Rickshaw Local Aid Projects

We support several small-scale aid projects in Asia, Latin America and Africa. These are projects that have a direct effect on the living environment, conditions or education of a local community. Rickshaw travellers are welcome to visit our projects and get a first hand glimpse of what their donations can mean in real terms. The projects are supported and managed by our local travel partners, and they keep us up to speed on progress concerning the charity projects. Here's a summary of our current projects across the globe.

If you would like to support one of these projects without necessarily travelling to the country, you can always contact us at info@rickshawtravel.com.au. If you do plan on travelling to one of our travel destinations and would like to support an aid project, you can choose donate $20 through the Rickshaw booking form.

Aid donations to areas recently affected by natural disasters and other calamities are also possible. Our local agents will make sure that your donations reach those who need it most. If you would like to support these causes, contact our travel specialists for the appropriate country or send an email to info@rickshawtravel.com.au.

School Support Project - Vada Kadumbadi, India

India Online supports small projects in villages throughout the Tamil Nadu coastline. Currently we're supporting repairs and partial restoration of an elementary school in the town of Vada Kadumbadi. We've come a long way, but financing for this project is not yet complete. The village is located in the countryside, near the coastal city of Chennai in Southern India (Tamil Nadu province).This region is extremely poor and there are very little resources available to the inhabitants of this area. People only have the bare minimum necessary to survive here. Approximately 120 children from surrounding villages attend the elementary school in Vada Kadumbadi. Facilities really are minimal; there are no desks for the children who simply sit on the ground. There are only four class rooms in the school building to accommodate 120 children, so teachers are also teaching lessons outdoors in the hot sun. The school building is in desperate need of repairs. Want to know how you can help? Have a look at: School support project - India.

The Tamsarya Foundation - Nepal

The Tamsarya Foundation focuses its attention on the country's poorest children and children who endure the greatest hardships. The foundation sets up projects focussed on building a better, brighter future for Nepal... especially for children (boys and girls), in the areas of education, health care and general well being. Rickshaw Travel supports Kumari School, a refuge where children can develop and thrive safely and where they can grow up in a loving environment. The Kumari School and orphanage is located at the foot of the Himalaya, 200km southwest of the capital Kathmandu. All of the children that attend this school are poor and many are orphans. Some children have a single parent who is not capable of caring for them due to disability or serious illness. Children from extremely poor families are also accepted to this school since they are at risk of malnutrition or their parents do not own a home or land. Currently, there are 140 children being cared for by the Kumari School. If you would like to know more about this project, have a look at The Tamsarya Foundation.

The Child Care Centre - Thailand

Thailand Online supports an orphanage for Burmese children who have lost their parents. The orphanage is known as the Child Care Centre and it is located in a refugee camp approximately 40km from the town of Mae Hong Son, about 300km from Chiang Mai. An estimated 20,000 people live in the refugee camp.

The camp is located near the Burmese border and most of the refugees are Karenni, an ethnic minority from the Burmese state of Kayah. Most inhabitants of the refugee camp fled to Thailand during the second half of the 1990s. The conflict with the Burmese government has recently reignited and the number of refugees in the camp is growing once again. Donations to this project are used to buy food, clothing and school materials for the children. It is also used to pay two people to cook, clean clothes and take on other household chores for the orphanage. If you would like to know more about this important project, have a look at the Thailand Online website.

The Child Surgery Foundation - Vietnam

Vietnam Online supports The Child Surgery Foundation, which helps children with physical disabilities. The foundation was set up in May of 2005 and offers direct rehabilitation assistance to children with a physical disability. The foundation pays the most attention to children that would otherwise receive the least care. They focus on those who live far from the large cities in places where the quality of living is far below average and where it's almost impossible to request for assistance or reach the proper medical authorities.

A Vietnamese intermediary travels to the necessary areas to contact local doctors and govermenment organisations. He also helps to choose which children in the area need the most help and could benefit most from the programme. He then organises transport to a regional hospital or a surgery centre. He also makes sure that the children are not sent home too early, since most need a physical therapy programme at home after their surgery. If you would like to support this project, have a look at the Vietnam Online website.

Napa Village - China

Hidden amongst the Himalayan foothills in South West China lies a small Tibetan village: Napa Village. The village lies on the banks of the enchanting Lake Napa and is surrounded by fresh green pasture and rolling hills. It is a poor neighbourhood and the inhabitants mostly live off the proceeds from deforestation. There is hardly any time - or money - for schooling.

China Online supports a project that was set up to help this village. Our local agent in Zhongdian, the initiator of this project, is helping to raise funds for better homes and facilities. An end to deforestation is very important for this beautiful area in order to preserve its natural beauty and the project is helping to improve education for the village's children, in order to offer them a different future. By providing proper education (which is lacking completely at the moment), today's children will one day be able to continue the good work started by their parents. Have a look at the China Online website to find out more about this project.

International Mountain Explorers Connection - Tanzania

Tanzania online supports the International Mountain Explorers Connection, also known as the IMEC. The IMEC is a non-profit organisation whose mission is to promote a responsible and sustainable relationship between travellers and mountain communities, especially porters (those who carry the luggage of those who go trekking). IMEC’s Porter Assistance Project strives towards the improvement of working conditions for all porters. This project provides climbers with independent porters and provides them with clothing and proper equipment. Additionally the IMEC offers courses to these porters - for English lessons, First Aid, HIV/AIDS Awareness and financial management. All of this keeps the porters motivated and helps them towards a brighter future. The IMEC has also created a partnership for responsible travel. This gives partner tour operators a platform to show that they support the promotion of better treatment of porters and that they are aware of the cultural and ecological value that travellers bring with them. By supporting this project, you'll help the IMEC finance a clothing project, provide education and you'll make a conscious decision to support an organisation that promotes the wellbeing of the Tanzanian people. Please go to our Kenya Online website to find out more information on this charity.