D-Brief Edition 25 - Giving Back

D-Brief

Edition 25

Giving Back

D-Brief Bangkok, 28 September 2012 Dear Partners, Our philosophy has always been focused on genuinely supporting and giving back to the communities and countries where we operate. Wherever possible, responsible tourism lies at the core of our product and often goes unpublicized.

In this edition of D-Brief, we have chosen a small sample of projects we support.

In Laos, it is all about adventure and experiences; get out walking through villages and mountains and enjoy meeting local people knowing that you are leaving good "footprints" behind. Amongst the multitude of community schemes, we have chosen the exceptionally effective projects at Elephant Village, Fair Treks and Tiger Trail.

In Myanmar, the extremely worthwhile projects of AFXB and CVT teach disadvantaged Burmese youth to be self sufficient and able to support their families.

Cambodiaâ€&#x;s unique and dazzling circus performers of Phare Ponleu Selpak are not only pure entertainment but reveal much about modern day life in the country.

Read on to find out more about our partners which give back to the communities in the region.

Sincerely,

Your Diethelm Travel Team

Giving Back Cambodia Phare Ponleu Selpak The idea of using art and expression to help young refugees overcome the trauma of war is at the heart of the fascinating Phare Ponleu Selpak. Visit the Battambang centre or enjoy an amazing circus performance in this lovely colonial town.

The exciting news is that these circus performances, filled with professional acrobatics, aerial acts, fire-dancing, juggling and clowning are expanding to Siem Reap in June 2013, making it even more accessible for eager audiences.

Myanmar AFXB Textile Workshop and CVT Commercial Assistant Programme Beginning with a small group of trafficked women working along the Thai-Myanmar border, the AFXB has grown to include a

vocational training program focusing on both rehabilitation and HIV prevention for at-risk youth by preparing students for jobs in, amongst others, the textile industry. Similarly CVT provides youth vocational training in various professions enabling them to support their families.

Laos Tiger Trail, Elephant Village and Phou Khao Khouay Working directly with our partners in Tiger Trail and Elephant Village plus using village guides, we are proud to offer a great variety of programs all benefitting the local communities by generating income and raising living standards. Learn to become a mahout, or trek and overnight in village home-stays to really discover North Laos, its culture and people.

Phare Ponleu Selpak Phare Ponleu Selpak (PPS), meaning “the brightness of art”, originated in 1986 in a refugee camp on the Thai border.

The idea of an artistic association that would use art and expression to help young refugees overcome the trauma of war emerged. This novel idea continued after the refugees returned to their homeland and PPS was formally founded in 1994 by a group of former refugee camp children with a focus on rehabilitating street kids, orphans, and children in high-risk situations.

Phare Ponleu Selpak is a Cambodian nongovernmental organisation based in Battambang. The group is centred around artistic practices. Arts are used not only as a tool to foster expression, but also as a complete set of tools aimed at answering children‟s psycho-social needs. This includes education, life skills, social skills and personal development.

The Centre supports around 30 orphans and trafficking victims and is schooling more than 1,200 pupils, over 400 of whom study visual arts, music, circus, drama and dance for leisure or vocational training.

You can visit the centre in Battambang on week-days between 8-10 am and 2-4 pm (closed during public holidays). Or you can watch a circus show with acrobatics, juggling, and humour every Monday and Thursday as well as on extra dates (maximum 200 pax). The visit also includes a video of the history of PPS, special events, documentary movies, a visual arts exhibition, animation movies, a musical concert, watching the students practicing their everyday academic and artistic courses and receiving a small souvenir. All donations from visitors go directly to support the social actions and help run the project.

Phare Ponleu Selpak In Siem Reap, the big top will open around June 2013, and will be able to welcome around 500 spectators for the Circus Shows. It will be a place to perform everyday productions created in Battambang, by the professional artists who have graduated from the complete vocational training curriculum, including going abroad on tour.

The concept is modern circus, and is not only an entertaining performance, but a sharp representation of Cambodia nowadays, seen through the eyes of the new generation of artists growing up in Battambang.

Acrobatics, juggling, clowning, equilibrium, contortion, aerial acts, fire, dancing, theatre and original live music are their way to hit the heights.

