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The Trust needs your help

To celebrate our 30th birthday, and to further our commitment to the fantastic community projects we care about and support around the world, we have established the Peregrine & Gecko’s Community Trust .

The Trust funds local projects and initiatives that advance environmental conservation, education and employment, particularly within the tourism and hospitality industry. We want to help them become self-sustaining, a great way to give back to the places we visit. The Trust was set up with the help of CAF (Charities Aid Foundation) and 100% of the funds raised go to the projects.

Support the launch

Join us for a special Community Trust launch dinner in your state during which we’ll aim, with your help, to raise as much money as possible for these fantastic projects.

We’ll be auctioning off Peregrine and Gecko’s trips worth over $30,000 per state and many other awesome items contributed by our business partners, who share our passion for giving back to the places we travel to and supporting responsible tourism. The events will also be made carbon neutral by Climate Friendly .

If you would like to show your support for the great work being done, and have some fun of course, please join us!

Peregrine Community Trust

The Peregrine Community Trust, as a division of Peregrine Adventures, provides funds for local community projects and initiatives that promote responsible and sustainable tourism development in the destinations in which we operate.

First and foremost, but not exclusively, the Trust supports projects and initiatives that advance education and employment within the tourism and hospitality industry.

The Trust operates on a not-for-profit basis, with funds donated by Peregrine, our staff and our travellers, with every cent going to the nominated projects.

By donating to one on the projects supported by The Peregrine Community Trust you will help promote responsible and sustainable tourism and make a positive difference for communities and travellers right now, and for the future.

COMMUNITY PROJECTS

We have initiated and/or support sustainable community and environment projects around the world, focusing on projects with links to the tourism industry.

Our long-term objective is to provide aid (financial and physical) to projects that will ultimately become self-sustaining - for example, where we provide seed funding and training for a start-up business, and then become a 'customer' rather than a 'benefactor'.



KOTO, Vietnam
KOTO (Know One, Teach One), is a training centre and restaurant set up to help disadvantaged kids in Hanoi to get off the streets and into a stable living and working environment. Each year an integral part of the training is a field trip in Vietnam.

Every July/August, students participate in an annual field trip.

"The aim is not only to build teamwork but also to ensure the young people at KOTO get the chance to see more of their own incredible country. We want to teach a responsible attitude to the environment and give the trainees an opportunity to learn and grow through the experience. We also want to reward their hard work," explains founder, Jimmy Pham.

Peregrine continues to support KOTO and is currently fundraising through the Peregrine Community Trust to sponsor part of, or the complete, field trip each year, at a cost of between US$5000 and US$7000. In addition, KOTO greets every Peregrine group that comes to Hanoi with their fantastic menu and friendly service.

KOTO continues to grow and develop as many more street kids and disadvantaged youths pass through its doors and go on to successful jobs in the hospitality and tourism industries.


Chitwan Electric Fence Project, Nepal.
There are about 22 villages around the Chitwan National Park in southern Nepal that are dependent on farming. However, wild elephants and rhinos from the park frequently enter the villages at night, trampling crops and breaking down mud brick homes in search of food.
Twenty people die annually as a result and some 200 houses are destroyed each year. Peregrine assisted in setting up 24 km of electric fence, which has apparently completely solved the problem. The elephants and rhinos won't venture closer than 10 meters from the fence, as they sense the electric current.

The Chitwan community villages need another 30 or so energisers, (the devices that 'electrify' the fences) which each cost AUD611.50. The Peregrine Community Trust is seeking donations from travellers to purchase individual energisers. If you donate the full AU$611.50 we'll 'put your name on it'. Alternatively, you can contribute a smaller amount, which goes into a collective 'pot'. When we have raised enough funds for 10 energizers, we will purchase these in Australia and deliver them to the Chitwan community in Nepal. Peregrine Adventures will cover any transport and delivery charges.



The Timbavati Bush School, South Africa

The Timbavati Bush School was started by the management of the Timbavati Private Nature Reserve in the belief that the success of conservation in Africa lies in developing and nurturing an understanding and appreciation of the natural environment and conservation issues among local communities.

In conjunction with community leaders, an educational facility and field programme was established. Around 100 Grade 11 school groups (each consisting of four boys and four girls) have attended the bush school to date, with a hugely positive response from all participants.

The Bush School course covers general conservation discussions and practical studies on water, energy, soil, photosynthesis, a permaculture garden and other environmental topics. It’s also a chance for the children to sees some of the big game animals – often for the first time. The students are then encouraged to take what they have learned back to their community, teaching their parents and neighbours to grow their own vegetables.

Peregrine, through raising funds via the Community Trust, aims to offer scholarships to the South African Wildlife College (SAWC) to the two bush campers who have had the strongest impact on their community through their project. Following the six-month course, the scholarship students will be placed at the various game lodges in the area to gain more practical experience and then be ready for employment.



Galapagos Conservancy

The Galapagos Conservancy is dedicated to raising funds and awareness for Galapagos conservation. It is a membership-based organisation and the largest source of private support for conservation efforts. The 11,000 Friends of Galapagos are individuals and institutions who care deeply about the Galapagos Islands, and understand the scientific importance of preserving this one-of-a-kind ecosystem.

Funds raised by the Galapagos Conservancy support the core operations of the Charles Darwin Research Station (CDRS) and the Galapagos National Park Service (GNPS), both located on the island of Santa Cruz.

FAQs

1.Why has Peregrine established the Peregrine Community Trust?
Throughout our 30 years of operating adventure holidays around the world, Peregrine has supported a range of charitable organisations, associations and community projects, mostly on an ad hoc basis. We set up the Peregrine Community Trust as an independent entity to enable better accountability and transparency and to establish a vehicle for channelling funds from more diverse sources (such as client contributions) into community projects.

2.Is the Peregrine Community Trust owned and managed by Peregrine?
While Peregrine established and contributes funds to the Trust, the Trust is managed by Charities Aid Foundation Australia, who hold the fundraising licences in all states of Australia.

3.Does all the money donated go directly to the projects?
Yes. Peregrine covers all the administration costs involved in collecting and distributing the money. The money you donate will go to the project of your choice, or to the general trust fund if you so choose.

4.Where is the money held - and is it safe?
The money is held in a bank account managed by Charities Aid Foundation. CAF is an international not-for-profit organisation and corporate partner in community involvement, that advises and facilitates companies such as Peregrine in matching and distributing funds to suitable recipients.

5.Is my donation tax deductible?
In addition to the Peregrine Community Trust, Peregrine Adventures, has established a Donor Advised Foundation Account with the CAF Community Fund named "Peregrine Partners Fund". If you are an Australian resident for tax purposes, donations to the CAF Community Fund (Peregrine Partners Fund) are tax deductible. The CAF Community Fund will grant donations, taking into account requests from the Peregrine Trust Committee, to Peregrine's partners (Plan, Childwise or WWF) and develop an Endowment to provide on-going grants from the interest and endowment growth.

Most of the projects listed under the Peregrine Community Trust as overseas community projects are not eligible for tax deductibility.

Operating in Australia since March 2000, this international organisation began in the United Kingdom in 1923 and now provides international donor management services in the United Kingdom, the United States, New Zealand, India, Russia, South Africa, Brazil, Bulgaria and beyond.

Worldwide, Charities Aid Foundation has over $AU4 billion under management; operates two banks in the United Kingdom, and distributes more than $AU400 million every year to not-for-profit organisations. For further information, visit www.cafaustralia.org.au
http://www.peregrineadventures.com/About-Us/Responsible-Travel/Peregrine-Community-Trust.html