travel and change
The Intrepid Foundation is always faced with the challenge of finding ways to fund grass-roots projects in communities around the world. Sadly the list of non-government organisations in desperate need of financial support is rapidly growing, but fortunately the generosity of travellers continues to help us assist many local projects.
In this edition of Travel and Change we are very pleased to bring you good news stories from Thailand, Egypt, Borneo, Australia and Peru. Plus find out how the Intrepid community has rallied together around the world and discover how you can make a difference.
mobilising mosha
Mosha's new leg.
One of the much-loved icons of Thailand, the Asian elephant, has declined significantly in numbers in the last two decades, with now less than 2,600 remaining.
Most of the Asian elephants are domesticated or in captivity and their survival is threatened by the destruction of forests, illness and people. Sadly humans are playing a leading role in the demise of these gentle giants, with the continued killing of mothers so their baby elephants can be sold, over-working of the animals by illegal logging enterprises and lack of veterinary care.
A bright light for Thai elephants has been the non-profit organisation Friends of the Asian Elephant (FAE). Since establishment in 1993, near Lamphang in the centre of Northern Thailand, their elephant hospital has treated nearly 3,000 cases of illness or injury. The dynamic and passionate founder of FAE, Soraida Salwala, sends us regular updates on the condition of the elephants that come into their care.
Young Mosha's right forelimb was severed by a landmine blast on the Thai-Burmese border two years ago, when she was only seven months old. Last year FAE arranged for Mosha to have a prosthetic leg fitted. Soraida reports that as Mosha has grown, she has needed modifications to her prosthetic leg. In the last week, Mosha's leg has been taken to the workshop for a day to change the aluminium centre piece to stainless steel. Technicians, Tom and Nueng, have returned her refitted leg and Mosha seems happy and comfortably mobile again!
To support Friends of the Asian Elephant and their great work, please visit our website today.
update from living heart
Living Heart provides health and nutritional support for disadvantaged communities of the Sacred Valley area of Peru. Lizzie at Living Heart, writes from Ollantaytambo...
"We are currently very busy feeding children breakfast and lunch in four schools and this brings the total number of children benefiting to approximately five hundred. However, our waiting list is still growing, with many school directors begging us to start a food program for their children. When considering new schools, we stress that Living Heart does not give hand-outs: we require full participation from the children's parents and schools for all our projects.
At the beginning of last year, we found that 80-85% of the children were suffering from effects of malnutrition, with 5% in a very serious condition. Our local nurse, Rita, has just finished weighing and measuring the children following a year of our food program, and found that only three children were still underweight.
Living Heart has never had sufficient money to spend on raising awareness, relying instead on word-of-mouth from the Hearts Cafe in Cuzco. However, with the help of a local filmmaker, this year we have made some short films, which can be found on www.youtube.com. To see the films, type "Living Heart Peru" into the search box of the website. More videos will be posted throughout the year, and eventually we hope to make a complete film.
Living Heart is very thankful for the support that The Intrepid Foundation gives our projects, through purchasing meals from local communities to donating musical instruments and other school supplies. We couldn't reach as many children as we do without your help. So thank you Intrepid!"
If you can help us further support Living heart's terrific work, please visit our website for more information.
harry habibi's story
Harry and his new mum
The Animal Care in Egypt hospital on the outskirts of Luxor, has been improving the lives of the working animals of Egypt since 2000. Sue from ACE reports...
"Harry Habibi was left outside the ACE hospital, whilst two separate owners argued about who this baby donkey belonged to! With an uncertain future ahead for this little fellow, we admitted him to the hospital until the dispute was resolved. Neither party returned to collect Harry.
We managed to get Harry drinking milk from a bowl and he soon became quite a mischievous character - he would follow everyone around and generally had his nose in everywhere! It didn't take long for 'Harry-mania' to begin and people were closely watching our blog (www.aceegypt.blogspot.com) and also emailing for updates on the infamous Harry Habibi!
A few weeks after Harry first arrived, a donkey was brought in which was having difficulty giving birth. In the end a caesarean section was needed, to remove the stillborn baby donkey. The surgery went well, but we now had a mother with no foal, and a Harry with no mother. The mum seemed keen to be paired with Harry, however he was reluctant to leave his human ways. Luckily after a few days Harry and mum bonded with obvious affection.
Despite some complications following the surgery, mother pulled through beautifully and now is as healthy as can be - with Harry dotingly following at her side. The mother had been well cared for by her owners, so it was decided by ACE to let the delighted owner take Harry home. Despite a minor setback and having to return to the hospital for a few days, they are now both doing really well. A happy ending for this new happy family!"
