Most Customers search for a comfortable way to reach their destination. For this, they’ll look for the best transportation or taxi service provider. 

If you are planning a guided tour,  then you might also try to hire a reasonable and trustworthy car/taxi for a safe and secure journey. 

You might not be in no mood to search for and drive a rental car. If that’s the case, then the first transportation option that might come to anyone’s mind is public transportation. It’s inexpensive and accessible. They, however, tend to be very slow and crowded. 

A second option is hiring a car or taxi service. 

What many people fail to consider is booking a car. Ride Transfer Direct offers the best professional car rental services at fixed rates. It’s an alternative to other ride-sharing and public transportation options.

Here are 5 Reasons why Book an airport taxi Service.

Instant Tour Guide & Schedule Pickup Online

If you’re new to the city, drivers can be your instant traveling guide. It’ll bring you to the city’s most visited places. This will give you a chance to really get to know about the best places all over the Country.

No matter how much online research you do, how many guidebooks you look through, there’s nothing quite like a good old-fashioned word-of-mouth tip-off from someone who lives in your tour destination.

When you are in a hurry and you can’t afford to wait here is the kicker, you can book online. One of the biggest benefits of airport taxis or cars is that they have extremely successful booking websites. Just click the “book online” button on their website and schedule a pickup.

Your desired car or taxi will be waiting for you at the international airport when you arrive.

Save your Time & Money

Online car/taxi service saves a lot of time for your tour.

Assume you have arrived at the airport and are waiting for the taxi. Some of them may not want to go to the location you want so you end up wasting your valuable time. Rather what you can do is simply book your taxi online through platforms like Ridetransferdirect.com and avoid wasting your time. 

 Our airport car service saves you time. By this, you can save your destination time and money also.

 In case your flight gets delayed or canceled, you can change your car booking status at any time.

It helps you save money as well.

Cheaper Travelling & Easy to book

You can book your taxi or car easily from the airport to your desired destination. Or, from your tour destination to the airport.

When you’re planning to book a car/taxi, you might have to wait for hours until the driver is available. But, with a car, you won’t have to wait long because car services take prior bookings as per your benefit. This is a hassle-free transport option.

If you don’t schedule your car ride in such situations, then you might end up missing your flight. 

With technology evolving these days, most taxi/car services have become much easier to make a reservation. Ridetransferdirect.com gives you a way to receive an instant quote for any Tour within seconds by entering your Tour destinations. 

Above all, you can get discounts by being a first time and loyal customer.

Travel Safely with a Taxi Service

Customers can hire a trusted service without worrying about personal safety and exploitation at hands of the taxi or car drivers. How?

First-time customers decide to check the credibility of the company. What do other customers have to say about a taxi service?

How will they know that the airport taxi/car service will drive them to the right destinations on time, safely, and at the most affordable price? 

Well, Ride Transfer Direct is an acceptable and reliable airport car booking company. If you pre-book an airport taxi/car for international airport transfers you will save yourself from the stress of finding a reliable, safe and reasonable airport car at the airport.

You will also be able to reach an airport like Benidorm airport From Marbella airport on time and at a reasonable price.

No Surcharges & Travel Anytime, Anywhere

When we talk about surcharges, sales tax and airport charges vary greatly from state to state and from one country to the next. 

Unfortunately, you likely can’t avoid state and local sales taxes in many countries. The value-added tax (VAT) can be as high as 25%. Many local governments also charge fees to fund their own local development projects, such as meeting centers or sports stadiums.

When you book your car through an online platform -like RideTransferDirect.com – there will be no hidden fees or charges applied to any of their taxi/car services or tours. All costs are conveyed in the booking process. This is a reasonable reason why most tourists prefer to travel by booking a car online.

Bio: Manish Ambaliya is a writer at Ridetransferdirect.com. Manish has started writing articles on topics like car rental, trip planning, traveling, and so on. Manish believes that sharing is caring and that’s the reason they are writing something new every day.

The post Ready For Hot Girl Summer?: 5 Ideal Reasons To Book An Online Airport Taxi Service appeared first on Travepreneur.

National Arbor Day was first observed in Nebraska on April 10, 1872. This day, however, is now celebrated on the last Friday in April with this year’s celebration taking place on Friday, April 30th. Note: Some states observe Arbor Day at different times and dates of the year due to their area’s best tree planting time.

Whichever date Arbor Day falls on in your state or country, it is observed in more than fifty countries.

But, what is it really? Well, Arbor in Latin means a tree.

The purpose behind Arbor Day is to plant trees, care for them and help them grow strong. It’s how we give back to nature.

Trees have been widely used for their wood, fruits, flowers, and shade. Our ancestors derived tremendous benefits from trees, and so do we. It’s like we’re all obliged to trees.

If you think about it: Can birds, or any living creature, survive without trees?

Pause, I don’t want that to think about the possibility of having no trees around. Do you?

Let’s think about the makeup of a tree though. Trees grow from a small seed. This seed sprouts into a tree and then the tree produces so many more seeds that in turn form so many other trees and in turn more seeds. How many trees does a seed contain? An Infinite amount.

Isn’t it such a representation of life? That one seed begins the process of so many living things. It multiplies and fills the earth with so many benefits.

Is this not an exciting thought?

A tree gives all that it has got back to the living world. Even in the jungle, so many animals rest below the trees in the afternoons, and the birds make countless nests on the trees.

Trees are so important in the balance of life and their importance cannot be measured.

Many of us have seen so many trees since our childhood that we take them for granted. Let’s not take them for granted this year or any other year moving forward. Let’s appreciate and do right by them for their incredible significance.

Trees are necessary for our growth, and they illustrate a selfless life. After you plant a tree and help it grow, it asks nothing from you now or during its lifetime. It only gives. That is the selflessness of trees and that is how life must be lived by all of us.

