R
Ihands n good
Ella Buchan goes behind the scenes to see G Adventures’ sustainable projects in practice
T
he mountains were still shrugging off a shroud of morning mist
as we arrived at the Ccaccaccollo Women’s Weaving Co-op in the heart of Peru’s Sacred Valley. A low hum of chatter, punctuated by
occasional shrieks of laughter, vibrated from the women who spun wool under straw-thatched canopies and by trees. The scarlet and satsuma hues of their handwoven jackets and hats popped against the green-grey backdrop. Nearby, a baby alpaca whined and
performed a jig, shaking the bright pink pompoms looped around its ears. Yet, at least for a moment, all eyes
were fixed on one woman. Mercedes, a community leader at the cooperative, was explaining how working here had changed her life. And she was crying. “The community wasn’t like this 15
years ago,” she told us. “Our houses were just made of straw. Now we can invest money in education for our children and improving our homes. We can invest in what we need, to grow as human beings.” Her voice cracking, she added: “It
feels like, since tourists came here, our lives are changing.” If any of us had any doubts about
the potential of travel and tourism to engender positive change, they were quickly dispersed by this living, breathing evidence.
50
travelweekly.co.uk 14 June 2018
w THE GOOD LIFE We were on a behind-the-scenes tour with G Adventures. Dubbed ‘G for Good’ and hosted by company founder Bruce Poon Tip, we visited projects and initiatives supported and/or funded by the adventure travel company. And Mercedes’ emotional speech
wasn’t a one-off. We were frequently greeted with choreographed dance performances, Poon Tip was bestowed with handmade gifts as a thank you for bringing tourism to communities that were previously overlooked and, occasionally, we witnessed grown men and women burst into tears. Yet, for Poon Tip, it isn’t about
charity. He isn’t trying to be a hero or to patronise these communities. He’s running a business, and he wants to do it in a sustainable and responsible way. “It’s about developing a strategy within a region to develop social community projects that interact with our trips,” he explains. The weaving cooperative was
G Adventures’ first social enterprise, founded by its non-profit arm, the Planeterra Foundation, in 2005. Since then, 53 projects across 34 countries have followed the same model of providing value to tourists while benefiting communities. In Vietnam’s Hoi An, for example, Oodles of Noodles helps at-risk youths develop cooking and
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