I have been fortunate to meet wonderful people in my travels who are in-charge of projects designed to improve the country they’re from as well as foreigners who have helped communities in a country they visited .
There are too many causes and needs in each country, even in my own. Individually, it is impossible for us to reach everybody but we can at least support those who, for whatever reason, we feel close to. I want to tell you about the NGOs and solidarity projects that I have collaborated with or donated to at some point and whose work I trust :
Sonrisas y Montañas (Smiles and Mountains)
Based in Ciudad Real, this NGO was created people who love mountains, mountaineering and nature. They have small projects with a very clear and direct focus in several countries around the world . I met them just before my first trip to Nepal in 2017 because I wanted to know more about their project in the country.
After the terrible earthquake that Nepal suffered in 2015, this organization welcomed five children from the Langtang Valley, the epicenter of the earthquake, and put them in a foster home in Kathmandu with a local person who lives with them. They always accept donations to cover the expenses of the house, food, school, clothes, toys, extracurricular classes, etc.
Suruchi Home Care
I got to know Suruchi thanks to the Trip Drop website, which collects solidarity projects from all over the world. This Nepalese girl is a nurse and has carried out various health-related projects, from vaccination campaigns to treatments and home visits. Help is always needed, be it in the form of a donation such as donating necessary materials or collaborating on the ground.
Hamra Kisan
I met Aman, the person behind this project, the same way I met Suruchi. In fact, they both work hand in hand on a lot of their projects. Aman is a Nepalese boy from Lumbini, in charge of the Lumbini Heritage Home accommodation in Patan. Its projects are related to the most rural Nepal, with its main project being Hamrakisan, a platform to unite and train farmers with the end customer. In addition, he does weekly talks in Patan about entrepreneurship to help others to start their own businesses, especially women and young people.
SILO
SILO is a Spanish non-profit organization with more than fifteen years of cooperation in Africa. All the people who are part of this do their activity completely voluntarily, most of them professionals in the medical-health, education and engineering sectors. SILO’s activity is focused on Guinea Bissau, as it is one of the 10 most underdeveloped countries in the world as well as with a life expectancy of just 48 years. Their projects range from scholarships for studies and professional training for adults to the creation and maintenance of the only health center in the area.
Honnold Foundation
Alex Honnold, a professional rock climber who has achieved great milestones in the climbing arena is the person behind the Honnold Foundation . After years of living in his van and traveling for rock climbing, he decided to create this foundation In 2012 to work on a very clear objective: to improve people’s standard of living by ensuring they have access to electricity, specifically solar energy. Their projects focus on being able to supply solar panels to communities and cities in collaboration with other local organizations in each country, .