Give more and expect less in return.

The post Celebrating Arbor Day & The Selflessness Of Trees appeared first on Travepreneur.

As conscious citizens & travelers, we must always be concerned about our dear Mother Earth. If you think about it, you travel across her face, and She is the host to your journey; without Her, we could not find the unfolding adventures that attract and feed our souls.

We have found some valuable resources for you to use and publicize, all of which are dedicated to responsible travel and care of our environment.

Responsible and Sustainable Travel Resources

Books

Sustainable Travel: The essential guide to positive impact adventures (Sustainable Living Series) Pre-order

By: Holly Tuppen

This book offers sustainable and attainable advice for those who want to make a difference in the way we experience the world, be a force for good through traveling. Also, 2% of the revenue generated from the book’s sales will be donated to the World Land Trust. 

Lonely Planet Code Green: Trips of a Lifetime That Won’t Cost The Earth

By:  Kelly Lorimer- Lonely Planet Publications

The first “green travel” book to be published by Lonely Planet includes dozens of “responsible travel experiences” and provides traveler information on responsible and eco-travel. Lonely Planet also runs a discussion board on responsible travel at http://thorntree.lonelyplanet.com

The Sustainable Travel Handbook

By: Lonely Planet

The latest in Lonely Planet’s handbook series is the practical and inspiring guide that you are looking for. It is packed with easy-to-digest advice from culture, wildlife, luxury, adventure, wellness, and more from known travel destinations to off-the-map regions of the world.

Websites

Earth Day Educational Resource Library

www.earthday.org/education-resource-library/ 

EARTHDAY.ORG is an organization that aims to diversify, educate and activate the environmental movement worldwide. This organization has different resources from organizing events, providing toolkits, timelines, lesson plans, online quizzes, and many more resources to expand your knowledge in restoring Mother Earth. 

Goodwings

www.goodwings.com

Goodwings aims to spread knowledge and educate people with traveling Net-Zero. They discuss CO2 emissions compensation and removal. And they advocate the importance of planting trees as the most cost-effective way of removing carbon from our planet. 

Impact Travel Alliance

www.impacttravelalliance.org/ 

An organization that aims to promote travel in a way that empowers local communities and has the power to protect and improve our Earth. Impact Travel Alliance believes sustainability should be applied in a traveler’s journey, no matter the budget, style, and destination visited. 

International Ecotourism Society

www.ecotourism.org

A well-established nonprofit group that conducts research, publishes articles, provides consumer information, and has a directory of members around the world. With Rainforest Alliance, it recently started an ecotourism certification standards program.

Sustainable Travel International

www.sustainabletravelinternational.org 

Formed three years ago to bridge the gap between research and consumer information and to promote sustainable development and eco-friendly travel. Offers a carbon offset program and last month started an eco-certification program that will follow standards laid out by the International Ecotourism Society.

Responsible Travel Handbook

www.travelearning.com 

Created this year for the Educational Travel Conference meeting, this lengthy guide has a wealth of contributors and information. (Click on responsible tourism to download).

Better World Club

www.betterworldclub.com 

The environmentally conscious alternative to the American Automobile Association, offering auto and bicycle road assistance, has resources on hybrid car rentals, green lodging, and carbon offsets.

Let us join and use these groups when planning our trips. By raising our level of consciousness and employing ‘green’ tactics and travel itineraries we will, each in our own small way, be contributing to a healthier world where we act as stewards to the environment while discovering the rich and breathtaking rewards of travel.

I hope you explore the above resources as well as share them with your network for a better world.

I know it’s early, but Happy Earth Day!

Let’s save these “dying” destinations.

The post Restoring Mother Earth – An Earth Day and Year-Long Initiative appeared first on Travepreneur.

*In honor of what this week means, I’ve written this post. We’re headed into a week of celebration, family, and gratitude. I want us all to remember our “why,” our purpose.

I hope everyone enjoys their holiday and safe travels to those who are traveling. 

Have you served your destination today? Support the community you’re visiting through volunteer opportunities and so much more. You may be limited for time, but it’s evident that a trip to a new destination is always a beautiful experience. Interestingly, giving back while on your vacation makes the experience much more fulfilling.

Rather than just casually visiting your dream city or town and enjoying the scenery and natural resources present, you can choose to positively affect the community and its people while at it. By so doing, you nicely combine your love for travel with the goal to assist and support other places. What can be more reaching?

Taking on such a huge opportunity is exciting, but can also be intimidating. It’s no easy feat as the learning curve is steep. You’ll be dealing with different personalities from all over the world. However, with a few tips at your fingertips, you’ll be good to go. Here are 4 ways you can beautifully impact your dream destination through volunteer work and more.

Embrace the culture

Your first step to making an impact in any destination is to embrace the community’s culture. Naturally, locals appreciate it when visitors can really just blend in and embrace the environment. They tend to easily warm up to a visitor genuinely interested in their way of life.

Culture shock is inevitable, however. It affects others at different rates and times. So when you find yourself in a new place, with time, familiarity, and thorough research, you can overcome it.

Still, get in there. Start with the basics, curb your inner excesses, and embrace where you are. Pay attention to the rules, traditions, and processes going on around you, and try to follow along. Eat their special delicacies, try to learn the language, or you could ask for help from a local or tour guide. 

Note: Don’t try to know more than the local people. Always be a student and absorb what is happening around you.

Engage in social workshops

Communities organize social workshops to help grow their localities. These do not only apply to only local communities but also major cities too. Most communities develop and engage in programs that anyone, regardless of where they come from could work with. These programs stretch across humanitarian resources making sure that people give voluntarily and not by force.  Some of their programs could include teaching at a local school, assisting small business owners, or conserving nature.

