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The Khiri Travel Group launched Khiri Reach, a separate and permanent charitable wing of the group. Khiri Reach is dedicated to helping people across Indochina and Thailand in places where the tour operator visits.
A new website, Khirireach.com, gives details the eight projects that are currently benefiting from Khiri Reach donations of practical gifts, expertise and money.
The projects include a child care refugee camp in Mae Hong Son, an orphanage in Luang Prabang, a foundation for people with disabilities in Chiang Mai, an arts school for disadvantaged children in Phnom Penh, a school in southern Laos, a rickshaw (cyclo) driver support centre in Phnom Penh, a village solar power project in Laos, and a refuge for street children in Mai Sai, the northernmost town in Thailand, on the Burmese border.
“We want Khiri Reach to be a clear and transparent separate entity to attract support from a wide audience,” said Khiri Travel Group co-founder Mr Willem Niemeijer. “On the Khiri Reach website people can now see images and read about the conditions that young and disadvantaged people have to cope with.”
Niemeijer said Khiri Reach was established on three principles: identifying worthy causes, and making them part of Khiri Travel’s tour programmes, enabling travellers and agents to donate, and taking care of all costs, so the full amount donated reaches the front lines.
Khiri uses its network of transport vehicles and nine offices across the region to get the full amount of goods donated to the recipients at no cost to the donor.
Foreign tour operators using Khiri Travel’s services support the eight projects with donations. They include visits to the projects in itineraries they sell to tourists in Europe and America.
“The experience is often moving for the visitors,” admitted Niemeijer. “It puts things in perspective for them.”
Some of the projects are closed to casual visitors, such as the Child Care Centre for Karenni refugees near Mae Hong Son. Frans Betgem, Khiri Travel Group co-founder visited in September.
“We brought shirts, pants, sarongs, soap, shampoo, toothbrushes and other necessities. We even donated a guitar,” said Betgem. “Khiri Reach and one of our foreign tour operator clients also bought 68 warm jackets in Chiang Mai. We sent them by minibus to the centre.”
In September, Khiri Reach also arranged for repairs to doors and windows of the children’s dormitory at the Luang Prabang Orphanage. Up to 500 children live and study there. Khiri Reach and a Dutch travel operator also donated writing books, pens, pencils, soaps, washing powder, tooth brushes and tooth paste.
“Khiri Reach helps disadvantaged people in a direct, practical way. We encourage young people to study more to help their future prospects,” said Niemeijer, who was a guest speaker at the World Responsible Tourism event at the World Travel Market in London, 11 November.
The new Khiri Reach website contains blog posts and updates about the projects.
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales. She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
