A few years ago, I packed my bags and accepted my invitation to join the Peace Corps in the tiny West African nation of Togo. During my two years in Togo, I witnessed the determination and valorous efforts of local communities to overcome the effects of poverty, poor infrastructure, and environmental degradation. I also saw that behind these problems lay immense beauty in the souls of the people as well as the country itself-beauty that often times gets overshadowed by the stigma of underdevelopment.
My experience in Togo led me to explore and work with more community organizations around the world. Twenty countries and four continents later, I am still amazed by the transformative effects of travel on the traveler and host communities. Not only does it offer the traveler opportunities to learn about himself and his world, but it is an indelible bridge to international cooperation, understanding, and substantive change and hope in the lives of many.
With this belief, I founded Beyond Travel and Beyond Travel Partners. The team at Beyond Travel is composed of our New York based staff, host country coordinators and community partners. Our team goes to great lengths to organize trips of a life time for our participants.
Participants can select from two types of programs: Global Action and Awareness or Cultural Exploration. Participants in our Global Action and Awareness programs are volunteers who engage fully in the implementation of ongoing projects led by local communities around the world in the areas of health, environment, and community development. Projects must meet rigorous standards and are selected based on their merit and potential to effectively tackle urgent problems and directly benefit local people. Our cultural exploration programs offer insight into world cultures, history, and cultural practices. Cultural exploration programs go all over the world, including Europe, West Africa, and the Caribbean; and are led by noted experts who strive to offer unique historical and culture perspectives.
A Beyond Travel experience is not all about work and learning! When participants are not discovering film-making in Burkina Faso, learning about the musical exchanges between Paris and Harlem or exploring ancient cities, building clean water wells, helping reforest deforested areas, or leading health education campaigns; they are exploring all the beauty the destination country has to offer with special insight from local community hosts who have no other interest than to show a stranger the hidden jewels of their homeland.
Yours Truly,
Valerie Bazelais
Director, Founder
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