While traveling in your destination, you can get involved in one of such workshops. A lot of people tend to feel extremely happy giving their all generously through social workshops. It gives a sense of gratitude. Looking for memories? Indulge yourself then. You’d be surprised what you and the local community will gain from the experience.

Support the locals

The locals are one of the easiest means through which you can add spice to an environment. This attests to the fact that they are the first point of contact, therefore they play an important role in impacting your stay and vice versa. Do you want to make an impact? Get acquainted with them, patronize their local businesses, initiate conversations with them.

Rather than storm a fancy, exotic restaurant, patronize the local eateries. Indulge the mailman, the delivery guy, hand out tips to the steward. Buy artworks from that upcoming artist. The sole purpose is to enjoy your stay while also leaving footprints in that community. Don’t get lost in the superficial aspects of your travels.

Seek voluntary work

Planning ahead can provide you with the best opportunity to partner and assist a local organization. You have a set of skills. Thus, you can volunteer abroad and support a community with those skills. While most organizations have a minimum period of one-week to volunteer, you can make arrangements that will work best for you and them. Plan months in advance and work with leading platforms like GivingWay that connects prospective volunteers with local organizations.

Just do it. There are countless places looking for future volunteers like you. This is the chance to see how the community operates and what it means to be a member. I will never regret my own volunteer experience.

Looking for volunteer opportunities? Choose one of these 8 destinations!

The post 4 Easy Ways To Enjoy And Also Impact Your Local Destination appeared first on Travepreneur.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are two big days of the holiday season. But, hold up! We can’t forget another important day that does more than empty our pockets and fills our homes, office, or personal space. It also fills the hearts and minds of people and communities around the globe.

As we celebrate the thanks for our family, friends, and loved ones, let’s give back today on #GivingTuesday.

Giving Tuesday started in 2012, which is an initiative meant to “encourage people to do good” the Tuesday after Thanksgiving.

If you’re feeling charitable, empowered, and willing to assist, you can look up what’s happening near you to get involved. Yet, I’ve taken the liberty to compile a list of organizations and companies that are doing their thing in the world.

I’m impressed by their generosity, mission, and focus on communities that are often overlooked or forgotten during the holidays.

Here’s the 2019 Holiday Giving Guide.

Girl & Women Empowerment

Tusubira Village

Isaac Lufafa, the founder of Tusubira Village, runs a program in Uganda called Give Girls A Voice. As a general medical practitioner, he works to combat sexual exploitation of girls below 16 years old and teenage pregnancy, which are at 34% and 29% respectively. 

All measures have been undertaken but the burden is a growing one that eventually makes girls become voiceless dependants young teenage mothers.

The program empowers girls to raise their self-esteem, acquire life skills needed to fight and speak for themselves, and push back against male gender prejudice so that they can make informed decisions and learn about their bodies.

The task isn’t an easy one especially in our country where almost 60% of the population is 18 and below of age.

They continually seek help from volunteers who could go into the local communities and speak to children and share messages of hope that will deliver liberty and freedom.

Similarly, Isaac plans to start a mentorship program for boys to grow into responsible men who embrace gender equality as a natural way of life.

Donate to Tusubira Village to bring about gender equality in Uganda!

Women for Women

This organization helps women survivors of war and conflict rebuild their lives. They provide a broad array of vital support  to 8 conflict-affected countries around the world to help rebuild their lives from the ground up mainly Afghanistan, Iraq, Congo, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Sudan, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo. 

Girls Going Global

Girls Going Global (GGG) brings girls of color together for the ultimate opportunity to see the world and engage in international affairs and global education. Consider donating today for a girl of color who should see the world.

Health and Wellness

GirlTrek

Last year I included GirlTrek, the organization empowering 1 million women to walk in the name of self-care, in last year’s gift-giving guide.

Guess what? 

The organization has reached its goal of 1 million Black Women, who joined their mission and who’ve developed a habit of walking to transform their health and lives.

You can continue to support the founders of GirlTrek, Vanessa Garrison, and T. Morgan Dixon.

Black Girl in Om

Black Girl in Om, a digital space for black womxn to breathe easy, is a personal favorite. Even when you sign up for their email list, you’ll immediately feel the support and intentionality of their cause.

Navajo & Hopi Families COVID-19 Relief Fund

A campaign was established to assist Navajo and Hopi families at the start of the pandemic. Since it has grown, the mission has continued to provide food and water for families.

Children’s Defense Fund (Leave No Child Behind)

This organization’s mission is to ensure every child has a healthy start, a head start, a fair start, a safe start and a moral start in life, and a successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities. They focus on providing a strong, effective, and independent voice for all children of America who cannot vote or speak for themselves.

History

National Museum of African American History and Culture

The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), located in Washington DC, is the only museum dedicated to highlighting the history and culture of African-Americans. 

Visitors can revel at the 36,000 artifacts covering the deep history of African-Americans and their influence not only on the growth of the U.S. but also in the world. 

If you’re visiting Washington DC and other well-known sites in the National Mall, stop by the NMAAHC to travel back in time and explore African-American history. 

In the meantime, you can donate and help uncover the full story of African-Americans.

Social Justice, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Ramp Your Voice

Opportunity starts from day one. The University of Florida stands behind first-generation students with the support of the Machen Florida Opportunity Scholars Program. The four-year program gives first-year, first-gen students a head start by building skills necessary to be successful in college/university. Donate now to first-generation students at the University of Florida!

Plan International

This organization works with children, young people, and communities, they are committed to making a lasting impact on the lives of most vulnerable and excluded children while supporting children’s rights and gender equality. They are widespread across the globe having chapters around 51 countries.

