No Limits Cafe

No Limits Cafe

August 4, 2023 Selene Orellana

No Limits Cafe

Ulaan Bataar, Mongolia

Impact

The Downs Syndrome Association is dedicatedly supporting children living with Down syndrome and their families. They are also actively raising community awareness, advocating for their rights, and providing education. The No Limits Cafe is a remarkable outcome of their efforts, offering training and employment opportunities to young adults with Down syndrome and their mothers, who have historically been excluded from economic benefits. This innovative program is successfully breaking down barriers, showcasing how young people with Down syndrome can contribute to society through tourism, and opening up new opportunities for all while also enriching the local tourism industry.

The income generated from tourism will not only aid the Downs Syndrome Association in maintaining the stability of their operations but will also provide salaries for the youth and their mothers, serving as a powerful motivation. The youth are already planning how to invest their earnings from tourism, which demonstrates the positive impact of this initiative on their lives.

10
Youth employed
10
Women employed
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Critical Need

In Mongolia, only a small percentage of differently-abled individuals in the labor force are employed. Sadly, families and especially mothers with children and youth with Down Syndrome often face discrimination and are deprived of employment opportunities and essential training to earn an income. The Downs Syndrome Association is determined to change this situation by offering vocational training for adults, schooling for children, and even providing a braille library to enhance employability. Through their barista program, trained baristas can now serve coffee with pride.

Tourism can serve as a powerful alternative to empower differently-abled youth while providing the necessary resources for the Downs Syndrome Association to finance their impactful initiatives. 

Our Involvement

Planeterra provided a grant to establish and fully equip the No Limits Cafe. In collaboration with our local strategic partner GER to GER, we conducted training on how to create a tourism experience using the valuable resources from the Planeterra Online Learning Hub. This ensures that the team at No Limits Cafe is well-prepared and confident in hosting travelers. 

Planeterra also facilitated a connection between No Limits Cafe and one of our corporate partners, ensuring a consistent flow of customers that enables them to sustain a steady income through tourism.

Come, grab a coffee, and a snack at No Limits Cafe while learning about how this small enterprise is breaking down social norms!

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Ak Orgo

September 4, 2020 Rhea Simms Partners

Ak Orgo

Barskoon, Kyrgyzstan

Impact

The partnership with Planeterra allows Ak Orgo to create much-needed livelihood opportunities in Barskoon through tourism and handicraft production. As tourism continues to grow in Kyrgyzstan, Ak Orgo is now set up to be able to capture more of the market and grow their social enterprise. Tourism allows Ak Orgo to further its work in preserving traditional Kyrgyz craft techniques through innovating new technology and training young artists. Since the partnership began, Ak Orgo has been able to provide salaries to its employees on a regular basis. In the past, many worked for passion, but now they can support their families. The majority of employees at Ak Orgo are women.

21
people earning an income
126
community members benefitting

Critical Need

Kyrgyzstan is the second poorest economy in Central Asia. The economy went into a deep recession after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, and some of the effects are still felt today. Located in Barskoon, a community suffering from 80% unemployment, this workshop provides the opportunity for much-needed livelihoods in the craft and tourism sector. 

The preservation of traditional Kyrgyz crafts is at the heart of the Ak Orgo craft workshop in Barskoon village. Decreasing demand for the labour-intensive felt products used to decorate yurts had led Ak Orgo on a mission to innovate new ways to make traditional crafts that are efficient yet true to the culture.

Our Involvement

Ak Orgo’s purpose is creating and preserving traditional Kyrgyz handicrafts while generating livelihood opportunities in the community. The founder of Ak Orgo, Mekenbek, is working to create innovative solutions that make traditional crafts easier to produce, encouraging the younger generation to engage in the art. Ak Orgo is a social enterprise that has only recently started working in tourism.

Planeterra supported Ak Orgo with a grant to build a kitchen and a washroom to better serve travellers. Planeterra also worked through a local training organization, the Association of Social Entrepreneurs Kyrgyzstan, to develop business and marketing skills for the Ak Orgo team to help them better achieve their social goals through tourism.

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September 4, 2020 Rhea Simms

Hagi Elder Homestay

Hagi City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan

Impact

The primary positive social impact of this collaboration is the increase in happiness and sense of purpose for Hagi’s ageing residents. Secondly, these tourism activities  create income for the Hagi Ageing Homestay Association, as well as the promotion of local businesses and projects in Hagi City. The goal of the Association is to generate new economic opportunities within their hometown which are attractive to the next generation, leading to a decrease in rural population decline.

28
community members benefitting

Critical Need

Japan is experiencing a changing demographic landscape, with birth rates decreasing and a growing ageing population. This creates socio-economic as well as social issues within the country – and especially in rural areas. Most young people and the new generation are moving away from rural areas to the city for work, not seeing any career opportunities in farming communities. Unfortunately, this means that most of the ageing society is left alone in their hometown. Not only does this have a negative effect on the morale of the elderly in Japan, it has also created concern about future growth for the country’s economy. The Hagi Homestay, where travellers stay with local farmers and elderly hosts, seeks to create purpose and an income for the ageing population of Hagi City.

Our Involvement

Planeterra worked closely with Higashi Furusato Tourism Suishin Kyogikaithe (Hagi Green Hometown Tourism Association) to provide training to the homestay hosts to better work with English speaking travellers. Training focused on improving the ability of the hosts to interact meaningfully with guests, despite the language barrier, so that hosts can get more out of the experience socially.

One of Planeterra’s corporate partners, group travel company G Adventures, began bringing travellers to the Hagi Homestay in 2019, where they get a glimpse into everyday life for Japanese farmers, and experience their rich culture.

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Jia Community Restaurant

September 4, 2020 Rhea Simms Partners

Jia Community Restaurant

Liandaowan, China

Impact

Jia Community Restaurant is not just a restaurant, it is a hub where hundreds of community members come together to learn and share experiences. It is used for celebrations, children’s educational programs, women’s empowerment programs and more. The centre receives sustained income from tourism that allows them to create jobs in the rural village while continuing to expand training programs to more people. 

Over 30 community programs were hosted here in the first year of operation. In 2019, they initiated a Community Development Fund, saving a portion of all tourism income to support community projects. Women in the community have become much more engaged in leading community activities since the first year, as they can see the impact first hand that the centre is having for their children. In the future, they hope to implement more environmental programs.

5
women employed
400
community members benefitting

Critical Need

Rural women and children in China are frequently faced with the challenge of being separated from their families, as men travel to cities to earn an income. In Liandaowan village the women are left without meaningful livelihood opportunities, and children’s education remains basic. 

RWDF  aims to meet the needs of rural women and children by providing meaningful job opportunities, training, and immersive education for children. A large network of rural women across China allows women to discover new skills, passions, and create a strong sense of community.

Our Involvement

Planeterra partnered with the Rural Women’s Development Foundation (RWDF) to provide the catalyst grant to construct a Community Corner and Restaurant in Liandaowan.

Planeterra then helped introduce RWDF to tour operator G Adventures resulting in a built-in customer base of travellers. The restaurant provides the opportunity for young women and families to become chefs, waiters and guides to host travellers. 

Planeterra supported the training of 10 women in developing the necessary skills to run a successful kitchen. The restaurant is owned and managed by Tomato, a woman with a strong vision of seeing her generation empowered and engaging meaningfully in society. The Community Corner acts as a place of learning and community building for children, including a library, formal learning programs and other community events.

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Canada Not-for-Profit Corporation Number: 793488-2, US 501 (c)(3) public charity, EIN 83-1619668