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As we move forward with our Corporate Social Responsibility platform, we are taking a holistic approach to the very idea of giving back and being socially responsible. Through collaborative company-wide efforts, we aim to be a company that takes care of our people, our communities and our planet - as well as be a company that invites our guests to participate in travel that features socially responsible activities.
Recently, the Collette Foundation funded a greenhouse project in Peru that offers much-needed assistance to the community that inspired the creation of the Collette Foundation.
Peru: Where It All Started
Nestled in the Sacred Valley, deep in the Andes of Peru, lies the tiny village of Pampallacta. Eleven years ago, the Collette Foundation was established after our CEO, Dan Sullivan Jr., and the Product team ventured off the beaten path to explore new areas in the beautiful country and get a fuller picture of the needs facing some of its communities. As the team explored Pampallacta, they met villagers, including children, who did not have a source of protein in their diets and survived mainly on potatoes. Within the village there was only one small school building, and the children walked up to ten miles daily for school. For Dan - and Collette - the experience would be a game-changer. He felt a sense of responsibility after having seen this village and all of its needs. Peru, as a destination, had given us so much over the years, and now it was our turn to do our part. We immediately launched the nonprofit, the Collette Foundation, and offered some support to this community. We also began identifying other communities around the world where our help would make a true impact.
Eleven Years Later: Returning to Pampallacta
Last year, with the help of our local ground operator in Peru, the Collette Foundation celebrated its tenth anniversary by supporting the village where it all started. We purchased materials, soil and seeds for the building of a greenhouse. This Community Greenhouse encompasses an area of 1,076 square feet and helps grow vital produce for over 200 children and their families.
We know that we cannot offer help to every community in the world that needs it, but the very spirit of our foundation sprung from a feeling of responsibility for this world we explore with our guests. Over the years, we have supported remote villages and communities in destinations like Kenya, South Africa, Cambodia and Australia - and now we continue to work to ensure that our travel programs support the places we visit through tourism as well as responsible practices that benefit these locations. We can make an impact in many places through teamwork and collaboration. Knowing that deep in the Sacred Valley, there's an Andean Village that benefits from the Collette Foundation is humbling and inspiring. Stories like that keep us asking: What else can we do? That question has taken us this far and will continue to keep us grounded and purposeful in our mission toward responsibility and doing good through travel.
