One of the primary goals of the Montotaxi Junket is to raise money for charities around the world. We raised money to support two charities: S.O.S. Children’s Villages and Cool Earth.
Everyone who donates on our behalf also got to “adopt” a rubber ducky, which we gave to a child we met along the way.
S.O.S. Children’s Villages
S.O.S. Children’s Villages is the world’s largest charity that helps orphaned and underprivileged children, by establishing orphanages known as “villages” where children can be raised to their maximum potential.
Since its founding in 1949, S.O.S. Children’s Villages has expanded to 500 villages in 132 countries, including the United States. They are currently raising over 80,000 children in their villages and through many education, family strengthening, medical, and outreach programs, they impact the lives of over 1 million people each year.
Children who have been abandoned or orphaned come to SOS Children’s Villages where they are integrated into a loving family environment. They are nurtured and supported by an SOS Mother and up to 15 other children in their SOS home who become their SOS brothers and sisters. Strong bonds develop within these “SOS families”, and even after the children are grown and leave the village, these family relationships endure.
During the Mongol Rally in 2011, we raised over $8000 for S.O.S. Children’s Villages, and also visited one of the villages in person — in Tbilisi, Georgia. I’ve decided to support S.O.S. Children’s Villages again because it is a great charity and they have several orphanages in Peru, including one in Cusco (at the terminal end of the Mototaxi Junket route – which I will try to visit if I can).
Here’s a photo of our Mongol Rally Team at the Tbilisi SOS Children’s Village in 2011, along with lots of rubber duckies:
Cool Earth
Cool Earth is a charity that helps protect endangered rainforest to combat global warming, protect ecosystems and provide sustainable jobs for local people. It is the official charity of the Mototaxi Junket, so all the teams involved are raising money for this charity.
Cool Earth protects and secures rainforest under imminent threat of destruction, working with other NGOs. They work with local communities to ensure that they benefit from keeping the forest standing. Cool Earth has currently protected over 352,091 acres (1,424.86 km2) of rainforest.
A lot of Cool Earth’s effort is focused on the Amazon jungle region, and specifically some of the portions in Peru. Therefore, this is a great charity that helps the indiginous people of Peru and helps protect our irreplaceable natural resources.