Climate

Tugi (The Urban Garden Initiative)

Tugi is an international organization that aims to inspire and empower youth to achieve urban sustainability through a garden based program. This organization also has a lot of chapters all over the globe (California, Zimbabwe, Denver, St. Louis, Texas, Los Angeles, Palo Alto, Orwigsurg, and Cebu Philippines)

The post ‘Tis the Season of Giving: The 2020 Holiday Giving Guide appeared first on Travepreneur.

Last week, I interviewed Isaac Lufafa, the founder of Tusubira Village, and the remarkable work he’s done in Uganda. 

In part two, Isaac shares some success stories of some of the women at Tusubira Village. 

Disclaimer: This post contains graphic language and photos, adult themes, and violence. Therefore, it’s not intended for all readers.. Reader discretion is advised.

An everyday reality

In our conversation, Isaac shares “some photos of young ladies, I see each time at the hospital office who suffer the extremes of gender-based violence because they are voiceless and dependent.” 

The gender roles of girls and women are so discrimination with no taste of fairness. 

These are cultural driven and they exhibit male gender prejudice against the females. 80% of domestic work is done by women and girls in the home. 

This greatly impacts on the time for girls to attend school compared to the males. Such bias does not provide a leveled ground for competition.

Here are some Tusubira’s success stories:

Deborah – 29 years old

Deborah fell victim and dropped out of school at the age of 14 years when she was persuaded into marriage on a promise of a life and future far better than she was living by a deceitful man who kept her without her parents knowing her whereabouts for 9 years.

They produced three children and later the husband whom she was 100% dependent on abandoned her with the children. She went through an burdensome life of suffering. She became homeless and starved with her children, ate from garbage on the streets for 8 months. Deborah was afraid to return to her parents’ home for she had realized the mess and frustration she had brought to her parents. 

At almost the end of her life, a woman she had ever shared with about where she came from offered assistance and solicited transport fees from well wishers to get her back to her parents’ home. 

Her unexpected resurfacing was a miracle and source of joy but also a heartbreaking moment because she was insane. She had broken down to psychotic depression and this was a difficult moment for the very poor family. 

Our initial involvement helped Deborah access the medical and psychiatric attention she needed coupled with social support to the entire family to believe in science and not witchcraft. Over a period of 7 months, she became mentally stable on treatment and we enrolled her for different skills training. 

She completed her first training in business skills and soon she will be completing another skills training in tailoring and embroidery. 

This brought back a lot of hope in her life and she dreams to start up her own tailoring shop from where she will earn to become financially independent and take care of her children.

Irene – 59 years old

Irene is among the first team of women to be empowered with job creating skills in tailoring at Tusubira village. 

Her life had been torn to pieces with a blurred future yet with many growing challenges and demands in life. We empowered her from fear to try because of her age discrepancy with the teenage mothers; she joined the training and used the opportunity exhaustively well. 

Upon completion of the training, Irene seemed lucky but stuck in mind wondering what she would do with the skills because she couldn’t afford a sewing machine.

She was supported to make a simple business plan and we offered to lend her a sewing machine which she used well to generate income to sustain her family and made savings. 

Apparently she acquired her personal sewing machine using the savings. From a broken life of a single mother taking care of her orphaned grandchildren, the skills gave Irene an alternative promising choice of life. 

Irene has a dream of using her acquired skills to generate income, to build a permanent house and educate some of her orphaned grandchildren. 

We are so proud of Irene and she inspires us to reach out to many women with diminished hope.

Justine – 28 years old

Justine was persuaded to drop out of school at the age of 15 years by a man with whom they had 5 children. 

They lost two of them due to severe malnutrition, which they had thought to be witchcraft. The husband was an excessive alcoholic kept Justine under extreme suppression, violence and fear. 

He later abandoned her with the children claiming she had a bad omen of losing children. Justine lived under extreme poverty and starvation because she was previously 100% a dependent housewife. 

At the time we crossed lines with Justine she was a single mother in abject poverty filled with tears and fear for loss of another child who had started developing signs like those of the children she had previously lost. 

Her daughter Prisca had protein energy malnutrition and at two years she hadn’t started walking. Our involvement plan had immediate, intermediate and long-term interventions.

While I used my medical skills to manage and treat Prisca, my wife Sharon did her best offering psychosocial support, developed sustainable remedies that were necessary to empower Justine to have a voice, get on her feet and pursue a future of purpose. 

We empowered Justine with business skills, supported her with a micro loan to start a food store. 

To date, Prisca is alive and healthy, her mother Justine lives a life filled with hope and financially independent to take care of her children.

What If I Want to Volunteer at Tusubira Village?

If you want to volunteer, here’s advice from Isaac Lufafa, the founder of Tusubira Village. [To read more about Isaac, click here.]

“Volunteers come on board with diverse experience, knowledge, skills, attitudes and enthusiasm all necessary in the progress of every project. The coming of volunteers will be a unique opportunity that will support achievement of our objectives in the desired time frame. For the volunteers, coming to volunteer with Tusubira village, this would be a life impacting moment to create everlasting experience and memories about life in Africa, diverse culture and nature.”

Should you be interested in learning more about Tusubira Village and/or volunteering with the organization, please review the contact information below.

Contacts:

tusubiravillage@gmail.com

lufafaisaac@gmail.com

On Instagram as Tusubira village

Facebook as Tusubira village.

+256782678055

The post HOPE to Ugandan Girls & Women Part II: The Success of Tusubira Village appeared first on Travepreneur.

Happy Giving Tuesday! 

Today is such a special day because we’re reminded about the importance of giving. Our decision to give, however, can come in many forms, such as time, money, advocacy, and much much more.

While you choose how to celebrate, I want to extend my gratitude to you for visiting Travepreneur and reading what I have to share.

And, today, I want to share the extraordinary advocacy and work of someone who is building up his community. If you could read the stories he shares with me, you’ll be astounded by the hope he brings to Ugandan girls and women.

