Writing Travel

3rd annual Passports with Purpose bloggers build a village in India

The third annual Passports with Purpose (PwP) fundraiser goes live today with an ambitious but reachable goal. We aim to raise $50,000 to build a village in India for people who have never had homes, members of the Dalit caste, India's "untouchables." All moneys raised, with the exception of Paypal fees, will go directly to the nonprofit organization Land for Tillers' Freedom (LAFTI) through the Friends of LAFTI Foundation.

Beginning today, November 15, through December 13, you will be able to bid on a wide variety of travel-related goods and services offered by sponsors who have partnered with participating bloggers.

Passports with Purpose was founded in 2008 by a group of four Seattle travel bloggers, Debbie Dubrow, Michelle Duffy, Pam Mandel, and Beth Whitman, the bloggers behind Delicious Baby, WanderMom, Nerd’s Eye View and Wanderlust and Lipstick, respectively. In the first two initiatives, PwP raised money for Heifer International and built a school in Cambodia.

In past years, I've promoted the fundraiser and made small donations, but this is the first year I'll be hosting a prize on my blog. Knowing my propensity for procrastination, I approached the Authentic Seacoast Resorts in Nova Scotia in January 2010, immediately after last year's event, to secure a prize to offer in partnership with one of my favorite travel providers. I am delighted to announce their generous contribution: a two-night getaway at their luxury bed-and-breakfast property, the DesBarres Manor Inn on Chedabucto Bay.

The Authentic Seacoast getaway at DesBarres Manor Inn includes a deluxe Manor room, daily gourmet breakfast for two, afternoon tea, Taste of Nova Scotia guest reception, and all the luxury amenities this historic inn is renowned for. The total value of the getaway package is $400.

The historical propery was built in 1837 for J.W.F. DesBarres, a Supreme Court Justice. Now a 10-room country inn with the amenitiies of a boutique hotel, the DesBarres Manor Inn is one of Atlantic Canada's top culinary destinations. DesBarres Manor’s culinary program has been recognized with Nova Scotia’s 2008 Cuisine of the Year award, the Canadian Wine Annual's Where to Eat & Stay in Atlantic Canada, and the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence in 2009 and 2010.

To bid on this luxury Nova Scotia getaway or another of the many prizes offered by PwP sponsors, visit  the Passports with Purpose donation page. (Please note that the list of prizes on the donation page is still being compiled as I write this post.)

Update from Sandra Basgall on her travel to the eastern frontier of the Congo

 

Note: This is Sandra's January 22 report from Goma. Next stop on her itinerary is Bukavu. I am anxiously awaiting more news.

Goma in Eastern DR Congo has a frontier town feeling. Beautifully situated on Lake Kiva, one of the African Great Lakes, and the Micumba Mountains, this eastern border town lies along the Great Rift Valley where many of the African Great Lakes are found as well as many active volcanoes. The most active volcano in Africa, Mount Nyiragongo, sits to Goma’s north. In 2002, lava flowed through the center of town for the fourth time in a century. Some buildings that were two-story are now one-story with basements. The lava rock is everywhere and is used for building walls and making into brick. Many of the roads are just lava rock, and this makes for quite a bumpy ride.

It is easier to come here through Rwanda whose border is only ten minutes away than to travel from Kinshasa, and many of the aid workers here never get to the capital as they enter and exit through Rwanda. For me to get here, I had to leave my home at 5 a.m. in Kinshasa for a 9 a.m. UN flight. That morning there were three flights, one to Goma, one to Bukavu, and another on which only UN troops flew. 

Sandra Basgall: Settling into my Kinshasa bungalow

  

Guest post by Sandra Basgall, Catholic Relief Services Central Africa

I may never return to the United States as my new furnished bungalow in Kinshasa is so nice. I am in a compound with about ten other bungalows and a good sized swimming pool. My bungalow is separated from the others with nice plantings and grass, and it feels quite private. There is a heavy gate with two guards that make sure the residents are safe. 

I have three bedrooms and three bathrooms. Now don’t get too excited, the small bath is just as you enter the house and for guests. The middle is for the two smaller bathrooms and has a nice shower. And the master bath has all the comforts of home as well as a nice tub! There are lovely built in drawers, shelves, and closets in the two small bedrooms and a large set in the hallway going into the master bedroom suite. What more could a girl ask for? And there is plenty of room for guests. 

Week 2 in Kinshasa ... and not counting

  

Guest post by Sandra Basgall, Catholic Relief Services Central Africa

The unsung heroes in the development world are the local staff.  If it were not for the regional administrative assistant, I would be completely in the dark.

He has organized temporary housing and working on permanent housing; he has helped me interview and hire household help; he has made sure I have drivers to take me around and without them, I would be lost; he has made sure that I get groceries; and he has just been there to answer questions. He works long hard hours, juggles many priorities, is constantly on the move, and an amazing asset. I take my hat off to him and others like him who have taken care of me around the world.

The house is in the works and I hope, if there are no glitches, to move in the end of the week.  I have hired a widow with six children to work five days a week for me. She has some English and will clean, wash and iron my clothes, and cook for me. It’s a little incestuous as she is the sister of one of my colleague’s housekeepers and the aunt of another. Just goes to show that it pays to have connections. As soon as I can move in, we, she and I will go the house and see what we need and go out and buy it. I look forward to getting settled.

Gifts for people who have everything made easy with Kiva and Passports with Purpose

  

This morning I received a couple of emails from a long-time friend who has just started a new job with Catholic Relief Services in the Congo. One of them contained a link to the website of the micro-loan project Kiva, with a note: "This is an idea for a Christmas present for someone who has everything. It was given to me and I love it."

Last week, I celebrated my 4000th Twitter follower with a promise to award a prize "suitable only to that person."

This was a bit risky, as my follower number 4000 could easily have been a spambot pushing whiter teeth. Luckily, that wasn't a problem. I was overjoyed when I saw that my 4000th follower was @JoeDiazAFAR, co-founder of AFAR Media and experiential travel expert. I can't think of a more suitable prize to award Joe than a contribution to Kiva in his honor.

Thanks for the follow, Joe! I enjoy reading AFAR and love that it takes me places I can only dream of experiencing.

As you finish your holiday shopping, don't forget Passports with Purpose as another end-of-year gift idea. They have met the initial target of $13,000 toward building a school in rural Cambodia with American Assistance for Cambodia and have doubled that target to include health services for the school. So far, there's enough money to build the school and hire a nurse. Additional funds are needed to create a garden and hire a gardener and cook to improve the students' nutrition.

Please consider donating. It's easy, in increments of $10 through Paypal, and every $10 buys a chance to win a great prize. See the list of donated prizes here.