In Phnom Penh you can visit the Romeet Gallery, a new contemporary art gallery opened by Phare Ponleu Selpak. Established as a Phnom Penh platform for emerging and established alumni of the Phareâ€&#x;s Visual Art School, Romeet promises to be a dynamic space for exhibitions, talks, workshops and local and international exchange.

How to help PPS? • Go see one of the performances in your country (www.phareps.org).

• Support organizations that support PPS. • Sponsor a child or a young artist with the Committee Torcy-Cambodia.

• Come and observe the work of these young people in Battambang, Siem Reap or Phnom Penh.

• Invite PPS to your town for a performance or exhibition.

• Spread the word.

AFXB Textile Workshop What They Do In 1996, the Association Francois- Xavier Bagnoud (AFXB) launched its Vocational Training Program, an initiative to reduce the social and economic burden on people living with HIV/AIDS and their affected family members.

How They Work The Vocational Training Program targets youth who are children of HIV-infected parents, out-of-school youths and street children.

Located in Shwe-pyi-thar township of Yangon, the program draws participants from all over the city.

Originally, the program began with a small group of trafficked women working along the Thai-Myanmar/Burma border. The goal was to equip these women with tools and skills to lead a healthy life outside the sex industry. Through word of mouth, the program soon began to include family members and the children of the women.

Providing Valuable Skills/ Training The Vocational Training Program aims to provide participants with the tools needed to succeed in a skilled profession, giving them a source of income and opportunity.

A paying job often means the difference between living on the streets or resorting to work in the sex industry. The AFXB program prepares students for jobs in the textile, garment, welding and woodshop industries. Specialties range from weaving to carpentry, at a variety of skill levels.

The vocational training classes run for a total of six hours each day, broken down into two sessions. One teacher and an assistant usually teach each class.

Today, the program has grown into a youth outreach program. With the start of a separate program that specifically helps women in the sex industry, the Vocational Training Program now focuses on both rehabilitation and HIV prevention for atrisk youth in Yangon, Myanmar.

AFXB Textile Workshop Training Classes: Sewing, Craft making, Weaving, Toys making, Wood and Metal Work In this class, students are taught basic sewing skills, and work up to colour theory, cross-stitching, knitting, and crochet. Teachers use mostly a handson approach, with weekly examinations. By the end of the twelve-month regular training period, students are able to make different types of products from their training programs. Also upon completion, students are offered the choice to continue on to more specialized and advanced crafts, such as weaving or tailoring, interior designing or wood or metal for another 24 months.

Although the students are taught standard techniques, the program tries to leave a lot of room for individual creativity. Students design their own patterns, receiving positive feedback from both teachers and customers. To ease the transition between training and a career, AFXB provides students with their own sewing machines to take home at the end of the program.

Another opportunity for youth in urgent need is a short term intensive training program which takes three to six months, for those who need jobs at garment factories or workshops, but are not able to afford to attend pre-training for the particular jobs.

Here, AFXB fills the gap for the neediest people to provide intensive training which helps them to get a job without any brokerage fees or problems. About 95% of them get jobs because AFXB prepares all of the outlined requirements including health requirements and protection procedures, which makes a significant difference for youths who are seeking jobs.

How to help To help pay for the cost of the programs and to give trainees a source of income while training, the products made are sold in an AFXB show room in Yangon. In most of our Yangon programmes, we include a visit to the showroom for customers to buy some of the lovely souvenirs available and support the good cause.

Centre for Vocational Training The Centre for Vocational Training / CVT is a non-profit organization providing state-of-the-art skills education through the dual form of apprenticeship, “practice and theory”, based on the Swiss system. In close cooperation with a wide range of training companies, the CVT provides vocational training in various professions including commercial assistant, electrician, cabinet maker, metal worker and hotel and gastronomy assistant.

An apprenticeship consists of 3 elements and lasts 3 years: • Doing practical work at the training company to get familiar with the tasks of the profession.

The company assigns a mentor and offers an adapted salary.

• The theoretical section involves a mandatory one day per week course at the CVT in order to acquire the necessary theoretical knowledge of the profession.

• The annual practical training courses (PTC‟s) lasting approximately 2 weeks are in additional to the weekly school day and form an integral part of the apprenticeship.

