Domari Culture and Craft Experience

Domari Culture and Craft Experience

September 3, 2020 Planeterra Partners

Domari Culture and Craft Experience

Jerusalem, Israel

Impact

This project gives an opportunity for Dom women to gain practical skills in hospitality, build their confidence, earn an income, and celebrate their culture. The income from this project is used to further the impactful programs held at the Domari Community Centre. It is the goal of this centre that Dom people become independent, confident, integrated members of society and to promote cultural heritage. Furthermore, travellers will get the privilege to learn about the unique Dom culture and history, many of whom may have never heard of this culture before. The Domari Society continues to invest time and resources into recording the Domari language in writing, which can help preserve a language at risk of being lost.

19
women employed

Critical Need

The Dom (Gypsy) community, located in Jerusalem, face regular discrimination for not being fully integrated into the Israeli or Palestinian societies. Dom children often have lower education levels than other children in Jerusalem, and the women are often underemployed. 

The Domari Society of Gypsies was created as a direct response to this need, opening a Community Centre focused on providing support to children and vocational skills to Dom women. This is also a space for the endangered Domari language to be shared and culture celebrated. Further, the Domari language is spoken and not written. As the Domari cultural identity has weakened due to continued discrimination, many youths have not learned the language.

Our Involvement

Planeterra supported the Domari Society to create a tourism experience for travellers. For this, a dining area was prepared for travellers to enjoy unique Domari food and culture. Women were trained in hospitality and storytelling, preparing them with basic English skills to better communicate about their culture to travellers.

Further, the handicraft shop at the community centre was improved to promote a better shopping experience for travellers, better supporting Dom artisans across the city.

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Beit Khayrat Souf

September 3, 2020 Planeterra

Beit Khayrat Souf

Souf, Jordan

Impact

This growing café employs over 20 women to support in daily management, service and cooking. In order to engage more women in income generation activities, women also work from home to make preserves, which are sold back to Beit Khayrat Souf for consumption and sales to visitors. As this business continues to grow, more women can gain employment opportunities and break the cycle of unemployment that has remained rampant for women in the region. The café is also used as a launching pad for local youth interested in volunteering and learning about other cultures.

25
women employed
60
community members benefitting
.

Critical Need

Jordan ranks 16th in the world for women’s unemployment. Jordan’s Department of Statistics reports that In 2016 only 13.2% of women were economically active (employed or seeking work) while 58.7% of men were economically active during the same period. 

Beit Khayrat Souf is a women-owned and managed café in Souf, started with the purpose of combating women’s unemployment and building a strong community of women leaders. This café was the dream of Sumia, a Jordanian woman who took out a personal loan, bearing the risk with the hope of empowering more women for years to come. The project is supported by the Princess Alia Foundation.

Our Involvement

Planeterra was able to connect Beit Khayrat Souf to a larger customer base through our travel partners. Travellers visiting Beit Khayrat Souf can enjoy a traditional Jordanian food cooking class.

The cafe has received support for the construction of the cafe from various nonprofits but is still working to create a strong customer base. This partnership has allowed them to become profitable and grow their impact.

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Nem Adom Fel

September 2, 2020 Planeterra Partners

Nem Adom Fel Café & Bar

Budapest, Hungary

Impact

Nem Adom Fel Foundation (meaning ‘I never give up’) was founded in 2005 with the mission to empower differently-abled Hungarians. This includes the Nem Adom Fel Café and Bar, where 90% of employees are differently-abled. With a grant from Planeterra for upgrades to the café, employees are able to better serve customers. The improvements to the café and the connection to travellers also guarantee increased income. The more money the café makes, the more funds can be channeled into the Nem Adom Fel Foundation’s work to advocate for Hungarians living with disabilities, and to invest in their programs that positively impact the lives of Hungary’s Roma communities.

180
people benefiting
90%
of employees are differently abled

Critical Need

Almost 1 million Hungarians are differently-abled either physically or mentally, and there are great disparities in employment rates and education levels between able-bodied Hungarians and Hungarians who are differently-abled. Although recent government legislation and programs have attempted to tackle these issues (and others such as accessibility), with varying degrees of success, there exists a need to empower and employ people who are differently-abled in Hungary. It’s not only those who are differently-abled that are at a disadvantage in these areas – unemployment and education levels are also low for Hungary’s Roma population. Unemployment for the Roma is 3-5 times higher than for other Hungarians, and they are heavily segregated and discriminated against in the country’s education system. Additionally, the Roma in Hungary are more likely to be impoverished, suffer from insufficient housing, and lack of access to healthcare. 

