Wanderful supports meaningful travel.
If you’re engaging in meaningful travel, you know it brings you closer to realities around the world and closer to yourself and your purpose by coming to understand others and helping to improve their lives.
At Wanderful, we’ve shown our support for meaningful travel by publishing posts about empowering girls, ethical voluntourism, and the important work of Peace Corps volunteers.
And we’ve shown our support for meaningful travel by giving the Wanderful community the opportunity to support organizations that focus on philanthropy abroad. In just September of last year, we traveled with Unearth the World to volunteer at the Light and Leadership initiative.
And we’ve got a brand new trip coming up this year.
We’re partnering with Spark Ventures for a trip in November that will let you both do good and have fun.
Spark Ventures embraces
…business driven philanthropy [that] leverages charitable contributions to fund food and agriculture investments in emerging market social enterprises. The returns from these investments endow high impact social program partners with sustainable revenue to provide education, health and nutrition to the most vulnerable in that country.
What does that mean?
Spark Ventures implements funds in a sustainable way to help pull people, especially children, out of poverty.
The Itinerary
The trip begins in León where you’ll be introduced to the staff of Las Tías, a nonprofit organization operating in León, Nicaragua. Las Tías was started by eight women merchants in 1989 to serve vulnerable children in their community through nutrition and educational programming.
You’ll have the opportunity to interact with the children and teachers with reading exercises, games, and daily meal preparation.
While in León, you’ll also get to explore the city, including the second-largest cathedral in Central America, and will get an opportunity to go kayaking or volcano boarding (sledding from the slopes of an active volcano).
The trip culminates in the fun and scenic colonial-era city of Granada, where you’ll have the opportunity to add an additional day in Nicaragua of sightseeing, hiking, boating, or paddle boarding.
Boutique accommodation, transportation, and exceptional meals are all included in the trip price.
Why go?
Besides the amazing chance to get involved with a philanthropic organization like Las Tías, this trip is a great opportunity to connect with other women travelers and build your network. Solo, experienced, and first-time travelers, as well as non-Spanish speakers, are encouraged to sign up.
A female Spark trip facilitator and Spark’s CEO, Rich Johnson, will travel with the group. Rich will conduct a strategy session mid-trip to share the successes and challenges he has experienced while working with the sustainable, business-driven philanthropy model.
It’s a trip that lets you have fun and explore, but it’s about more than that. While you come to understand yourself through the challenges and joys of travel, Spark Ventures will also give you the opportunity to contribute to a sustainable model that helps pull people from poverty. And that’s something you can take back with you.
Spark Ventures + Wanderful = Awesome
All that judgment about escaping “real life” for the adventures of travel? We’re not into that. We know that travel that allows you to connect with cultures, lives, environments, and yourself is what makes you a rounder person.
That’s why we’re partnering with Spark Ventures to facilitate this trip to Nicaragua. It’s designed for active women interested in learning more about Spark’s approach to business-driven philanthropy. You’ll do hands-on volunteering with children and local leaders while experiencing the culture and beauty of Nicaragua.
If you’re eager to get out there and do good, this is your chance to do it with two organizations that know what you’re searching for.
Dates: November 9-13, 2016
Price: $1,995.00 (includes accommodations, meals, transportation on-site, and activities)
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To learn more about past trip participants’ experiences in Nicaragua and to view a detailed trip itinerary, please visit the Spark blog and Trip Flyer. Want to know even more? Reach out to Arnold Duijzer, Program Manager at Spark Ventures: aduijzer@sparkventures.org or 773-293-6710.
Want to share your experiences in service while traveling and learn a little more about Spark Ventures and our adventures in November? Join us for a #wanderful Twitter storm on Tuesday, April 12 at 9 PM EST!
Featured image courtesy of Spark Ventures.