The mission. Total immersion for a week in a Khmer village, off Kratié, on a small island in the Mekong, to help build toilets, showers, chicken coop or vegetable garden for the host family, followed by 7 days of itinerant circuit in Mondulkiri, with Double Sens.
Why is it good? We alternate concrete missions (1 trip =1 project) with the discovery of the country (trekking in the jungle, swimming in waterfalls, elephant watching, etc.). Above all, we are in real “Rendezvous in unknown territory”! Apart from the time spent on the project (about 5 hours per day), we share the daily life of the inhabitants of the island:we can help them in the rice fields, accompany them to the temple, or even embark with them in a canoe to go observe freshwater dolphins on the Mekong. We also take advantage of a small Khmer lesson every morning to learn the basics. It's hard to get closer to the local population!
I book ! www.doublesens.fr.
The mission. Facilitate the schooling of children in the slum of Gandi Nagar in Chennai (Madras), with Human Trip. We come to lend a hand to the NGO Speed Trust, on site since 1999. On the program:tutoring (in English), manual and artistic activities, introduction to computers for older children, educational and fun outings... Accompanied by women autorickshaw drivers trained by Speed Trust, we start with a day of discovery of Madras before spending the rest of the stay in the company of the children of the shanty town.
Why is it good? We live a very strong "human adventure" and a complete change of scenery, in total immersion, but in very good sanitary conditions (we sleep in a small hotel near the shantytown). Afraid of cracking? You can cut it with a day trip to the seaside in Mahabalipuram or Pondicherry, visit Chennai in total freedom every day after the mission...
I book ! www.humantrip.fr.
The mission. Aid for biodiversity conservation at the top of Bosque Nublado (Ecuador) with Terres des Andes, to replant endangered tree species (such as cedar), maintain trails and create new access to the reserve, help birdwatching…
Why is it good? We stay in an ecological lodge of the community of Santa Lucia, a community organization made up of peasant families who manage their own resources, on an exceptional site in the heart of the equatorial forest. You get there after 1 to 2 hours of walking (or on the back of a mule) and you have the impression of entering a real paradise above a sea of clouds. Hot gas showers, compost toilets, waste recycling, no electricity… This is serious business! Cell phones don't work here, the only noise pollution comes from the song of birds (nearly 400 species). We're cut off from the world, and that's why it's good!
I book ! www.terresdesandes.org.
The mission. Observation of cetaceans between the south of Corsica and Sardinia, with Cybelle Planète. After half a day of training, we board a sailboat to collect data on the locations of the whales, their number and their mode of movement. This information is then used by various research institutes and official protection organizations to assess the impact of maritime traffic on whales and better regulate it.
Why is it good? We spend our holidays in the Mediterranean on a sailboat! Between whale watching sessions (but also counting jellyfish, turtles, moonfish, etc.) and computer entry of the data collected, we bathe, tan, dine under the stars. Depending on the weather, you can spend several nights offshore or return to dock every evening. No mission is like another.
I book ! www.cybelle-planete.org.
Solidarity leave, created in 2000 by Planète Urgence, allows you to go on an international solidarity mission during your leave and RTT (2 to 4 weeks) individually or with the support of your employer. He pays the mission expenses (deductible up to 60% of the expenses incurred), us, the personal membership of the association (50 €) and transport (unless he also pays for them). Find out if our company is a partner of Planète Urgence (on the association's website, www.planeteurgence.org). Otherwise, you contact your human resources department or sustainable development manager to present the project to them. Then just choose your mission...
And also:the eco-solidarity leave set up by Cybelle Planète (www.cybelle-planete.org) which works on the same principle.