Vision Talented young persons in Myanmar have the opportunity to successfully complete qualified and sound vocational training in specifically defined professions. Strengthening vocational training, in particular the promotion of craftsmanship and entrepreneurship at the SME level, will contribute to the sustainable development of Myanmar.

Mission The CVT is a model vocational training centre, with the objective to offer young people in Myanmar qualified and sound vocational training that responds to the needs of the labour market and helps to significantly improve vocational training in Myanmar.

Diethelm’s contribution Diethelm Travel has supported the CVT since its inception and annually employs commercial assistants from the program. Over the years, we have supported 7 youngsters who all now enjoy solid employment with great prospects for their future.

Details about the school can be found on www.cvtmyanmar.org

Phou Khao Khouay Tours at the Phou Khao Khouay National Protected Area Located approximately 90 km away from Vientiane, the Phou Khao Khouay region is the nearest nature reserve to the capital.

Here, we work directly with the local villagers for our trekking tours.

Community tourism focused, the money from the tours goes directly to the villagers supporting the infrastructure and their living standards. Income is generated by providing specialized trekking guides and selling food and handicrafts. The villagers have reacted to the small project with enthusiasm and created their own initiatives.

To reach the area, there is an adventurous trip first by vehicle and then long-tail boat, deep into the dry evergreen and mixed deciduous forests that are home to rare large mammals such as sun bears, tigers and elephants.

A full day of trekking with our local guide, under the canopy amongst butterflies and orchids, reveals much about the beauty of this unspoilt region.

The trek is interspersed with a Lao-style picnic lunch, while being awed by the scenery, viewing the Tad Xay and Pha Xay waterfalls, particularly beautiful after the monsoon, and taking a refreshing dip. The friendly village of Ban Hatkhai is a good place to learn more about the genuine lifestyle of the Lao Loum people In addition, we offer a special Orchid Trek in cooperation with a French botanical specialist, who also works closely with the villagers. This trek specializes in seeking out the unique and beautiful orchids of the jungle, as well as visiting the village of Ban Hatkhai.

Tiger Trail Cultural Lodge in Nong Khio, Fair Treks and Clay School Project: In the region of Nong Khio, 2 hours north of Luang Prabang, we work closely with Tiger Trail. This specialist trekking and adventure activity company works with the local villages offering a great variety of programs, all benefitting the local communities by generating income and raising living standards.

By staying overnight in one of the small family home-stays, you can really get to meet the local people and gain an understanding of the life and culture of the Lao Loum, Lao Theung, and Lao Sung. In the evening, meet your host family, who will share their delicious Laos cuisine then sleep in the simple accommodation of a community home in a picturesque village.

The Fair Trek Culture Home Stay Project benefits Lao communities through controlled tourism activities in Lao home stays. They also employ village guides who know the area like the back of their hand and are ideal for showing the local traditions and way of life.

We can also offer day treks, where as you simply walk through this area, you are helping the communities through your contributions.

The most popular trek is our two-day adventure, experiencing amazing hilly karst landscapes and trekking through Khamu and Hmong villages for plenty of interaction with local villagers.

Another fun option includes an active combination of all that is Lao. Two days of enjoying natureâ€&#x;s mountains, rivers and dramatic scenery from the back of an elephant then an exhilarating mountain bike-ride, a relaxing boat-trip or kayaking for the energetic traveller. And of course, ending with a trek for the integral village experience.

Tiger Trail The Nong Khio culture lodge home-stay is in Ban Nalung village, 25 km southwest of Nong Khio near the Nam Ou River. Fully-owned by the community, the profits go the village fund to improve health care, education and local infrastructure.

With spectacular views of the surrounding mountains, the culture lodge makes a great base for day treks through rice paddy fields and pristine forests to the Khamu and Hmong village consisting of about 330 inhabitants. Pigs, chickens, ducks and children are still roaming freely as villagers go about their daily life of weaving, farming and planting. The lodge accommodates up to six people and allows for a little more privacy than a normal home-stay! There is currently no electricity but candles are provided. A western-style outdoor toilet is available and washing is river-style.

For those interested in experiencing the hill-tribe and minority life in a remote village in Laos and wish to make a life-changing difference in their quality of life, we highly recommend any of our Nong Khio program.

The Clay School Project This has become a key focus of Fair Trek initiatives as cooperation with local communities reveals that education for children is always a top priority.

Alternative income generated from visitors is invested in a village fund used for construction of a school. The only school in these villages is a small bamboo hut, which can accommodate only small children, aged between 4-8 years. The older ones have to walk for almost two hours to the nearest secondary school available. The teachers sometimes are members of these communities or are supplied by district governments, so are insufficient for the demand.

As a material, clay is a cheap, simple, ecological and sustainable method of construction. Anyone can come and help build the clay school and donations go a long way in the construction.

Please contact Diethelm Travel Laos for more information on our adventure program and how to support them.

Elephant Village Elephant Village / Shangri Lao: This extremely well-managed private project located 15 km outside of Luang Prabang, not only supports elephants, but also the local villagers living around the Elephant Village.

They have the opportunity to generate income by working in the elephant village, selling food for the elephants and renting out their land (forest land mainly) for the trekking routes, thereby preserving the pristine forests.

Laotian elephants are still working in logging camps under bad conditions and their existence is under threat due to poaching and habitat loss. This project therefore assists in allowing the animals to earn their keep in a different way.

The village is strict about the working hours and conditions for the elephants. At 14:00 hours, the elephants stop working and return to the forest for bathing, eating and resting. Additionally, they have their own vet.

This is the only elephant camp around the Luang Prabang area endorsed by Diethelm Travel Laos.

Programmes include a full-day excursion, including an hour-long elephant ride either on the neck on in a howdah, combined with a visit to Tad Sae waterfalls or cycling, as well as a one or two day “Mahout Experience”, learning to ride, bathe and feed your own elephant. This is an absolutely magical experience for any age.

Those wishing to stay overnight can stay in the luxurious Shangri Lao Tented Camp, the simple Elephant Village or nearby Lao Spirit Resort.

For those seeking to live the dream of the early explorers, embark on one of Shangri Lao‟s amazing expeditions discovering the region on the back of an elephant, by trekking and by river.

Chicken and Chinese Vegetable Stir-Fry

Ingredients • 14 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breast meat - cut into bite-size pieces • 1/2 cup oyster sauce • 2 tablespoons soy sauce • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil • 2 cloves garlic, minced • 1 large onion, chopped • 1/2 cup water • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper • 1 teaspoon white sugar • 1 (8 ounce) can sliced water chestnuts, drained • 1 cup snow peas • 1 small head broccoli, cut into florets • 3 tablespoons cornstarch • 1/4 cup water

Recipe source: http://allrecipes.com

The easiest and one of the healthiest recipes ever.

Takes just minutes to cook a delicious and colourful meal using any vegetables left over in the fridge.

Preparation Method 1. Combine the chicken, oyster sauce, and soy sauce in a mixing bowl until the chicken is evenly coated with the sauce; set aside.

2. Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Stir in the garlic and onion; cook and stir until the onion is limp, about 1 minute. Add the chicken and marinade. Cook and stir until the chicken has browned and is no longer pink, about 10 minutes.

3. Pour in 1/2 cup of water; season with pepper and sugar. Add the water chestnuts, snow peas, and broccoli. Cover; boil until the vegetables are just tender, about 5 minutes.

Dissolve the cornstarch in 1/4 cup of water. Stir into the boiling mixture; cook until thick and no longer cloudy.

Recipe

Coming Up: Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda Festival (16 Oct – 02 Nov 2012) Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda Festival is the largest and most famous festival held on Lake Inle. Four Buddha images from Phaung Daw Oo are placed on a decorated royal barge resembling a hintha bird and accompanied by several boats full of leg rowers in a procession taken around the lake, stopping at villages for people to pay homage. The images are mostly made from solid gold, hence are extremely heavy.

The festival is full of pageantry and extremely colourful to watch with fun fairs, music, dances and boat races. The high point of the festival is on the day when the images arrive at the main town of Nyaung Shwe.

On one very windy day, during the 1960â€&#x;s, the barge carrying the images capsized, the images falling into the lake. It was said that despite the fact that none of the images could be recovered, when they returned to the monastery, the missing image was miraculously sitting in its place.

As this festival lasts for 18 days, please check with us for the best days to follow the events.

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