Dear friends and supporters,
More than ever before, we saw our partners generate enough income to reinvest back into their communities. We saw youth gain greater agency and find new opportunities for full-time employment in the hospitality industry. We also saw once-marginalized women become decision- makers for their households, helping them gain a newfound confidence through tourism.
With 2017 came big changes for the Planeterra team as well. We reached a tipping point as 50 in 5 rapidly brought on new projects that connected communities to the tourism market. With this expanding growth, we knew we would need more hands on deck, and we’re happy to introduce two new change-makers to our team – Alanna and Rhea.
Alanna joined Planeterra having worked with community development and conservation programs in Zimbabwe and South Africa for several years. Rhea previously worked with women in South Asia, developing her expertise in skills development programs. With this growth, our global team of seven community development practitioners was able to bring to market 15 new projects in 2017.
Each of these partnerships is special and unique, and we’re excited for you to read about each one. This impact report will take you across the globe (and our oceans too!) as we share our year of expanding programs worldwide to directly support an additional 447 women, 66 youth, and 672 community members. In 2017, Planeterra projects provided increased livelihood, employment, and training opportunities to a total of 1,185 people.
It has been humbling to see lives changed by our global work, not just within the communities we partner with, but also amongst each other. We each embarked on new journeys this year, taking us outside the scope of our previous expertise to new countries, cultures, and communities. It is our hope that this report fully embodies the passion we share for the communities we work with, and that you enjoy reading about another year of work that we did together.
From all of us,
Jamie, Adrienne, Kelly, Rhea, Alanna, P.Tung, and Joel