Nem Adom Fel Foundation (meaning ‘I never give up’) was founded in 2005 with the mission to empower differently-abled Hungarians, with a view that everyone has something to give, and everyone can help someone else. They have since expanded this mission to the Roma communities around Hungary, raising funds to create daycare, social support for students, and other community initiatives.

Our Involvement

Planeterra partnered with Nem Adom Fel Foundation in 2018, at first connecting the foundation’s restaurant, the Nem Adom Fel Café and Bar, with tour operator G Adventures, to include a meal stop for their tours visiting Budapest. Planeterra has also supported Nem Adom Fel Foundation with a grant to be used for upgrades to their café’s operations and marketing, as the café sometimes suffers a lack of customers since it opened in 2016.

The staff from the café were able to attend English lessons as a result of this funding, which helps them to serve international clients. Funding also supported an investment into the café’s electrical system, and restocked some of the kitchen’s equipment.

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Solheimar Ecovillage

September 2, 2020 Planeterra Partners

Solheimar Ecovillage

Golden Circle, Iceland

Impact

Solheimar is a sustainable community and non-profit organization dedicated to assisting over 100 residents, mostly individuals who are differently-abled. The small village is home to various businesses including a café, various art workshops, organic greenhouses, and guesthouses, giving all residents a sense of empowerment and purpose. Responsible, low-impact tourism to this community contributes to the financial sustainability of the non-profit and provides employment and livelihoods to village residents who otherwise might find it difficult to find economic opportunities.

110
community members benefitting

Critical Need

Discrimination against individuals who are differently-abled is a historic problem seen around the world, which has led to these individuals to be excluded from participation in society in many cases.  Solheimar Ecovillage, a purposeful community in Iceland, is addressing this issue by employing and empowering differently-abled artisans and staff. Founded in 1930, the community’s overall goal is the social inclusion of people from all backgrounds, and the organization is also dedicated to the preservation of nature and promotion of self-sufficient and sustainable living. Solheimar is based on a philosophy of eco-living and the residents support themselves through organic farming and the sale of products made from recycled goods. All activities take place within buildings with green features from construction materials, to energy and water efficiency, to green roofs.

Our Involvement

Through our partnership with Solheimar, Planeterra provided the non-profit with a grant to assist with the renovation and creation of a café for visitors to the ecovillage. Upon completion of the café, Planeterra facilitated a partnership between Solheimar and tour operator partner G Adventures, which means more than 2,000 passengers will be receiving a tour of the community’s numerous workshops and green initiatives, and dining in the newly renovated café.

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Mescladis

September 2, 2020 Planeterra Partners

Mescladis

Barcelona, Spain

Impact

Through the programs at Mescladis, migrants and youth who are unable to access government programs, are given the opportunity to learn how to work in a kitchen and learn practical skills they can use to find employment within the tourism industry. The students and the staff at Mescladis, also have the opportunity to teach tourists about how Spanish culture has blended with other cultures – both historically and more recently – all through serving and preparing delicious meals.

718

people benefitting

Critical Need

The United Nations has indicated that Spain lacks the capacity to deal with the ongoing Europe-wide migrant surge, with some 9,300 individuals arriving in Spain midway through 2017. There is a need for increased social services, resources, and programs that help migrants to integrate into Spanish society and enter the formal economy. With this intention, the Cuinant Oportunitats (Cooking Opportunities) Program at Mescladis emerged, which is a culinary training program for migrants and Spanish youth, most of whom have already passed through social institutions but struggle to find employment.

Our Involvement

Planeterra assists Mescladis with links to a steady market of travellers to increase the impacts of their cooking classes offered to generate income for their programs. Cooking classes for travellers are conducted by students of the culinary school, Cuinant Oportunitats. The experience at Mescladis seeks to create a meeting point between cultures, using the kitchen and food that has been infused with the traditions and flavours of migrants’ home countries as a stepping stone for discussion. 

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Parwa Community Restaurant

August 21, 2020 Planeterra Partners

Parwa Community Restaurant

Sacred Valley, Perú

Impact

Parwa Community Restaurant opened in March 2014 and now has an average of 1,500 travellers each month. The restaurant directly benefits more than 40 individuals, with ripple effects throughout the community, as revenue from the restaurant has been used to execute clean water projects, and even install a computer lab for the community’s youth. The employees at the restaurant have monthly salaries, health insurance, pension funds, and other labour benefits. Over 25 micro entrepreneurs received technical assistance and funds to establish new businesses to supply the Parwa restaurant or sell their goods to travellers who visit the Huchuy Qosco community.