I’m excited to introduce to you the founder of Tusubira Village, Isaac Lufafa. 

Tell us: “Who is Isaac?” And, what has been your journey? 

I am a husband and father to four daughters, one son, aged 33 years and a Christian by faith. 

As a general medical practitioner of clinical medicine and community health with 9 years working experience, I presently practicing in a public hospital. I am a leader with remarkable experience in rallying communities to identify and overcome challenges. 

Also, I am the director and founder of a nonprofit: Tusubira Village-Uganda. 

I strongly believe that I can only reach high through hard work and that failure. In addition, I am passionate about nature, tough on myself, and I raise the standard for everybody but very caring to allow people to excel at what they do so they can aspire to be more in the future. 

Before, I have worked as a member of the board of trustees for two reputable charity organizations; the Jaaja Barb Foundation and Agape Children’s Center. Presently, I am a member of the management committee of two community schools. 

Lastly, I have worked as a hospital administrator at Almeca hospital 2011-2013. 

You have an impressive resume and a long history of serving others. Can you share more about your background and what it was like growing up in Uganda?

I was born and raised in a polygamous family of 42 children in which I am the second child of my mum. 

Growing up in the village, I spent time in town during school days. My mum worked tirelessly on farm fields to support me to stay in school. She sacrificed everything that a loving mother could to secure a future for her child. 

In a tiny cooking shed, she sat us at the fireplace every evening and showed us how hard life would be if we didn’t strive to have education, and if we didn’t keep straight along every narrow path to success. 

Her words of wisdom amidst poor family social standards of living, in a small house of mud and wattle filled my heart with resilience and the spirit of hard work as the only faithful path to success 

As a young boy of 9 years, my mind and understanding was so much aligned with that of my mother. I did all the domestic work expected of an adult from cooking, baby-sitting, fetching water in a 20 liters water tank on head for 2km to carrying sacks of corn from the farm fields all day long. 

At 12 years, I would earn a little from washing bicycles, helping people carry luggage, digging foundation trenches etc. the earnings helped me afford basics like scholastic materials, shoes (I put on my first pair of shoes at school at 13 years) etc. 

The kind of work was too tough, made me teary but the choice was always clear, to reach high through hard work. I put up a similar spirit of hard work in school and excelled.

So, what inspired you to establish Tusubira Village? 

I began my career in 2011 as a practitioner of clinical medicine and community health. In my office, I hardly end a day without attending to at least a case of rape referred by police for medical assessment; 5-8 teenage girls with concerns about their missing cycles only to test positive for pregnancy or HIV. 

I received 4-5 critically ill babies with severe malnutrition, worm infestation, diarrhea, malaria, anemia and other poverty associated diseases but for most of them, their mothers were teens aged 14-17 years-old. 

The available data from the district department of health at that time indicated 28% of antenatal attendances were teens yet a significant number was not captured. 

The department of education indicated that girl child school dropout was at 29% . These and more astonishing facts drew my attention to details in the life of teenage mothers.

Qtn: You are young to be a parent! Right? 

Ans: Yes doctor. 

Qtn: What didn’t go right? 

Their responses were not different. They all pointed to lack of health and life skills, poverty, gender inequality and biased description of gender roles. 

I shared about the burden with my wife Sharon, a social worker by training. We appreciated the fact that our diverse skills if put together were adequate to lead our community into recognizing and managing the challenge. It’s on this background that we started Tusubira village nonprofit. The word “Tusubira” means, “ HOPE”.

That’s powerful. Can you share more about Tusubira Village? 

Tusubira Village-Uganda is registered with the government of Uganda as a non-governmental organization with a mission and vision to empower people through education and inspiration to give them purpose.

Presently we have 1734 direct beneficiaries that include 1659 girls in schools, 32 women in the microloan scheme, 43 trainees in the skills program.

Our strategy includes:

Women and girls’ empowerment

1. Mentorship and empowerment of girls with health and life skills

2. Keep girls in school by providing sanitary towels, school fees and scholastic materials

3. Empowerment of teenage parents with occupational skills

4. Increasing women access to financial services through microloans

Getting women into action has a long and far-reaching positive impact on the family and is a catalyst for sustainable development. 

We support women to start up small businesses, train them to manage small businesses, and expose them to microloan services. 

Also, we teach them basic skills about planning, budgeting, saving and creative initiatives to enable them to have socioeconomic involvement because without these skills they would remain marginalized. 


We take an active duty to empower the girl child as a cost effective approach to achieve women empowerment and gender equality. 

Girls from vulnerable families drop out of school or are forced into early marriage because parents aren’t in the position to provide sanitary pads, school fees, scholastic materials and other essential needs.

Stay tuned to next week’s post that highlights some of the inspiring stories of the women who work with Isaac and the village.

Our backgrounds gave us important lessons to know how it feels not to have and because of that, we stand in the gap to provide girls with knowledge about menstruation, menstrual hygiene provides sanitary pads, scholastic materials, school fees for the eligible, health and life skills mentorship to Give Girls a Voice.

Our occupational skills training include:

1. Business skills

2. Tailoring and embroidery

3. Craft making

4. Baking and cookery

5. Computer skills

6. Carpentry and Joinery

7. Metal fabrication

And, what do you hope to accomplish with your organization? 

We hope to accomplish:

1. Reduced teenage pregnancy
2. Increased number of girls attending and completing school
3. Have females in more leadership roles in the mainstream of society.
4. Reduced gender-based violence, inequality and have a community that embraces gender equality as a natural and ideal way of life for man and woman
5. Reduced unemployment, poverty, and suffering among victims of school dropout and teenage pregnancy
6. Community revived from cultural myths and biased attitude against the female gender
7. Reduce HIV prevalence among youth
8. Self-sustainability of the program

Now, how can we help you?

