Adventures For Solo Travelers Cares 

Since 1989, AFS and our loyal AFS Travelers love to give back.  From building school rooms, providing medical supplies, a gazillion backpacks to sponsoring impoverished kids around the world, we have chosen 3 of the best charities/NGOs on the planet to help. Yes, many of our awesome groups are the “Rockstars of Generosity!”  

Over the last 30 years, we’ ve sponsored several reputable charities, from Children’s International to Naankuse, among others. Today I sponsor 2 children, a baboon and a chimpanzee! I then discovered Tabitha’s Heart through our AFS friend Rachel W who has been on many of our trips and who started this worthy charity in 2001. I flew to Calcutta, India, to check it all out and was beyond impressed by their work, service and growth over the years. There I sponsor little Joya and have watched her thrive so beautifully over the years. It was a joy to visit her and her family in the slums and love bomb them with gifts. Today, over 150 children at Tabitha’s Heart are in desperate need of sponsors. 

Change A Life! 

 Sponsoring a child in a vulnerable community is our favorite way to give back. For only $38 a month, you’ll help a girl or a boy stand free from poverty. We at AFS can also help arrange a visit to your child in Kolkata. A tour of TH and Mother Theresa’s will profoundly change your life!  Or you may prefer to support the single mother’s business program and witness how TH empowers them with sustainable income. 

Read more from Rachel below and please go to www.tabithasheart.org to choose a child or make a donation. May we all help transform poor communities One Child At A Time!  Please call me any time if you have questions.   

Hi, this is Rachel! I am an AFS travel fanatic, just like many of you, but at the end of the day, my heart is in Calcutta. I’ve been living in India 22 years, and I am still impacted daily by the suffering of children living in poverty here. I have seen how a small monthly investment in their lives truly can transform them, their families and their communities. This hope is what keeps me here despite the challenges!

Be assured that the monthly support is used fully for the kids—to provide for their school fees, books and supplies, uniforms and shoes, daily tutoring, hot lunches and special programs. 

We also have 40 kids in our children’s home if you would prefer to give towards their daily needs. And as Suzy mentioned, through our six-month business training for single mothers, you can help a woman learn skills and get the startup funds to run her own business. Trust me, these women always use their profits to give their children a better life!

Feel free to contact me as well with any questions on Facebook Messenger Rachel Leah.  Read all at tabithasheart.org  or email me at tabathasheart@gmail.com. You are all welcome to visit us in Calcutta. We have lots of yummy Indian food waiting for you!

 

Prefer Animals?  AFS cares deeply about all wildlife…

The N/a’an ku sê Foundation

N/a’an ku sê Foundation was founded in 2006 by Dr Rudie and Marlice van Vuuren along with other founding members, with the aim of conserving the land, cultures and wildlife of Namibia.

N/a’an ku sê is first and foremost a conservation organization that sustains its projects through non-governmental funding and responsible conservation tourism. We run several crucial projects to improve the health and well-being of the ancient yet marginalized San Bushmen of Namibia, provide a second chance to countless orphaned, injured and/or conflict animals, work to prevent land degradation, and stand at the forefront of the human-wildlife conflict mitigation by undertaking critical conservation and research projects to ensure a thriving future for Namibia’s majestic wildlife.

 

Read Suzy’s journal on Naan Ku Se

– Where Humans and Animals Can Thrive Together” in Namibia

Baby baboon Bon Bon arrived here skin & bones at three weeks old, his mother was shot. He was found clinging to her lifeless body and covered in blood. After several months in loving care, his cries of despair turned into giggles. (Yes, baboons giggle like bouncing babies.) Today Bon Bon loves kissing. His lips latched onto mine within minutes of holding him. Joy flooded my soul. Na’ankuse in Bushmen means “God looks after us”. All creatures great and small are protected here.  Dr. Rudie and Marlice van Vuuren, renowned conservationists, created this special reserve, sanctuary and lodge that few Americans have yet to discover. Nestled in a stunning African Savannah is the farm, research facility, clinic and enormous enclosures for animals that can’t survive on own. It is set in a 1500 hector game reserve of wild giraffe, zebra & jackals, oryx, kudos and countless other species. Accommodation is all lux in the bush in elegant villas. Gourmet meals are included and there’s a menu of delightful activities.  Click to read more

Children International!

“I am only one, but still I am one.  I cannot do everything, but still, I can something.” – Edward Everett Hale

 Please sponsor a girl or boy today with CI!  The rewards far exceed the meager $25 per month it costs to sponsor a child.  Read my experience below with 8-year-old Jandry to see what a wonderful emotional rendezvous it is to meet your sponsored child. Our charitable efforts are what makes AFS Travelers a distinguished group for travel group for solo travelers.

I love Children International and World Vision.  You can choose a child from Angola to Zululand.  But why not consider a child closer to home, one you can actually meet!  

Ecuador has 54,000 little ones in need.  Why don’t we at AFS narrow our focus to South America as a targeted niche that is easy to get to?  Brazil, Argentina, Chile have $160 visas and with other countries, the air is difficult.  Ecuador is a 5 hour non-stop affordable flight from Atlanta and one of the most mega-diverse countries on the planet.  You could pop down for a weekend visit to strengthen your bond with your kid.  Better yet, why don’t we do an annual AFS trip together to take all our children out for a day in Quito they’ll never forget!…

 

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