VWB Projects with Track of the Tiger T.R.D.

Project Selection

Introduction

In support of its strategy to use responsible tourism to provide opportunity, ensure equitable revenue share, protect the culture and physical environment of countries and communities that host tourist visitors, VWB focuses on several different project areas - all of which are interconnected.

Donor Categories

The donor funding and hands-on support - direct or indirect - for these projects comes from several key groups - each with different areas of interest, budgets, and time available to them. they generally fall into the following categories:

• Individual Donors - You are invited to contribute either in the form of a 'one off' donation, or through regular monthly donations to:

  • GDF1 - The VWB General Development Fund – That prioritises projects that will expedite revenue generation for rural communities that have lost their ‘breadwinners’ (migrant workers laid off from their work in the cities/factories due to Covid) and must feed their families. (Example: Raised bed vegetable & herb gardens in schools or village communities.)
    It is also used to cover basic expenses for VWB Volunteers and Local Experts brought in to work on the Responsible Travel Alliance Project.

  • Your Chosen Project – A specific project - selected from the project categories listed below.

• Group Donors:
  • Corporate Groups - Should select projects, or customise them, to align with your CSR objectives.
  • Schools & Universities - Should select a project that suits your desired learning objectives are met.
  • Special Interest Travellers - Should review options that suit your budget and timeframe, if they want a hands-on experience, or just contribute something to help move a project that interests them and that they would like to help.
  • Foundations, Non-Profit Groups - Should select projects that align with your organisation's stated CS or CSR objectives.

Note* - Some groups may wish to double the benefit of their CS or CSR projects by using them as a platform for their experiential education needs (team building, study, or research.) Contact our alliance partner Track of the Tiger for options.

• Others
  • VWB Volunteers– See details provided here.
  • Individual Special Interest Travellers – We recommend you contact our alliance partner Track of the Tiger with a view to visiting some of these projects.
  • GDF2 - Core Sponsors Fund - Businesses that have chosen to establish their own fundraising initiatives to raise funds for VWB, See Donors Logs, and if intersted contact us.

Selecting your CS or CSR Project

Donors

Step 1. - Review the project (or fund) options in the areas that you are keen to support.
Step 2. - Select the category and project that you would like to make a one-off or regular monthly donation to - and note the project reference code number.
Step 3. - Submit your donation using the CGI form provided - Donate & Support
Step 4. - Once notified that we have recieved your donation, search the VWB Donors Log to confirm we hve logged it correctly.
Step 5. - Subscribe to our VWB blog, and/or social media pages to keep abreast of developments.

Donors Providing Hands on Supportc

Step 1. - Review the projects areas that you are keen to support. 
Step 2. - Within that category, select one that matches group's (a) budget (b) skills/ abilities, (c) size. (d) time available.
Step 3. - Contact us direct or donate via our account. See Donate & Support
Step 4. - Once notified that we have recieved your donation, search the VWB Donors Log to confirm we hve logged it correctly.
Step 5.- Subscribe to our VWB blog, and or social media pages to keep abreast of developments.

Donors Funding Support from Local Student Volunteers

Should you wish to subsidise a small group of local student volunteers to work (a) with you, or (b) on your behalf to undertake any of these projects contact Track of the Tiger to explore the options..

Project Categories

A category, sub-category, and brief outine of the projects in need of support appears below. Where needed, a hyperlink is provided to more detail on specific projects:

• The VWB General Development Fund
  • GDF1 - The General Development Fund - Prioritises projects that will expedite revenue generation for rural communities that have lost their ‘breadwinners’ (migrant workers laid off from their work in the cities/factories due to Covid) and must feed their families. (Example: Raised bed vegetable & herb gardens in schools or village communities.) It is also used to cover basic expenses for VWB Volunteers and Local Experts brought in to work on the Responsible Travel Alliance Project. The fund is also supported by our core sponsors - those you have established their own fundraising initiatives to support VWB project.

  • GDF2 - Core Sponsors Fund - Businesses that have chosen to establish their own fundraising initiatives to raise funds for VWB.

• Education - Support for Rural Schoolchildren - Is delivered via:

  • ES1 - The installation of Intelligent Playgrounds in rural schools. These are constructed from cured bamboo poles. They can be re-arranged to facilitate challenges designed to teach - team building, communication, creativity, critical thinking and English.

  • ES2 - Our Saturday School Project is designed to develop the English language skills of 'interested' school children to a higher than average level. It aims to equip them to work and communicate comfortably in careers where the use of English is essential. 

