Feed Farmers Today; Fund Tomorrow’s Forest
A crowdfunding call for our partner communities affected by the COVID19 crisis
MAD Travel is a Philippine-based sustainable social tourism enterprise that works for and with marginalized communities to create impactful, inspiring and authentic experiences.
With the fierce spread of COVID-19 pushing our government to take intense containment & mitigation steps like travel restrictions, our MAD adventures have been forced to a halt. Quarantine has pushed us into our homes and others- our two partner Aeta communities in Zambales & Bataan included- even further to the margins and left them more vulnerable to the grave effects of this multifaceted health crisis.
Why do we need help?
No work means no money: the critical pause in tourism activity has left the challenge for our enterprise to keep salaries for our own employees. More than that, it has cut off vital income sources for our community partners- our business partners- both in participating in our tours and selling their agricultural, cultural and upcycled products.
The approaching summer months also means a decline in vegetable supply. And while we have been planting with our partners for the past years, most of our fruit trees are not mature enough to lead to a bounty. Soon, food will run short for these communities .
Our business model simply cannot take the strain of this crisis to support our partners by ourselves. We are shifting our ways to support our entire team- community partners and all – and need your help to make sure we do not leave anyone behind.
What do we need?
Right now, our partner communities are in need of WORK. This is so that they can, first and foremost, continue to earn a living and feed themselves & their families. It is also important so that we maintain a sense of purpose and dignity in the midst of all this.
We need TREES. A tree purchase provides both work for income now and at the same time aids a long-term environmental solution. Though we are addressing immediate needs, we continue to think and act long-term. We believe that growing an agroforest is the key to food security- making sure our partner communities don’t get critically hit again by crises such as this. It is also our contribution to fighting for our climate, land, water and biodiversity, among many others.
How can I help?
Buy Trees
Buy one or buy a whole lot! Your purchase will pay for farmers to plant trees today, allowing them to earn for their daily needs, and also gets you something for yourself!
Buy Their Products
We are also working on the logistics of how we can sell their products to the market such as bamboo crafts, honey, and more so STAY TUNED! Let us know if this is something you would be interested in and drop us a line at info@madtravel.org.