It’s that time of year again! Black Friday is behind us, Christmas is just a few weeks away and Passports with Purpose is kicking off its 2012 fundraiser to raise money for Water.org.
Now, while I would hope the idea of contributing to a worthy cause would keep you reading to the end of this post, I am going to throw something out there that may catch your eye a little more:
You can win 2 free city tours with Context Travel!
Context Travel is a critically acclaimed network of scholars and experts who lead in-depth small group walking tours in the world’s cultural capitals – they bill themselves as “tours for the intellectually curious.” Walks average around three hours and range in subject matter from touring ancient Rome with an archeologist to visiting the Musée d’Orsay with an Impressionist art specialist to learning about the history of the cocktail in New York. Context operates tours in nearly twenty cities, including Rome, Florence, Paris, Athens, New York, Berlin and London.
You may recall I enjoyed their Galata Nights and Ottoman Architecture tours in Istanbul, as well as their yummy City of Chocolate tour and super-informative Gaudi in Context tour in Barcelona. Their guides are professional, knowledgeable, passionate and entertaining. Just as important, they keep their groups incredibly small – the largest group I had was just 6 people!
By donating just $10 to Passports with Purpose, you’ll be entered in a drawing to win 2 spots on 2 Context group tours of your choice – a total value of $330!
Now that I hopefully have your full attention, let me share a little more about Passports with Purpose – the fabulous cause you will be supporting with your donation. PwP was founded in 2008 as a way to build community among travel bloggers and to give back to the places that we, as travelers, visit. In its first year, PwP raised $7,400 for Heifer International. Last year, it raised $90,000 to build two libraries in Zambia through a partnership with Room to Read.
This year, PwP is partnering with Water.org to raise $100,000 to build wells in two communities in rural Haiti, providing much needed clean water. Clean water is something we tend to take for granted in the United States, but it is something that millions of people around the world go without every day. In Haiti, nearly half of the population does not have a nearby source of clean water and four out of five do not have a sanitary toilet. People often have to walk miles or wait in long lines for access to water that may or may not be safe to drink. Mothers face the dilemma of giving their children contaminated water or no water at all.
Water.org has worked for the last 21 years to empower local communities in developing countries to meet their own water and sanitation needs – they work with residents to ensure that new, clean water sources last for generations to come. This year’s PwP goal of raising $100,000 will enable Water.org to work with communities in Boucan Carre and Mirebalais in Haiti to build five new wells, each serving around 370 people. You can read more in this post, Clean Water Transforms Lives.
The fundraiser begins at 11:59 p.m. (EST) November 27, 2012 and ends at 11:59 p.m. (EST) December 11, 2012. I hope you’ll make your donation today! (tip: the Donate page includes a list of all available prizes – to find the Context Travel prize, scroll down to the “Tours” section.)
Thank you to these great Passports with Purpose 2012 sponsors:
- Platinum: Expedia
- Gold: TripIt
- Silver: tbex
- Bronze: HomeAway. TravellersPoint, HostelBookers, Go with Oh