• Community Based Reforestation -  Is delivered via:
  • CBR1 - The 'Demonstration & Training Centre Project' aims to protect the forest by restoring the symbiotic relationship between man and the forest. We use a partnership between responsible tourists and villagers to fund and implement an integrated set of solutions to achieve this. 
  • CBR2 - The 'Gift A Tree' project allows you to plant a tree on behalf of a loved one, sending them a certificate along with a photograph of the village partner planting the tree, along with GPS location detail etc.
  • CBR3 - The 'Adopt A Forest' project funds the accelrated implementation of the key infrastructure items and resources (water supply, trails, dams etc.) that underpin tree planting, NTFP and tourism programmes run well. 
  • CBR4 - The 'Reseach Funding Project ' provides the hardware, software and human resources needed for the project to function as an experiential education and research facility providing valuable data to all interested parties.
  • CBR5 - The Adopt A Tree or NTFP project - allows us to implement some of the intergrated solutions, on a case by case bass, on land under the control of various government agencies.
     
• Responsible Tourism Development - Covers:
  • RTD1 -The development of the supply chain and business model that ensures micro and small locally owned businesses – in and beyond the destination city - fair and affordable market access to an equitable share of tourism revenues.
  • RTD2 - The development of vocational skills that equip individuals and communities to take advantage of the opportunities responsible tourism brings.
  • RTD3 - 2nd Revenue Stream Development - The development of viable and sustainable non-tourism reliant 2nd revenue stream incomes - to minimise risk and to strengthen and diversify the local visitor-based economy. (Under discussion with host communities - request options from VWB by email.)

• Sustainable Agriculture Development - In an environment where rural villagers are incentivised to encroach on the forest to plant crops - often to meet the demand of the agro-feed industry, we advocate a different approach.
  • SA1 - The Plant & Seed Fund - A nursery operation for seeds, plants, mushroom bottles used to restock school projects.
  • SA2 - The Vermiculture Project - Worm bins to be located in rural schools, accepting food waste and generating vermicompost.
  • SA3 - The Greenhouse Project - Established in schools to maximise the production of vegetables.
  • SA4 - The Mushroom House Project - In schools we look to install mushroom houses to maximise nutrition at low cost in school meals, and to generate revenue from sales, that will be used to address budget shortfall in other key areas.
  • SA5 - Raised Bed Vegetable & Herb Gardens - We look to introduce raised bed and hanging basket organically grown vegetables and herbs - around the home - as the first step to a return to healthier, more profitable - direct to market food production.

• Infrastructure Support for Rural Schools and Communities - To improve access to education, health, hygiene and safety in schools and communities that struggle to fund such initiatives. Projects cover:
  • SSI1 - In Schools - Clean water systems - Solar panels and submersible pumps, storage tanks, filter systems and piping.Construction of learning spaces, dining and dishwashing areas.Construction of clean toilets and washbasins.
  • SSI1 - In Communities - Clean water systems - Solar panels and submersible pumps, storage tanks, filter systems and piping.Construction of learning spaces, dining and dishwashing areas.Construction of clean toilets and washbasins.
     
• VWB Projects at MRVR - Maekok River Village Resort and Outdoor Education Centre is a collaborative partner located 175kms north of Chiang Mai city.Its projects are detailed on our donation form and detailed in full Here.
  • MRVR1 - Teaching English - in rural schools catering to Thai and ethnic minority students.
  • MRVR2 - Infrastructure Projects in Schools - clean water systems, sewage systems, toilets, classrooms, kitchens etc.
  • MRVR3 - The Thomas House Project - to cover operations and overheads in this MRVR client funded day care centre/school for disabled children.

New Projects under Development

• Reforestation - Our community managed reforestation project outlined in the options above forest is focussed on supporting effective reforestation in 'community forests' through a set of integrated solutions that address the underlying problems, offering communities revenue generating solutions that provide the incentive needed to protect the forest. We are developing a second programme that facilitates reforestation of various other categories of land (privatetl owned, RFD (Royal Forestry Department Land - recovered from illegal farm operations, and land illegally farmed but not yet recovered.) Models vary from area to area, and from one jurisdiction to another, as all involved seek innovative solutions to the problem that satisfy all involved.
   
• Marine Ecology - In collaboration with our commercial partners and their clients (schools, universities, corporates and special interest travellers) who are our mainsource of donor funding and hands on support, we are extending our operations to the Sam Roi Yot area, Prachuab Khiri Khan, in the Gulf of Thailand. Projects under development include: Coral reef restoration and research, seaweed and mussel farming to remove chemicals and pollutants, planting mangrove forests.

Contact our alliance partner Track of the Tiger for options.

Reporting & Monitoring

The success of the projects implemented depends almost entirely on the management of them by the beneficiaries - local school headmasters, village headman, individuals.

• VWB requires monthly reports to be submitted in a standard format, so that we may reward success and provide assistance or guidance where needed.
• Our approach when dealing with schools/communities is to award projects in stages, and to ensure each is working well before offering the next to each school or community.
• Our key staff and clients conduct a range of studies on an ongoing basis: Socio-economic studies in partner communities, biodiversity improvement studies, soil and tree based carbon capture studies. All data is made available to our clients and development partners on request.

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