Ashok Manikandan has tried everything possible to raise money for Save the Children. Part of a social responsibility programme by his employer Reckitt Benckiser, the challenge was to raise more than ?1000 and spread the good word, which would also qualify him for a trek that his company was organising to Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh. So in his enthusiasm, Manikandan raised ?1,500! ?In the process, I ended up as an ambassador of the child welfare organisation, preaching about it to my family, friends and acquaintances and explaining why I am associated with it. Finally, I was the only Indian to make it to the list of 50 from the company across the globe,? he says. Now this supply chain finance manager is off for the trek. It?s a well-deserved award that his company is handing out to him for doing his bit towards the charity, which includes supporting child domestic workers of West Bengal.
HSBC is also on a similar track. Under its Earthwatch programme (part of its SR agenda), the bank sends employees on a global mission to help wildlife. ?Once positioned like an amazing trip, missions like helping animals too become opportunities,? says Malini Thadani, head, social responsibility, HSBC India.
So, trekking, cycling, climbing, clubbed with a company?s mission to help sharks, build homes in Katrina-lashed Gulf Coast in the US or poverty-stricken villages of Zambia ? all done the fun way ? are in vogue. Thanks to the vibrant travel segment ? full of similar activities like charity challenges and voluntourism ? today millions are planning a vacation with a difference. ?With charities constantly looking for newer ways to raise awareness/funds and corporates adding something new to their SR agenda, travel has established itself as an innovative tool. Thanks to this, we see socially relevant trips happening across the globe. The locations ? ranging from big cities to remote locales and depending on what will appeal to the target audience ? are chosen by people and companies,? says George Deeb, CEO, iExplore.
To elaborate, the concept of charity challenges as a way of fundraising originated in the UK. The task of collecting money was then distributed amongst many people, who in turn were rewarded with a challenging trip to some exotic part of the globe. One can find the charity challenges across the globe ? right from Africa, South America to Asia (including rhino tracking in India). Bodies like responsibletravel.com tracking the segment have recorded a massive 410% y-o-y increase in terms of enquiries. ?An interesting trend noticed here is of family trips. Like, a family charity adventure in Thailand or a family charity trek of The Great Wall of China. This gives parents an opportunity to introduce responsible travel principles to their children from a young age,? says Justin Francis, co-founder, http://www.responsibletravel.com.
A well-established concept globally, charity challenges still need to catch the eyeballs of Indians and corporates, say the organisers. ?In fact, the country hosts some of these challenges, witnessing whole-hearted participation from people coming from across the globe. But, we still are waiting for Indians to join the race,? says Commander Sam T Samuel, MD, Kalypso Adventures (P) Ltd, who has been organising charity challenges since 2005.
When choosing a charity challenge, it is important that customers or volunteers choose a company or tour organiser which commits much of the money raised to the local community. Those interested must insist knowing where their fund-raised monies are going, advise the experts. The charity or tour organiser promoting such concepts, on the other hand, must assess the willingness of the traveller. ?Any participant here must have a love for travel and adventure, and feeling for the community. During some of our challenges, we have inmates of the charity joining the challenge. Like, we had people with Down?s Syndrome riding on a tandem cycle with participants. Here, we needed people who could get along with those challenged,? says Samuel.
As far as charity is concerned, Thomas Chandy, CEO, Save the Children believes Reckitt Benckiser?s SR initiative will help its mission beyond the usual. ?The money and advocacy campaign are both achieved through team spirit, where staffers become fundraisers rather than donors. This is a good beginning to make such concepts popular in India,? he says.
Chander Mohan Sethi, CMD, Reckitt Benckiser (India) finds it a compliment. ?We are delighted to see that the Global Challenge has set the benchmark for what our people can achieve ? raising funds for a noble cause in an innovative manner!?