What we need:

1. To acquire more land to expand the occupational skills training facilities
2. To build and broaden the skills to include tailoring and embroidery, baking and cookery, computer, craft making, carpentry and joinery, metal fabrication.
3. Equipment for the skills training center.
4. To build accommodation facilities (hostels) to make it possible for the training facilities to be beneficial to people from all radii.
5. Vehicle to easy transport in remote difficult to reach areas for the team and volunteers
6. We need an education fund that will be used to support girls to stay in school
7. Volunteers to enable us achieve the objectives in desired time frame
8. Funds to complete two accommodation facilities in our local income generating project
9. We need a fund to support the boys mentorship program necessary to enable them grow up as responsible men of society

In addition, sustainability.

Ensuring that funded projects create a positive lasting impact is foremost in our plan especially that knowledge and skills are valuable instruments worthy to invest in because they guarantee life long impacts. 

The skills training facility will be used to produce high quality products and services that meet the market demand to generate revenue. We are establishing accommodation facilities that will be open to guests from all over the world. 

The facilities will generate income to advance the agenda of the organization.

Before we end this interview, let the readers know what is a quote you live by and how has it played out in your life now? 

The quote I live by:

“When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”

Wayne Dyer.

This keeps me positive in all I do, the people I meet, the situations I go through, keeps my arms wide open to receive people as they are without judging and deliver them to their purpose

Isaac, thank you for your time. Please include your social media handle/s, website, email, etc where a reader can reach you.

You can reach me here:

tusubiravillage@gmail.com

lufafaisaac@gmail.com

On Instagram as Tusubira village

Facebook as Tusubira village.

+256782678055

Other Interviews:

Being Black In with Ermida Koduah

Discover Puerto Rico with Explorequity

The post Bringing HOPE to Ugandan Girls & Women, Interview with Isaac Lufafa appeared first on Travepreneur.

When’s the last time you went on an outdoor adventure? And, I mean spent significant time? 

It’s probably been a while and with good reason. 

Yet, the outdoors has a number of benefits that the indoors doesn’t.

Well, first you get to breathe the fresh air. Also, you can reconnect with nature, non-man made items, artifacts and particles beautifying your space and life.

I could go on and on, but I want to get to the best part of this post. 

Merrell, a rugged outdoor footwear brand, has partnered with Mind, a mental health charity, to help people engage in outdoor adventures and explore the outside. 

Are you down for the cause?

I hope so! Keep reading for more insight and ideas on going on outdoor adventures, and exploring your local area.

But first, here are the facts:

According to Mind’s research:

“More than half of adults (60%) and over two thirds of young people (68%) have said their mental health got worse during lockdown.”

“Just over two thirds (68%) of young people said that their mental health had got worse during lockdown, with this rising to three quarters (74%) of people aged 18–24.”

“Young people are more likely to have experienced poor mental health during lockdown than adults.”

“People with experience of mental health problems are more likely to see their mental health worsen as a result of coronavirus restrictions.”

“Although they are less affected than those who have experienced mental health problems, more than one in five (22%) young people and adults who have not experienced mental health problems prior to the pandemic said that their mental health was poor or very poor during lockdown. Just over half of young people (57%) and adults (53%) without experience of mental health problems had a lower than average wellbeing score during lockdown.”

For the full statistics, go to Mind-Mental Health Emergency. 

Here are the reasons people have been affected:

During the pandemic, we saw a number of actions taken by governments across the world. 

Lockdowns.

Travel restrictions.

City ordinances/restrictions.

Curfews.

And more.

At the basis of these actions, the fundamental part of life was also restricted. Human Interaction.

We are social creatures—a phrase we’ve heard dozens of times in our lives. But, I honestly didn’t know the depth of this phrase until this year. Did you?

Mind’s research concluded several things from its participants. Some of the main mental health challenges were:

“Not being able to see people (79%), not being able to go outside (74%) and anxiety about family and friends getting coronavirus (74%)”

Boredom. “Boredom was a major problem for young people; 83% said it had made their mental health worse.”

“Loneliness has also been a key contributor to poor mental health – particularly for young people. Just under three quarters of young people (72%) said loneliness had made their mental health worse.”

And, I agree with these results. Why? Because I’ve felt them too. You may have as well. 

I shared my own struggles with you in the past month to show that it’s ok to not feel ok.

Travel is Therapeutic. I Will Not Be Shamed for My Self-Love Getaway

IGTV: My Honest Moment

How has the coronavirus pandemic affected you?

How going on outdoor adventures may help you cope:

Merrell and Mind have partnered up to run the initiative: Hike From Home.

Hike From Home “inspires everyone to explore new, local walks from their doorstep as a means to enjoy time outdoors during the pandemic as well as supporting mental health and wellbeing.”

So, the question is: do you like hiking?

Hiking could have a positive or negative connotation depending on the person. 

So, those of you who don’t like going on outdoor adventures, science shows that spending time outside and exercising “can aid both physical and mental health.” In fact, “ecotherapy, a type of therapy which involves doing activities outside in nature, has been shown to help with mild and moderate depression.”

And, the outdoors is not just for those with mental health concerns. It’s for everyone. 

Personally, being outdoors has improved my mood. It also helped me release anxiety during these uncertain times. I’ve been able to appreciate the things in life that I take for granted. 

Hike From Home is especially a personal journey for those who want to reconnect with themselves on a deeper level and be present in the moment. 

‘I’ve been reconnecting through walks with the family, for us, it’s been discovering new routes from our doorstep and spending quality time with the kids. When the treadmill of normal life stops, it has afforded us more time to explore new things, and we’ve found walking around our local area, finding new cool places a necessary break from the same four walls,” says MistaJam, who has been challenged with mental health concerns and ultimately supports of the Hike From Home initiative.

So what do you say? Are you down to hike?