But sadly not all working animals are this fortunate, please read more to find out how you can help.
kylie conquers kinabalu
Kylie climbing Kinabalu
In our last edition, we told you of volunteer Kylie Whyte and the great job she is doing as a teacher in the beautiful Dusun community of Kiau in Sabah, Malaysia. Kylie has just taken the Intrepid Land Beneath the Wind trip across Sabah.
This small group adventure had Kylie visiting her home village, communing with nature up the Kinabatangan River, extending her language skills at the Malay village homestay, hanging out with orangutans at Sepilok, watching giant mother turtles lay their eggs and cheering on baby turtles as they start their big journey out to sea. But when we asked what was the best bit of the trip, Kylie declared "climbing Mt Kinabalu" - that magnificent mountain that is the backdrop to her Kiau village home...
"I made it to the top of Mt Kinabalu, but let me tell you, that was no easy feat! The walk up to Laban Rata (the accommodation at about 3,000 metres) was lovely, and I was busily praising myself and my fitness level, as I found the 6kms uphill no real problem. It was great seeing how the flora changed at the different altitudes.
After an early night but virtually no sleep, we got up at 2am to commence the climb to the summit. We walked in a long snaking line of head-torched sleepy people up, up and further up. I felt a bit nauseous and it was so hard to breathe, as we were at about 3500 metres by then. It's a relentless trail to the top, with no end to the incline. And then I finally got to the top, to find my group already coming down as it was freezing and cloudy.
The descent back to Laban Rata was almost as hard, as it started raining and the mountain became a series of gushing waterfalls. But even so, the mountain scenery is amazing, and the plants are beautiful. The soak afterwards at Poring Hot Springs was lovely and this morning I feel refreshed and happy. Not sure when I'll do the summit again though, but they tell me that we were just unlucky and most times there is a spectacular view!"
More information on Kylie's volunteer position can be found on our Intrepid Foundation website.
survival of the amazon
(c) Greenpeace/Beltra
For the past decade Greenpeace has been campaigning in the Amazon to end deforestation. In 2007, The Intrepid Foundation donated nearly AU$69,000 towards this work and we have been very pleased to hear of their success thus far. Charlie Adlum from Greenpeace Australia Pacific reports...
"On top of being a hotspot for biodiversity and home to approximately 22 million people, the Amazon rainforest is crucial to balancing the world's climate. The destruction of the Amazon forest releases more than 800 million tonnes of carbon dioxide every year. Brazil plays a pivotal role in the global climate debate as it is currently the 4th largest greenhouse gas emitter on the planet. Deforestation and misuse of land, mainly in the Amazon, is responsible for 75% of Brazilian emissions.
At the end of this year, governments from around the world will meet in Copenhagen to agree to measures to combat climate change. One of Greenpeace's main goals for this meeting is to ensure agreement is reached on an international funding mechanism to finance forest protection. Our goals for Brazil in 2009 are to:
1. Stop further deforestation in the Amazon due to the expansion of cattle ranching
2. Ensure the soya moratorium is extended for another year
3. Lobby hard for a strong agreement in Copenhagen
This year we celebrate our 10 year anniversary of working in the Amazon. We have achieved some amazing successes including securing a moratorium on trading soya from newly deforested land in the Amazon, and helping bring an end to the illegal mahogany trade in Brazil. To see a short video for our supporters, please visit our website."
perpetual fund support
The Intrepid Foundation's 'Intrepid Perpetual Fund' has chosen to defy the GFC and spend big on three causes we consider very important, timely and worthy.
The Australian Conservation Foundation and The Climate Project AU$40,000:
Congratulations to the five successful Intrepid Foundation-sponsored applicants, who will be trained by former US Vice President Al Gore at The Climate Project - Australia Asia Pacific Summit (A-P Summit).
Mission Australia's Charcoal Lane Indigenous training restaurant AU$39,000:
On the fringes of Melbourne's CBD, a vibrant and innovative social enterprise restaurant opens early July. Charcoal Lane will offer a high quality Indigenous-themed cuisine and The Intrepid Foundation is helping six young disadvantaged and unemployed Indigenous and non-Indigenous young people to gain experience in this real work environment.
Friends of the Earth 'The Big Melt' Climate Justice Tour AU$40,000:
In the lead up to Copenhagen, Friends of the Earth are arranging a visit by environmental lawyer and activist Prakash Sharma, from Pro Public Nepal, and Pemba Dorje Sherpa, holder of the world record for the fastest climb of Mount Everest, to talk about their experience of global warming in the Himalayas. The tour will take place in August 2009 and head to Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney and Brisbane.
More detailed information on each of these great projects can be found on our Intrepid Express blog.