15
community members employed
90
community members benefitting

Critical Need

In Huchuy Qosqo, 50km from the city of Cuzco, the male population mostly worked as skilled and unskilled labour in public works for the local government. Women mostly engaged in household activities, as well as farming, with little access to economic opportunities nearby. Many young people are forced to leave the community to study and work in larger cities. For many years, Huchuy Qosco residents saw tourism growing and wished for a way to benefit from it. They had received funding for some projects like handicrafts and homestays but never saw results and still struggled to make ends meet.

Our Involvement

Parwa Restaurant is owned by the Huchuy Qosqo Association, a community-based tourism enterprise developed by Planeterra with co-financing from the Multilateral Investment Fund of the Inter-American Development Bank Group. All income earned by the restaurant is used for investment in social projects for the community. The ingredients used in the restaurant are bought directly from the local farmers, providing a local market for direct sales. 

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Nyamirambo Community Tour

August 21, 2020 Planeterra Partners

Nyamirambo Women's Center

Kigali, Rwanda

Impact

The Nyamirambo Women’s Center launched the product line “Umutima” – including housewares and children’s wear, employing women from the community, at a fair wage for their work. At the moment there are 50 women employed as seamstresses, and women from various other cooperatives contribute their weaving talents through contracts with Nyamirambo.

As part of NWC’s goals to promote women in tourism, the center has started to offer a community walking tour and lunch. The community-based tour runs in Nyamirambo community of Kigali, giving visitors an insight into the every-day life and challenges, social events and businesses. It also employs six local guides to facilitate and organize the tours. Travellers obtain an authentic experience and at the same time, the tour benefits the women at NWC and the community at large.

78
women employed
390
community members benefitting

Critical Need

Many Rwandan women face gender-based violence, inequality, and discrimination. The Nyamirambo Women’s Center (NWC) opened in 2007 to provide education and training to disadvantaged women so that they can gain better opportunities for employment. To fulfill its mandate, NWC offers the community different activities, such as free classes in literacy, English, basic computer skills, handicrafts and sewing, and training on gender-based violence and women’s empowerment.

In order to ensure they can support their community, the Nyamirambo Women’s Center started taking advantage of the tourism industry in Kigali by offering community tours, cooking classes and craft workshops.

Our Involvement

Planeterra partnered with Nyamirambo Women’s Center in order to increase the number of customers they were receiving to their newly-developed tourism program, which includes a walking tour of the businesses of the Nyamirambo area of Kigali, showing travellers what it’s like to live in this vibrant community. Their other tourism experiences include a local cooking class and lunch. Planeterra was able to connect Nyamirambo Women’s Center with the travellers from G Adventures’ group tours, who now visit the organization to learn about their work, purchase handicrafts, and enjoy the walking tour and lunch.

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Cafe Ubuntu

August 21, 2020 Planeterra Partners

Café Ubuntu

Nakuru, Kenya

Impact

“I am deeply passionate about enabling others who may not have hope, because my own life is a testimony that it is possible to rise from the ashes. After joining Ubuntu, my life was never the same again. I finally felt at home, after having been discriminated against in my native community because of my son’s condition. I have five children between the ages of 12 and 29. Mike, my 15-year-old, has special needs. Before joining Ubuntu, I worked menial jobs to earn some income. Then Ubuntu taught me to sew. I had no prior training in the trade, but over the course of one year, I learned. We created things from scratch. And I harnessed these new skills and it helped change my life exponentially. I became part of the growth and development of Ubuntu Made. I now have a great sense of purpose. I have a renewed hope for making a better future for my children.” – Alice Njeri, one of the Ubuntu Makers

400
people directly impacted
1,200
community members indirectly benefitting

Critical Need

Maai Mahiu town is located along the major tourist and trade route in East Africa.  This route is also known as the AIDS Highway due to the truck drivers who travel it propelled the spread of the disease. As adults become ill or die, they leave an ever-growing population of orphaned or abandoned children to fend for themselves on the garbage-strewn streets.  These hardships along with the communities roughly 80% unemployment rate makes it extremely difficult to build and empower themselves and those around them. The Ubuntu Team realized that lasting change begins with creating jobs, and building opportunities that empower the local community to take ownership of their own lives so that they can begin building a brighter future for their families and the wider community.