For more information visit the website or to make a donation, visit the JustGiving page.

The post Outdoor Adventures: Exploring Outside and Your Local Area appeared first on Travepreneur.

It’s time for a reality check.

We’ve been homebound for a while now and it’s time to reflect on our past behaviors, which will help to improve our future habits and decisions. As you read this guest post [a lovely person who didn’t want to be named but deserves all the credit], think about the ways that you can help local communities, here and abroad, to prosper outside of traditional means and sources.

The world is full of wonders, and we all hope for the chance to see a few of them during our lifetimes. Tourists flock to destinations far and wide seeking exceptional experiences and lasting memories, but sadly, memories fade, so most travelers want to bring back something solid they can keep, a memento that won’t change over time. 

This common desire has resulted in a profusion of trinket vendors and souvenir shops infesting any locale that draws tourists, marring the beauty of the place and detracting from its historic or natural authenticity. 

The objects sold in such stalls and stores are typically poor quality, and generic enough to vary little from one site to the next aside from the printed name of the location it was purchased being stamped somewhere on the object. The shops are unsightly, the items of little value, and the vendors barely earning enough money to get by. 

So what’s the solution? 

Anecdotal research suggests that the majority of travelers value their experience and seek a way to commemorate it, so it stands to reason that people would prefer a unique, personal memento to a cookie cutter style trinket, which is where photography comes in. 

Is there any better, more personal way to immortalize a moment or a memory? Studies show that people are more comfortable spending money on something they perceive as valuable, and unique photographs provide a way for vendors to offer a service that will be more appreciated and therefore more profitable. 

I have traveled a lot, and everywhere I’ve gone, I’ve encountered the same vendors inhabiting different bodies, desperate to make a sale, peddling their wares as aggressively as possible without using actual force. 

These ubiquitous little shops and stalls pop up like mushrooms, offering slight variations on the same basic merchandise, and they are almost never selling anything that I or anyone else I know would actually want. 

Pop up tents and tarps, blankets on the ground strewn with odds and ends, corner units in brick buildings barely large enough to walk into side by side with another person.  They sell an endless array of magnets, cheap jewelry, snow-globes, postcards, plastic toys, mugs, baseball caps, tacky t-shirts, souvenir socks, and bumper stickers. 

If you’ve been in one of these places, you’ve been inside them all, and though occasionally you get curious and check to see if maybe you’re missing something, after a very short time you learn to avoid them whenever possible. That does not, however, indicate a desire to return home with nothing to show for the journey you’ve made. 

In a makeshift hut situated along the banks of Venice’s Grand Canal, a man named Rhasmeeet passes his days hoping to meet his sale quota and bring home enough money to feed his family. His stall is constructed of wooden poles and a stretched canvas awning which offers him a bit of respite from the Italian sun.  The items he has for sale are the standard tourist trinkets, and not in high demand.   

Rashmeet is Bangladeshi. He came to Italy 7 yrs. ago wanting the same thing we all want, a decent quality of life and a brighter future for the next generation.  

He lives in a cramped apartment with six  members of his extended family. His living situation is not comfortable or ideal, but it is also far from uncommon.  Rhasmeet didn’t leave Bangladesh due to a natural disaster or civil war, he left because Bangladesh is overcrowded, opportunities to earn fair wages are limited, and providing his children with basic needs is almost impossible. He wanted to make money and send it home so his children could grow up with a higher standard of living than he did.  

Coming to Europe is the best option many young merchant immigrants have to provide for their families. In some cases, it is the only option. He has been in Venice for two years, and admits that he does not earn a satisfactory income operating the stall. 

The opulence of Venetian art and architecture contrast starkly with Rhasmeet’s obvious poverty and the quality of the products he is able to offer. He is one of at least 6 other vendors offering nearly identical items visible from the center of Plaza san Marcos. There are others, but they are selling food, which is delicious, or imitation Venetian glass, which is less exquisite than the real thing but also more affordable. 

There is also a man surrounded by an army of pigeons, which he is somehow able to coerce into perching upon passing tourists, at which point he snaps a photo of the individual with his feathered friends on their arms, shoulders, and heads. The pigeon guy is, by far, the most popular vendor, and I have to admit, the pigeon thing is clever. Most people, however, don’t have the advantage of a flock of friendly fowl willing to do their bidding.

Rashmeet admits that most people are either suspicious of him and his clothes or entirely disinterested, although he does have some marginal success selling bottles of water and packaged snacks. It is rarely necessary for him to replenish the non-food product manufactured goods. He seemed reluctant to discuss the provenance of the items, but it is safe to assume that his supplier is not inclined to be overly selective with sources of labor or scrupulous about quality. 

So, why do these souvenir shops exist? Because they have to. 

Even if they are not especially profitable and even if most tourists pass them by without stopping, there are bound to be a few takers. Some tourists do patronize the trinket stalls, and almost every traveler is guilty of bringing home at least one obligatory shirt or mug. 

I admit to humoring my son’s request to bring him a snow-globe from every place I go. I would prefer to purchase a more meaningful, culturally relevant gift, and when possible, I do. However, there are far fewer locations to purchase presents that are culturally relevant than there are those to purchase, for example, my son’s beloved snow globes. 

Plenty of people want pictures, but the right shot can be elusive. Hiring a professional can put a serious dent in your travel funds. 

Selfie-sticks are obnoxious, embarrassing and should never be used by anyone who has already graduated from junior high school. 

You can pass your precious phone off to a stranger and ask them to snap a quick pic, providing you speak the local language or manage to nab a random passer-by who speaks yours. Or you can try SnapMob or many other pop-up startups that offer travel photography. Because photography is an art. Make yourself and your memories the subjects.

