Development projects supported by your Go Local! Travel
Outside of the local entrepreneurs, Go Local supports! Travel three different development projects in Ecuador. When booking your trip, you decide which of these three projects go local! Travel can support thanks to your trip.
The following projects can be chosen:
1. Underage single mothers and their children in Quito (more info)
2. Homeless elderly people in Quito (see video)
3. A nature park in northwestern Ecuador (more info)
How do you support these projects?
1. The children can also go on holiday because of your holiday.
2. Thanks to your holiday, the elderly get a free lunch for a year.
3. The organisation of the nature reserve is able to protect and preserve nature.
Of course, you also have the opportunity to visit these projects during your trip or even volunteer there.
Description of projects
Villa Ticca is committed to the care of underage mothers of mostly poor descent. These mothers have the greatest difficulty 
in getting out of their dire living situation and their children are waiting for the same fate. Villa Ticca is committed to giving these mothers a more dignified existence. For example, they learn a trade or read and write. In the meantime, the children are taken care of and depending on their age they also receive education immediately. Thanks to a booked trip, for example, a holiday can be organised for the children of the single mothers. The idea of this is to take these poor children out of their environment and give the experience of sleeping in a tent, in nature.
Iglesia Villa Flora is committed to the elderly in Quito. These people often live on the streets and have no family (anymore) that
they can fall back on. It is especially difficult for the elderly to find a place in society in this day and age and they do not have an old age provision. This organization ensures that these people can have an extensive meal at a very reduced rate. There is also room for psychological support and a gp and dentist can be used for $1. They work with Ecuadorian volunteers but despite that, the project with these rates is not cost-covering. The fact that they do ask a price is to prevent abuse and create awareness. When people really don't have money, they're helped. