Explore Foundation - Impact Report 2024

THE EXPLORE FOUNDATION’S

Impact Report 1 NOV 2023 – 31 OCT 2024

Our purpose and goals Launched in 2023, The Explore Foundation sets out to positively impact the lives of communities worldwide, by supporting projects that target poverty reduction, increase access to education and healthcare, and promote conservation. Tapping into a global network of partners and tour leaders alongside our staff and customers, we’ve been able to connect with - and fund - incredible initiatives and make a real difference in the destinations that Explore customers visit.

The Explore Foundation is a natural extension of the work we do at Explore Worldwide. With a registered charity number, we're able to formalise this positive impact, backed by an independent Board of Trustees who help us to direct our funds where they are needed most.

In line with our business goals and sustainability strategy, we aim to focus the support of the Explore Foundation towards projects that help people, places and the planet.

It has been a pleasure and a privilege to watch the Foundation grow over the last year, and to see the impact we’ve been able to have on these fantastic projects and the individuals they support.

In the next year, we hope to connect people to several more initiatives around the world, and to keep supporting the people and places that mean so much to us.

Michael Edwards, Managing Director, Explore Worldwide

Our achievements In the last 12 months we’ve been privileged to support initiatives from Ukraine to Cambodia, and create real impact for local communities.

£97,977 donated

Supporting

10 initiatives in 9 countries

One Bike – we donated £9,476 to fund their brand new repair centre in Kahe Village Lehara – we donated £2,640 to fund three more therapists through their training to join the Khumbu clinics Lone Buffalo – we fully funded DevTog5, supporting 71 students through a 6 month program of life skills workshops - £14,406 (building on the 87 students that we funded through DevTog4) Planted 227 trees to support relocated villagers in Cambodia Provided 200 reusable menstrual kits to support young women in Cambodia Provided funding to distribute 5,000 solar lights, enabling students in rural Cambodia to study in the evenings Donated £2,925 to provide emergency support for the vulnerable waste picker community in Kenya Raised funds to allow 30 children to attend Stand with Ukraine’s support camp Donated £9,920 to fund Mahouts’ new initiative in Thailand, creating an elephantfriendly, community-led experience We fully funded GHE’s new women’s cooperative in Ladakh, including installing renewable energy sources - £11,616

Lone Buffalo Over 70% of Laotians live on just $2 per day, and young people in the country’s rural areas have little access to a structured education. While enrolment in primary school (ages 5-9) stands at approximately 97%, this drops significantly further up the system. By upper secondary level (ages 17-18), only 3% of young Laotians are in attendance, meaning that many young people are failing to reach their full academic potential.

That’s where Lone Buffalo comes in. This grassroots charity provides free English tuition, as well as access to many extra-curricular growth opportunities that are largely out of reach to the Laotian youth. Business and entrepreneurial training, female development programmes, short film production and leadership workshops are all offered for free, alongside quality English tuition in Lone Buffalo’s unique Develop Together Programme.

We fully funded Develop Together in 2024, supporting 71 students to access these life-changing workshops

£14,406 donated

It means everything! The programme has become part of our culture at Lone Buffalo and it's important we have the support to continue each term. It's really changing young people's lives, developing confidence, creating leaders and getting young people into tertiary education Mark Steadman, COO of Lone Buffalo

Stand With Ukraine The ongoing war in the Ukraine is having devastating impacts on its people. Many children here have lost parents, siblings, homes. Their childhoods have been impacted in a way most of us can’t even begin to imagine. So, when Explore’s local partner in Ukraine introduced us to Stand with Ukraine, we immediately wanted to support it.

This wonderful initiative is a residential camp for children aged 10-14 years old that allows them a chance to distance themselves from the realities of day-to-day life, and revert to being children, to playing and having fun. Alongside that, they receive emotional support and access to trained youth therapists to help them process what they’ve been going through, and what they'll continue to experience until the conflict is resolved.

With generous donations from our supporters, we’ve provided funding for 30 children to participate

£14,838 donated

On behalf of children, their parents and guardians, we would like to express our gratitude for the possibility of having these two weeks of calmness and joy, for the recharging and therapy they will have.

Irina Zelenina, Sputnik Kiev

Cambodia Rural Students Trust All over the world, girls are resorting to makeshift menstruation pads made from materials such as banana leaves, mattress stuffing and even feathers.

This project provides reusable period kits for Cambodian girls who currently have to miss several days of school every month around their menstrual cycle. Not only will we be supporting the girls who benefit from these beautiful, washable kits, but also those who make them - the kits are all lovingly handsewn using 100% cotton material, by women in Siam Reap who will be paid a good salary for their work.

We've funded the creation and distribution of 200 reusable menstrual kits, helping to support young women and girls in rural Cambodia

£2,370 donated

Your generous support has transformed lives, created opportunities, and inspired a new generation of confident and capable young women. Together, we are making a lasting impact, building a future where every girl has the resources, encouragement, and support to stay in school and achieve her dreams.

Jessica Palti, Co-founder of Cambodia Rural Students Trust

Ongoing support As well as supporting some brand new projects this year, we’ve continued to fund some existing initiatives with the next phase of their work.

One Bike’s Repair Centre One Bike harnesses the power that owning a bike provides, to empower rural communities, enabling access to education, healthcare and employment.

After initially supporting this social enterprise at the foot of Mt Kilimanjaro with a donation to buy 50 bikes, we raised a further £9,000 to fund the build of a fullyequipped repair centre, ensuring that the bikes provided to the communities remain in good condition.

Three new massage therapists at Lehara Lehara provides people from rural communities in Nepal with a skill - a skill that empowers them to earn a sustainable living they can be proud of, while in turn helping the local community to thrive. Lehara is developing a sports massage service along the Everest Base Camp walking route, creating economic opportunities for communities that live along this route, and offering a valuable service to visiting trekkers with weary legs (of which there are many!).

In 2023 the Explore Foundation covered the cost of three people joining the training program, and we’ve done the same again in 2024.

That’s not all...

In addition to funding these projects and initiatives all over the world, our donations have enabled us to work with a number of other valuable causes.

We’ve planted 227 trees in Cambodia Thousands of families living around the UNESCO site of Angkor Wat have been displaced from their homes by the government to areas that are unhealthily hot, dry and barren. The simple act of planting trees can help rebuild the feeling of community, and bring a sense of wellbeing by being surrounded by nature. Trees also provide shade, colour, and fruit to new neighbourhoods, helping the communities settle in to their new space.

Empowering women in Ladakh The high altitude landscapes of Ladakh can be a challenging environment in which to make a living, especially for women who are often expected to stay at home with the family. For the Changthang community, traditional weaving using goat wool is a key source of income. We’ve donated £11,616 to fund the set up of a building, weaving equipment and solar panels for renewable energy, allowing the women to set up a small co-operative, selling their handicrafts to the tourists that visit the region each year .

We provided emergency support in Kenya Following recent flooding in Nairobi we supported the vulnerable waste picker community, who were unable to work and whose homes in informal settlements were submerged by filthy flood water.

We helped fund solar lights for students We donated £5,000 to fund the distribution of solar lights to communities in rural Cambodia. This initiative combats the high dropout rates that result when students are unable to study at home due to the lack of electricity. By providing a simple solar light, alongside study resources and educational workshops on health, hygiene and nutrition, over 2,000 children have been able to stay in full time education.

Supporting elephants in Thailand Working with the Mahouts Foundation we’re working to support tourism that enables people to experience the magic of seeing an elephant in its natural habitat. We’ve donated £9,960 to help develop a community-led tourism experience, allowing the Karen community at Palatha to share their in depth knowledge of these wonderful animals. Once it’s established, guests will be able to hike through native forest that supports a family of six elephants - with local guides bringing the experience to life.

Meet the Trustees Our fantastic Board of Trustees ensures that the Explore Foundation funds are directed where they can create the most impact. Here’s a little more about them.

John Telfer Since starting out as a Tour Leader, John has always been passionate about inspiring positive travel interactions, both for travellers and hosts. He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in scrutinising overseas projects from his other non-profit work. He gets all of his best ideas on long-distance walks, having walked the length and breadth of England & Wales. His latest project is connecting the Venice of the Midlands to Little Venice (that's Birmingham to Paddington Station for regular folk!) on foot.

Jo Hendrickx In 2017, after experiencing what Jo calls “a styrofoam breakfast” she founded Travel Without Plastic to help businesses reduce unnecessary single-use waste. Jo is a big believer in collaborative working and finding ways to put money directly into local economies, having spent most of her career supporting small hospitality businesses develop sustainability strategies. A life in tourism wasn’t always on the cards though, Jo originally worked as a 999 operator for Merseyside Police before being drawn to the travel industry.

Georgina Wilson-Powell With 10 years working in travel media and a passion for consumer-focused sustainability content, Georgina is our media expert. She’s passionate about making sustainable choices the norm, ensuring the responsible habits we build at home aren’t forgotten when we travel. Her knowledge about environmental issues facing tourism-reliant destinations is key to helping us decide where our support could have the most impact. In her spare time she runs a wild swimming group, braving a dip in the ocean every single day of the year!

Our accounts Statement of Financial Activities For the period 1st November 2023 - 31st October 2024 Unrestricted Funds 2024

Restricted Funds 2024

Total Funds 2024

Total Funds 2023

£

£

£

£

79,524

5,292

84,816

95,520

Charitable Activites

75,310

4,667

79,977

84,029

Administration & Support Costs

7,523

-

7,523

3,701

Governance Costs

1,320

-

1,320

-

Total Resources Expended

84,153

4,667

88,821

87,729

Net Movement in Funds

(4,629)

624

(4,005)

7,791

Total funds brought forward

7,791

-

7,791

-

Net Movement in year

(4,629)

624

(4,005)

7,791

Total funds carried forward

(3,162)

624

(3,786)

7,791

Incoming resources

Total incoming resources: Resources Expended

Reconcilliation of funds:

For more detail please visit the Accounts and Annual Returns section on the Charities Commission website. Our registration number is 1201356.

How do we

raise money?

The majority of the Foundation’s funding comes from Explore, which makes a donation of £2.50 on behalf of every customer, allowing us to continue supporting projects that create a positive impact on people, places and the planet. We also have regular supporters, and wonderfully generous one-off donors who support our work.

Every penny that is donated to the Explore Foundation goes to our initiatives, Explore covers all of our administration costs, ensuring your donations create maximum impact.

How you can help us

Subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on socials to hear all the latest news

Register with easyfundraising.org and raise money for us whilst you shop

Make a donation recurring or one-off, we appreciate every penny.

Find out more at

theexplore.foundation