Volunteers and locals put their heads together to build a solar cooker for the Jipe Mojo Women Group in Moshi, Tanzania, which helps families affected by HIV and AIDS

According to The International Ecotourism Society, volunteer travel is one of the fastest-growing segments of the tourism market. Environmentally and socially aware travellers now require more from their overseas trips than lounging on a beach and checking out the local watering holes. As a result, the number of initiatives that combine traditional sightseeing with helping local communities is growing.

For whl.travel, a company dedicated to improving the travel experience and the ethical standards of tourism from the bottom up and for everyone involved, it is hardly surprising that many local partners are actively involved in voluntourism initiatives.

Here we spotlight a few whl.travel destinations that encourage travellers to get involved in local projects with the promise of a true cultural experience and exchange.

Zanzibar, Tanzania
Zenith Tours, the whl.travel local connection in Zanzibar, Tanzania, is very active in voluntourism. As a key part of World Unite! – a network of seven local tour operators and partners around the world providing short- and long-term volunteering opportunities – Zenith work with numerous social and conservation projects on the island and mainland Tanzania. Popular initiatives include teaching local adults and children on the island of Uzi in southern Zanzibar and a project in Moshi, at the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro, called the Social Reality Tour.

Yucatan, Mexico
There are many volunteer groups at work in the Yucatan of Mexico. The range of focus runs from environmental and cultural sustainability to orphanages, schools and community projects. A local tour operator, Adventures Mexico, works together with Cuerpos de Conservación, a large network of volunteer groups in the region that has varied programmes.

Quito, Ecuador
The Yachana Foundation, the whl.travel local partner in Quito, was established in 1991 with the aim of improving the lives of people from the Amazon region and protecting the rainforest. In 1997 they built the Mondaña Medical Clinic, which is now run by the Ecuadorian Ministry of Public Health and provides free medical care to more than 8,000 inhabitants of the region. The Yachana Foundation runs a medical volunteer programme at the clinic open to enrolled medical, nursing and public health students, as well as practicing healthcare professionals.

Phongsali Province, Laos
Although voluntourism is not as well developed in Laos as in other countries, the whl.travel local partner, Teamworkz, is actively involved in several initiatives. One of them is a pioneering volunteer program set up collaboratively by adventure and sustainable travel specialist Tiger Trail Outdoor Adventures, UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime) and the Lao government to generate alternative income for former opium-growing communities in Phongsali Province, the northernmost, poorest and most remote region in the country.

Siem Reap, Cambodia
WHL Cambodia is keenly involved in sustainable and responsible travel initiatives in Cambodia and works closely with a number of local community projects, especially in Siem Reap. One of these is the Sangkheum Center for Children, which provides teaching, training and care to disadvantaged kids. As a service to the centre, WHL Cambodia has organised a number of projects, including a rehabilitation program currently in need of skilled support.

Continue reading about each of these voluntourism initiatives on The Travel Word blog