Our Mission: The mission of the Compassionate Travel Foundation (CTF) is to improve the lives of women and children around the world by inspiring travelers to be of service wherever they visit.
Our Philosophy: We believe in the wisdom of ordinary people to identify the resources they need to meet their own definitions of success. One or more of the necessary resources maybe out of reach. From casual or pre-planned encounters, the compassionate traveler can build relationships, ask questions respectfully, listen openly, and return home to network and connect the formerly unreachable resources to the person or group in need. It is amazingly easy for the compassionate traveler to make a huge impact on the lives of struggling people while enhancing his or her own travels and gaining the rich rewards of offering a hand up. (see the Eleven Pencils story on our "Compassionate Traveler" page or on our blog.)
Our Vision: CTF will model how travelers can be of service by focusing on projects that empower women and educate children.
Our Purpose: Is to increase the economic status of women and improve child literacy rates in the Mayan communities of Belize and Guatemala, Central America.
We would love to hear from you. Please let us know what you think of our web site so we can continue to improve it.
info@compassionatetravelfoundation.org
Donations are gratefully accepted. To make a secure, online donation click on our How To Donation page.
Examples of How We Plan to Meet Our Purpose:
Direct Funding
Collecting and providing books for schools, school supplies and computer equipment.
Networking Partnerships
Creating sister school relationships, donating school uniforms, and linking school curricula to environmental protection.
What We Have Accomplished
Collected and provided Maya Centre Village School in Belize with 1,200 books.
See our new Books for Belize Project in the CTF Projects link.
Linked S.H.A.R.E., a non-profit in Guelph, Ontario, Canada with women at Maya Centre Village. S.H.A.R.E. deliverd two sewing machines in February 2009.
Update on Sewing Machines
In Fall 2009, Marilyn called Maya Center Village and enjoyed a lively phone conversation with Aurora Saqui, a village leader and wife of the village chairman, Ernesto Saqui. All is jogging along well. Even with the world-wide economic downturn, Maya Center has continued to see a trickle of tourists, probably because accommodation and food prices here are modest.
Villagers threw a party of celebration and appreciation for their alcalde of many years, Ernesto Saqui The two sewing machines, delivered by S.H.A.R.E., our Canadian friends, have fostered a steady sewing business for two women who now make the beautiful Mopan dresses, general clothing and school uniforms for villagers for a modest payment. This keeps the business in the village and saves traveling to other villages.
"Never underestimate what a simple gesture can do. It is the little things that you do that make a big difference in other people’s lives.” ~ Catherine Pulsifer.
