The Exodus Travels Foundation supports a variety of projects around the world, each harnessing the power of travel to create sustainable, positive impact for the communities and places we visit; read and watch more below.
Since the Inspiration Project began in 2017, we’ve worked with our partners to take more than 6,000 children in 30 countries on a day of adventure and exploration. Each inspirational day out is designed to introduce young minds to the wonders of our world and their place in it. From visiting cultural heritage sites to natural wonders, each trip has been packed with firsts – their first time leaving their own village, their first time seeing the sea, their first time visiting a busy city. We hope these outings will be the inspiration that encourages these children to protect and preserve the world as they grow up.
We’re passionate about the welfare of our punctilious porters. Alongside setting the golden standard for fair treatment, we've taken the next step with our pioneering Porter Project. In Peru, despite trekking the Inca Trail numerous times, most porters never have the opportunity to visit the stunning ancient ruins of Machu Picchu. We’ve taken the initiative to fix this and in 2018 started a project to ensure each of our porters has the opportunity to experience an important part of their own cultural heritage. We can now proudly say that over 164 porters have been involved this project, and our mini-documentary ‘Carried Away’ about our porters, has helped raise awareness of the awesome job these porters do.
On Kilimanjaro, Exodus has been setting the standards for best practice and fair treatment for years but we wanted to do more to encourage women into employment here. In 2019 Exodus gave scholarships for two female porters to undertake training to enable them to progress in their careers. As one of only a few operators on Kilimanjaro to employ women on the trek itself, we’re doing our bit to empower women, giving these ladies a chance to earn their independence. Watch our mini-documentary with Olympic Gold Medalist Crista Cullen as she embarks on a journey with the pioneering women challenging the face of Mt Kilimanjaro.
In some rural Nepalese communities, menstruation is still considered a 'curse', meaning girls and women are socially ostracized and don't have access to hygienic sanitary products. Freedom Kit Bags distributes reusable, eco-friendly protection, and teaches reproductive health and menstrual hygiene to minimise the risk of infection whilst combating the stigma of menstruation in the wider community.
The Himalayan region is a place close to our hearts; it's where Exodus Travels' journey began. Our long-standing networks there and in-depth knowledge of the region means that we can support isolated mountain communities that large aid organisations often can’t reach. So we've been able to fund many community-based projects here over many years, building the resilience of local communities as well as their ability to benefit from local tourism.
For example, in Ladakh, over the past year, we have contributed towards the set-up and equipping of two women’s Eco-cafes in Pensi and Kaya. These projects are economically empowering to the communities in these areas, specifically contributing to opportunities for women, and doing so in a way that respects the beautiful environment around them.
