Saturday, October 11, 2008

Who says charity begins at home?

More and more people are tripping on philanthropic travel!

When asked if one had all the time and money, what would one do; most would say, ‘travel’. And why not? It’s exciting to laze by the beach, trek in the hills, anticipate the movements of an animal in the wild and drown oneself in the bustle of a big city. But how many travellers delve into the soul of the destination, by really understanding its culture and people? Not many. However, there are a growing number of people travelling to the lesser-privileged parts of the world, attempting to blend in with the natives and lend a helping hand wherever possible.

Philanthropic travel as a concept is still at a nascent stage, although it has gained popularity in the US. There are NGOs that sponsor and arrange such jaunts, the most traversed destinations being Burma, Cambodia, Botswana, Tanzania and India.

Marc Gold is a philanthropic traveller, and in 1989 he had visited Darjeeling for a vacation. Here, he met a girl who was suffering from a life-threatening disease. The girl’s folks were incapable of affording the treatment and so Marc donated funds for her medication and treatment. This kind gesture of Marc’s saved a life and brought back happiness to a family that had almost lost hope. Marc now visits various places with the objective of not just absorbing their beauty and interacting with the people, but with the intention of reaching out to those in need.....Continue

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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