homes, medical and nutritional outreach programs and has worked to free indentured girls sold into slavery servitude by destitute families. One by one, thousands of children have benefited from NYOF's touch.

Society for Nature Conservation and Rural Development

The SNCRD is a registered Nepalese NGO and was established in the year 2000 by Lieutenant Colonel Hikmat Bisht. SNCRD's primary project is to assist freed bonded labourers (slaves). In 2000, His Majesty’s Government of Nepal enacted legislation to free Kamaiyas, bonded labourers, from what was in effect slavery, but made no provision for their future. Without land to support them, and lacking the skills to obtain employment, many of these Kamaiyas have resorted to subsistence living through slash and burn agriculture and hunting and gathering within Reserves. It is estimated that 22,000 freed Kamaiyas are eking out a living in Kanchanpur district alone.