RAW Charity Challenges

RAW Travel is run as a business with a conscience, where profit isn't our sole definition of success. We believe in treating the people, communities and suppliers we do business with fairly and lending support to the causes that we believe in. We make an effort where possible to support pro-poor tourism ventures and ensure that the benefits of travel are distributed more equitably in the societies we visit. We believe that we have a responsibility to raise awareness with our travellers of some the realities of the places we travel through and help where we can.

Making A Difference

RAW travel is a leading operator in Australia and New Zealand of charity challenges, trips where people mix adventure travel with philanthropy. Over the last 6 years we've operated over 130 charity challenges that have raised in excess of $A15 million for a huge variety of charitable causes. Our association with Charities and their projects has made us made us aware of the increasing need for tourism to play a positive role in societies, not just avoiding negative impacts but making a positive contribution to the places we visit.

If you'd like to find out more about our charity challenges and see the full range of Charity trips that you can join in 2010 please visit our dedicated charity challenges website:

www.rawchallenges.com

Choose from one of charity partners such as: OXFAM Australia and OXFAM New Zealand, World Vision Australia and World Vision New Zealand, Oncology Children's Foundation, International Women's Development Agency, Muscular Dystrophy Association, The MS Society, The KID's Foundation and get the opportunity to see their work first hand with exciting project visits in-country.

Corporate Challenges

Corporate challenges are also one of our specialities with many successful trips organized in Asia and Australia for clients such as: ANZ bank, Computershare, Macquarie bank, KPMG, Malleson's Stephen Jacques, Deutsche Bank ,The AFL, Origin Energy

If you represent a charity or company and would like to find out more about arranging a Charity challenge please speak to Dave Reynolds on (+613) 9597 0799 and chek out our dedicated charity challenge website at:

www.rawchallenges.com

Charity support

RAW travel is firmly committed to supporting causes that make a difference in our destinations. A donation each year goes towards supporting grass roots projects we believe make a difference. Details of current charities that we work with on fundraising challenges are given below:

Lifestart Foundation

Lifestart has been created to help orphans, street kids and families in Vietnam to become self-sufficient.Lifestart Foundation is a grass-roots organization run by a dedicated team of volunteers and 100% of all donations go directly towards assisting and providing for children and families in need.

Contact: Karen Leonard on 03 9331 2540
www.lifestartfoundation.org.au

The Somaly Mam Foundation, Cambodia

The Somaly Mam Foundation is a Cambodian based charity working to end slavery. With the vision and leadership of world renowned Cambodian activist, Somaly Mam, the foundation strives to get to the root of human trafficking. There are three shelters in Cambodia where young girls who have been rescued from Brothels are rehabilitated and given support and vocational training, allowing them to build new futures for themselves. Raw Travel is running a fundraising ride in Cambodia in March 2009 for international volunteers and will repeat the trip in 2010. We recommend that people read 'The Road to Innocence' by Somaly Mam for a full account of the trafficking in Cambodia and the efforts of the foundation.

http://www.somaly.org

KEEP, Nepal

The Kathmandu Environmental Education Project (KEEP) aims are twofold: to provide impartial and independent information to travellers, and to ensure the future ecological and cultural prosperity of Nepal through positive impact tourism and outreach project work. Recently KEEP has become involved in programmes aimed at poverty alleviation and the empowerment of women.

www.keepnepal.org

Oncology Children's Foundation, Australia

The Oncology Children's Foundation (OCF) is a not-for-profit children's charity exclusively devoted to raising funds for medical research into finding a cure for childhood cancer. Over 700 Australian children under the age of 16 are diagnosed with cancer every year. Sadly, one in four will not survive. OCF has a determination to significantly increase the survival rate of children with cancer.

www.ocf.com.au