Our Involvement

Our ground partners, Ubuntu Team, empower communities and create jobs through social impact businesses in Kenya, including Ubuntu Made, Ubuntu Cafe, and Ubuntu School. Our corporate partners support Ubuntu Made and Ubuntu Cafe by incorporating a visit to the Cafe in their Kenya tours. Through intentional purchasing decisions, our corporate partners are helping provide a customer base for the Ubuntu Team, which, in turn, offers jobs for marginalized women in Kenya. Travellers enjoy a complimentary meal at Ubuntu Cafe and have the opportunity to shop for locally and internationally sold products as memorable and impactful souvenirs. These social businesses also support Ubuntu School, which addresses injustices affecting the community of children with special needs by providing therapy, education, and vocational training.

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San Antonio Women’s Co-op

August 21, 2020 Planeterra Partners

San Antonio Women's Co-op

San Ignacio, Belize

Impact

The San Antonio Women’s Co-op was formed by a local San Antonio Women’s Group made up of nine Mayan women, with a goal to “empower women and inspire the children.” The women started the cooperative to find a way to earn an income, learn new skills, and share their traditional knowledge not only with visitors but with the younger generation. 

The success of the tourism business has resulted in the cooperative employing nine more women and supporting 11 local artisans.  The cooperative created a community fund, to sponsor girl’s education and have since sponsored the education of two girls who have recently graduated from high school.

24
people directly impacted
144
community members benefitting

Critical Need

The village of San Antonio, a community of 3,500 people in western Belize, has its roots in Mayan traditions and currently practices subsistence agriculture. The average household has seven children, and as in many cultures around the world where resources are scarce, education for women is not prioritized. Girls often go without attending school beyond primary levels. Government support is not easy to access, and so mothers rely on other forms of income to help support their children’s education and send their daughters to high school. With little education, many girls and boys find themselves unemployed at an early age, perpetuating a cycle of poverty.

Our Involvement

Planeterra provided a grant to the San Antonio Women’s Co-op (SAWC), which allowed them to build an indoor workshop space. The new space has increased the centre’s capacity to host many more travellers and has given them added space to safely house their products. This space also resulted in the cooperative being able to add a training program for unemployed youth in the community so that they too can benefit from tourism.

While at the cooperative, travellers try their hand at ancient pottery-making techniques with a group of Mayan artisans, enjoy a delicious home-made lunch, and have a chance to purchase pottery and other crafts made by the women in the community.

A woman makes tortillas over an open stove

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AidChild’s Café & Gallery

August 21, 2020 Planeterra Partners

AidChild’s Café & Gallery

Kayabwe (Equator), Uganda

Impact

In 2002, AidChild was chosen by USAID, the Uganda Ministry of Health, and the CDC as a model for pediatric HIV/AIDS care for the continent. Through this model, AidChild has served thousands of children, and has graduates and students in the fields of education, medicine, pharmacy, fine arts, cosmetology, and engineering. By supporting A.L.I’s businesses, travellers are having a direct and positive impact on the lives of the youth and children in their care.

52
HIV positive youth benefitting

Critical Need

There are approximately 130,000 children under the age of 14 living with HIV in Uganda. These HIV-positive children and youth are in need of support, medical care, and education that enables them to live long, healthy lives—and to transition from “vulnerable” to powerful. The AidChild Leadership Institute (A.L.I.) provides tutoring, leadership coaching, job-skills training, language development, music education, nutrition and wellness support to the older children or “interns” in the organization’s care. AidChild’s Human Development Centre (H.D.C.) is a creation of the organization’s senior interns at A.L.I., offering psychosocial support and innovative pedagogy in early childhood education for 30 babies and children daily.

Our Involvement

As much as 70% of the A.L.I. budget is covered by the businesses under their corporate label, including AidChild’s Café and Gallery, located where a highway crosses the equator line in Kayabwe, Uganda. Planeterra has partnered with A.L.I. and provided them with a grant to upgrade their kitchen, which once struggled to meet the needs of the busy café. A grant has also been given to provide training to the nine staff members working at the café and gallery. 

Planeterra connected the café with travellers from their tourism industry partners, where they have a meal at AidChild’s Café and Gallery, supporting the charity’s sustainable business so that more funds can be channelled towards A.L.I.’s innovative new models of care.

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