New York Times Op-Ed Columnist, Nicholas Kristof wrote an interesting column this past weekend, “Cum Laude in Evading Bandits” (May 31, 2009), encouraging students to travel. In some ways, it’s also a pronouncement of the education system.
The kind of travel he talks about doesn’t include enjoying luxury hotel services, sipping latte or cappuccino or visiting popular tourist venues. He’s talking about traveling to impoverished areas of the world where lessons on tolerance, diversity, human struggle, and compassion are better taught than in the classrooms. In fact, he advocates schools to …

The second annual goodpurpose study (winter 2008) published by Edelman, one of the world’s largest PR firms, profiles today’s consumer as a proactive user and collaborator (no surprise here – just look around) and an advocate for social causes. The report tells us that people’s commitment to helping others — and to brands that share the same commitment — is strong.
Edelman surveyed 6,000 consumers across 10 countries, here are the highlights:

42% of consumers say “helping others and contributing to my community” brings them the strongest feelings of contentment, but …

We never know what may result from our volunteer travels. Sometimes the impressions made on us may lead to a return trip, other times it may spawn larger ambitions to give back which could lead to a career change or the creation of a business or a non-profit that would give back perpetually or meet a particular need in the world or both. Such is the case of Jan Hanson. We love her story because it embodies the promise and potential of every volunteer and every volunteer trip.
Jan Hanson …

Photo by BL 1961
In 1970, spearheaded by Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson, to draw attention to the environmental issues plaguing the planet and human health, nearly 20 million Americans participated in events on April 22. Named Earth Day, April 22 has remained a time to celebrate the restoration and protection of our the planet. Earth Day has grown into a global tradition, with a billion people in 180 nations around the world expected to take part in 2009.
Kathleen Rogers, president of Washington, D.C.-based Earth Day Network (EDN), which was founded by …

Here is a recent article from community newspaper, Bluffton Today, on how voluntourism really DOES pay off.
Two decades of decline in demand for Zambia’s agricultural exports and severe droughts devastated Zambia’s economy. The International Monetary Fund loaned money to the country, but demanded the government decrease spending on healthcare and education, forcing local villagers to pay for the services themselves. Because the villagers subsisted on agriculture, they earned less than $1 a day, making medical care and schooling impossible.
Widespread poverty, food insecurity, lack of electricity and sanitation, plus …

We’ve recently came across a search engine that is helping to end world hunger. Hoongle is an advanced Google search that raises money to fight world hunger. For every search, Hoongle donates the monetary equivalent of 20 grains of rice through the UN World Food Program. This is part of the UN’s “Fill the Cup” program; Hoongle’s donations go towards the purchase of well-balanced meals that consist of nutrient-rich items that deliver a broader array of vitamins and minerals than rice alone. The quality of …