Vendors will always be at these locations, there will always be a ready supply of Eiffel tower flasks, Leaning Tower of Pisa coffee cups and there is nothing wrong with this, but I think if we teach these vendors there is more money in learning skills and providing photos it would benefit all of us, travelers.  

Personally, I know I would rather have a beautiful picture of my family at a spectacular location rather than a magnet that says come to Pompeii or any other random place.  I am not naive; I don’t believe adding an additional income source to vendors will limit their reliance on cheap plastic but it will maybe give Rashmeet more money in his pocket and make his life and the lives of his loved ones more comfortable.  

The post The Cost of Travel is Getting Too Expensive and How Cheaper Options Help the Communities appeared first on Travepreneur.

Update: June 22, 2020 – Know Your Rights!

I want you to be safe while engaging in your freedom to protest. The ACLU works to protect everyone’s rights and has prepared a page for what you should know as a protestor.

Also, protect your electronic devices for purposes of holding groups of people accountable. Should you attend a rally or protest protect your devices with this guide.

Update: May 5, 2020 – Did you know? Many of us received a stimulus grant due to COVID-19 disruptions, yet, DACA and immigrant families have been excluded from receiving such grants through the Cares Act.

We are in the middle of a pandemic, and COVID-19 has left underserved populations in crisis. It’s heartbreaking!

In spite of this exclusion, Interest.com put together a list of financial resources for DACA recipients and immigrant families to “keep their finances stable…[and] get back on their feet.” This is what they had to say:

Whether you’ve been recently laid off, you’re struggling to keep your small business afloat, or you’re trying to make ends meet to protect your family, we want readers to know that first, they’re not alone, and second, we have some solutions.

In addition to reviewing immediate steps DACA recipients can take to keep their finances stable, we:

Evaluate both national and state-by-state resources that different nonprofits, NGOs, and communities offer to ensure readers can find support nearby.

Include expert testimonials from immigration professionals who are working to help families get back on their feet.

Discuss innovative solutions to getting finances back on track.

Interest.com

Protesting is still an important tool to advocate for better healthcare, economic and social equity, and in this case, government support for these students and families.

Update: January 21, 2019 marks three years since the beginning of the Women’s March and the beginning of something great. More voices, energy, and advocacy.

As we reach a point in our democracy, and we protest injustices occurring to the disadvantage, the minority, and the supposedly weak, we have one thing that we can do—show up.

Today, I revisit this post. Sometimes you just need a reminder of your purpose.

So, I ask you: What’s yours?

The DACA Rally

30 or 40 people showed up to this rally held in Columbia, SC on December 5, 2017. I expected a huge crowd blocking the street and causing a disruption to traffic. Really hoping for a loud boom of voices chanting for Senator Tim Scott to support the Dream Act.

That wasn’t the case. There wasn’t this big crowd or loud voices. It was me and dozens of others with their poster boards. Some marked “Here to stay” and others “Support the Clean Dream Act.”

True Meaning of Protest

I was hesitant to join the group. I noticed that I couldn’t hide behind someone and blend in as much as I wanted.

Nervous, I approached the crowd filled with advocates of all ages. After a pause, I began to shake my board across my chest. Timidly.

As I stood on the corner, in front of the bank of America building, I realized something. Certainly, my shame stemmed from what I thought a protest/rally should look like instead of what it meant.

I know what thousands of protesters look like. Thanks to the Black Lives Matter Movement and Women’s March.

I wanted to be part of that. To be suffocated with bodies, energy, and rants by people who supported what I believed in.

That’s not what I was experiencing. I realized that I was judging the size of the rally unfairly. I was viewing the rally based on quantitative measures instead of what really mattered.

The numbers really don’t matter because if one person can make a difference, why can’t 30 or 40? And if thousands can march on Washington, why can’t 30 or 40 local residents march on the lawn of Senator Scott’s office?

Growing more and more comfortable, I came to face my own insecurities, misconceptions, and biases.

Overcoming Doubt, Making The Effort

I was forced to let go of my internal issues due to the fact that young people are facing a dramatic change in their lives. These children were nearing the edge of a cliff. They were going to be booted from the only home that they know.

How selfish of me? I was thinking about my self and how uncomfortable I felt standing on a street corner for an hour and a half. That’s not a lifetime. It’s a moment of my day spent advocating for young people whose lives are going to change permanently.

Disruption has no particular way it should be done. You show up and show out. No matter how many people.

We stood there. We chanted. Then, we marched around the intersection (yes, abiding by traffic and pedestrian laws, of course). More people joined us. Drivers honked their horns in support of our efforts to:

• Push Congress to pass the Clean Dream Act
• Prevent 800,000 young people from losing status
• Discuss and Improve our Immigration System

I asked for this. The opportunity to get more involved in my community. To be the Social Do-Gooder who writes this blog. That’s what I got.

Often times, we think doing good entails this extravagant effort. It’s not. It could be building a home for a family or raising millions of dollars for a charity or cause.

One Decision

Impacting society can be a simple act. Like standing on a corner with a sign to raise awareness about the impending end of DACA.

It’s just one decision. One action that is required. If you’re in, then do IT wholeheartedly. IT can be a difference in one person’s life. My simple act is an ongoing battle for 800,000 people. I can’t lose sight of that.

Let’s get comfortable with the uncomfortable. And measure success on what’s accomplished and not on who and how many people decide to join the cause.

Message to myself.

What Can You Do (to do more in your community)?

• Join or build a community of advocates; unify the voices in your community
• Produce material with data, research, and support that illustrates community needs
• Contact your local Representatives and/or Senators.
• Educate them with your personal story, research, and desired changes
• Invite them to your site or community
• Continue to build public awareness around needs and changes

What are some actions you’re taking in your community?

The post Insights from This Social Do-Gooder About Social Impact & What It Means To Protest [Updates] appeared first on Travepreneur.