Helping the local community benefit from tourism in Galapagos
Ecoventura has teamed up with Pack for a Purpose, a non-profit organization, founded by Rebecca Rothney who was awarded by National Geographic Traveler as Traveler of the year in 2014 for her motivation to inform and inspire. By asking our travelers to pack 5 lbs (2.27 kgs) of supplies to donate to communities that need it, by providing lists of requested items. Ecoventura delivers the supplies directly to schools, which makes it possible for any traveler to contribute and requires no logistical support. That amount would take only a small space, require little effort and still make a big impact.
Now Ecoventura passengers can make a difference in the lives of the children who live in Galapagos by bringing needed items with them on your cruise. Simply give the supplies to the Captain of your yacht and we will deliver them to the students at the Alejandro Alvear School for English activities and also the Corazones Unidos School for kids with special needs.
The school supplies needed include thick pencils, thick colored pencils and crayons, coloring booklets, glue sticks, dry erase markers, handled pencil sharpeners, textbooks (including ecology-focused teaching materials), English and Spanish-language dictionaries, puzzles, clay, picture cards of the alphabet as well as picture cards of animals, pencil cases/bags, pens, rulers, solar calculators, etc.
All Ecoventura guides are Ecuadorian nationals; 65% are Galapagos residents and 25% are native Galapaguenos. Out of 61 crew total members, including guides and Captains, 37% reside permanently in the Galapagos Islands and of those 15% are native Galapaguenos – most living on Cristobal Island. The rest live in different cities in mainland Ecuador. In fact, Ecoventura has one of the highest percentages among the industry of employing local guides and crew. Ecoventura maintains a supply office, warehouse and manager on the Island of San Cristobal and hire only locals to handle our Galapagos-based operation
As one of the most well-established tour companies based in San Cristobal, Ecoventura has helped to support various initiatives that benefit the local population living in the town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, San Cristobal. With a population of 5600, San Cristobal has the second largest population in the Islands after Santa Cruz. It is the fifth largest island and the only Island with fresh water and an airport in town.
Click on the Pack for a Purpose logo below to find the supply list and instructions:
