Events like Semana Santa in the Peruvian city of Ayacucho attract many foreign visitors - but do these gringo travelers bring help or harm to developing communities? Matt Finch of La Vida Idealist spoke with Lloyd Boutcher of UK travel operators Sunvil and Georgina Davies of the Travel Foundation to[...]
Archive for the ‘Social Entrepreneurship’ Category
May 7th, 2011 - 6:46 am § in Around Town, Brazil, Ecuador, Nonprofit Spotlight, Peru, Social Entrepreneurship
Help or Harm? Travel and Tourism for the Ethical Gringo
November 5th, 2010 - 4:00 pm § in Careers, Good Ideas, In the Field, Mexico, Social Entrepreneurship
On Coffee and Marriage
Starting a business is like learning to ride a bike for the first time. Starting a business with your spouse of not-quite two years is like riding a bike shoeless with a burning candle in one hand. Starting a business in another country is, well, beyond similes. My husband and I are opening a coffee[...]
Tags: art, business, cafe, coffee, entrepreneurship, Gena Thomas, genalou, Mexico, nonprofit, notquiteripe.com 13 Comments
Back
“We never, never, never thought you would come back!” Blanca cried. Blanca is a 53-year-old Paraguayan grandmother, store owner and farmer. She loves my husband Andrew like a son, and me like a daughter-in-law. Blanca has held me when I cried, washed my underwear, and inspired me to be a bet[...]
Home Sweet Tree Fort
The future is a funny thing. I joined the Peace Corps in 2008 and was assigned to work in Paraguay. I knew the country was located in South America and that it would be my home until 2010. I did not know that I would drink ground herbs in my water everyday, or that I would [...][...]
July 23rd, 2010 - 10:48 am § in Around Town, Country, Culture, Day in the Life, Good Ideas, In the Field, Peru, Social Entrepreneurship, Volunteer
Being Inspired
My experience in Peru has been everything I could have wanted. It will be one of those, “When I was your age” stories that I will tell my children. My only real responsibilities are to Skype my parents on their birthdays and to not get arrested. The people I am meeting and interacting with are [[...]
Sex and Violence Sells: But Please, No Gawking Allowed!
Why do people travel? Personally, I travel to see different landscapes, absorb local culture, photograph natural phenomena, hike beautiful mountains, and eat exotic foreign food. I think many people are in the same boat. Recently, both here in Brazil, and on vacation in Bolivia, I was introduced to [...]
It’s all About the Benjamins, Baby…
Thanks to you, we came a close second in October’s Ideablob competition. But don’t be too down! We didn’t win, but a lot of people learned about our cause. Now we’re in another competition, this time with better odds and a bigger reward. But we need your vote! No donation is needed[...]
Going Green(er) in Guatemala
In my first few months in Guatemala, I winced every time I threw away a plastic yogurt cup or cardboard cereal box. It was extremely frustrating not to be able to recycle all of the things that fit into my cute blue bin in the United States. My trash can filled to the brim with [...][...]
October 15th, 2009 - 3:17 pm § in Around Town, Brazil, Country, Good Ideas, News, Social Entrepreneurship
A Race of Olympic Proportions: Blog Action Day 2009
Catalytic Communities is about to embark on a new project called Rio Floresta, a planting and community mobilization project designed to improve the lives of Rio’s approximately six million residents. Currently, the North Zone – home to 2 million people – is 3°C warmer than the famous[...]
October 14th, 2009 - 2:34 pm § in Good Ideas, Social Entrepreneurship
Must Read: Strategies to Empower a Community/Organization
Rules for Radicals, by Saul Alinksy: This book is about community organizing by one of, if not the most, famous radicals/idealists of all time. Saul Alinksy began his work in the Chicago stockyards, was a radical icon in the 60’s, and worked towards achieving his ideals until he passed away in[...]
