RAW Charity Challenges

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:

International Women's Development Agency

International Women’s Development Agency (IWDA) is an Australian non-profit organisation that creates positive change for women and their communities. Our practical and rights-based projects directly address poverty and oppression in developing countries.

For 25 years, IWDA has worked with more than 100 grassroots organisations in the developing world, to support and advance the life choices and well being of women and their families. IWDA undertakes projects in partnership with women from the Asia Pacific region. These projects are devised and managed by women who live and work in the communities themselves, which fosters practical and innovative responses to the issues women view as most critical.

RAW has ran trips in Cambodia, Vietnam, P.N.G. and Australia for IWDA over the past several years. www.iwda.org.au

Muscular Dystrophy Australia

RAW Travel has run ChallengeMD! fundraising trips for the past several years in Cambodia, Nepal and Vietnam to raise funds for MDA. The Muscular Dystrophy Association means hope! MDA is committed to improving the quality of life for the MD community through the provision of support and respite services, facilitation and financial support of research and increasing public awareness and acceptance of neuromuscular disorders. www.mda.org.au

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.
RAW is proud to have along association with OCF and has run fundraising bike trips in Tibet, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Australia that have helped strengthen OCF's image as the leading charity to support in the Australian cycling community.

www.ocf.com.au