Me to We Volunteer Travel

This week the tots and I were invited to attend an event at our local Me to We store to learn all about how Canadian mothers are making a difference in the lives of moms around the globe. Yes this is the very same event where the Little Monkey decided to whack a kid. Going in I was very skeptical about the actual benefit of social enterprises and how much actually reaches the other end but by the end of the morning I was eager to learn how I could get involved. We spent the morning learning about DHL Canada’s involvement with Me to We and their charitable partner, Free The Children. DHL actually offsets any shipping costs incurred and hence those handmade crafts are transported around the globe free of charge, which means more money ends in the pockets of those women beading far away.

The true eye opener was hearing first hand from a girl who had benefited from Me to We’s involvement in her community. Not only had her mother managed to put her through school but she had managed to avoid an early arranged marriage. Something I’ve witnessed growing up in South Asia and the Middle East. This was all great and I thought that was the end. I should buy more ARTISAN products in the Me to We portfolio….shirts, jewelry, books. You name it and they have a stunning version of what you might be looking for. However that was not all. I learned that Me to We offers Volunteer Travel Adventures that even families with young kids can participate in. Woah! This is a topic I’ve been looking at for a while. It’s hard to find sustainable or volunteer travel when you’re a family with young tots. Most programs just don’t cater to the young kids.

Me to We offers families the chance to go abroad and immerse themselves in communities in Kenya, India and Ecuador. The age recommendation is 4 but they leave it up to the discretion of parents. In fact, Roxanne Joyal, Me to We founder, has taken her two year old on these trips! Sadly she hasn’t documented her experience anywhere but I think she should do a guest post on Baby & Life! ;).

A Me to We Volunteer Adventure offers individuals, families, groups and corporate teams the authentic experience of building a school and learning about the joys and challenges of life in developing communities. Guests activities include school building, cultural immersion, community education and adventure. Yes you will feel the burn of carrying water from the source to the home. It is fairly pricy at a $4000 to $5000 for a 10 to 12 day trip per person but it does include all ground costs  such as lodging, local transportation and food (airfare is additional). 50% of the profits are reinvested in the Free the Children program. So you’re giving back by not only helping at the ground level but also by donating back to the program.

Having run these programs for a good while, the team at Me to We have got all the details covered and even helps volunteers prepare for culture shock and the conditions they’d face once they leave their home territory. Despite having grown up in South Asia, I am still curious if I’d be able to survive one of these trips. Never mind adding the tots to the equation. I don’t travel well without access to water and a comfy bed. What about my incessant need to be constantly wired with social media access? So many questions. Yet I know I REALLY TRULY want to embark on one of these journeys in the very near future. It’ll be a true test…of what? I’m yet to decide.

Of course I should probably wonder how I’d fund a family trip that would cost us over $20,000! I combed through Instagram to find images of the lodging facilities but then I got distracted by the many emotional and encouraging pictures posted by the Me to We account. Sadly the #MetoWeTrips hashtag I was following didn’t really give me much to fuel my curiosities.  Since it’s #IGTravelThursday ! Join fellow Instagram travellers by link up!