Share Community Projects Update by Tom Shearman on 8th May, 2024 About us Responsible tourism Travel Advice Supporting Community Projects across South America Travelling to South America with Andean Trails will help make a positive impact, as you contribute to our support of several community projects. Your visit is much more than creating local employment. It generates bonds between people and leaves beneficial footprints. We’re proud to financially support several local NGOs and charities. These unsung champions work tirelessly to improve their neighbourhoods. None of this could happen without you. Here’s how booking with Andean Trails helps us to help South America. (Read our Community Projects page for more.) Danielle Children’s Fund Danielle Children’s Fund in Ecuador is the latest addition to the Andean Trails family. This NGO project offers support to low-income families and communities, empowering them to develop the strength and resilience to create a brighter future for themselves. Struggling parents may find their frustrations with life spilling into the family environment, negatively impacting all, especially children. Danielle Children’s Fund aims to replace this negative cycle with a positive one. Local communities come together to face and discuss their problems through workshops and shared activities. Andean Trails has helped by paying for film screening equipment for film nights plus contributing to some food and drink for participants, to make it a cinema-style event for everyone to enjoy. Contact us for more information on how get involved. Huchuy Yachaq Community Project, Peru We have worked with the Huchuy Yachaq community association in Peru for over twenty years. Many children in this neighbourhood, high up in the hills surrounding Cusco, come to Huchuy Yachaq for schooling, a warm meal, and to socialise with friends away from what can be challenging home environments. Andean Trails helps pay a teacher’s salary and for school packs for the children at the start of each new academic year. For USD 40, you can pay for a child’s backpack and stationery, which is a vital help to this community association. Contact us for more information if you would like to help. £1m Earthshot Tree Planting Prize Deforestation is a major problem as the world battles climate change. Fantastic news came recently when our partner, Acción Andina, won the prestigious Earthshot prize to protect native forest eco systems in the high Andes. Acción Andina will receive a million pounds to upscale its reforestation work. We’ve been supporting them with tree-planting projects for many years in an effort to reforest and improve the rich and diverse eco systems of highland Peru, where many of our treks go. Let us know if you’d like to get involved. Free Galapagos Conservation Trust Membership The unique, fragile Galapagos Islands’ ecosystem is a test of humankind’s ability to treasure the natural world. Failure to preserve this delicate paradise would be catastrophic for its wildlife and symbolically the wider environmental protection movement. Yet the Galapagos Islands also offer a chance to showcase environmental efforts at their best. We offer free membership to The Galapagos Conservation Trust (GCT) to everyone who books a Galapagos tour with us. The GCT supports research, community education, and conservation projects across the archipelago. Andean Trails’ one-year membership is a way for us to say ‘thank you’ for your support. This membership includes Galapagos reports, a magazine, bookmark and badge. More than that, it encourages guests to continue helping after their footprints in the Galapagos sands have washed away, reminding them of the positive impact they’ve made. Contact us for more about this or any of our community projects if you’d like to get involved, visit, or donate. Share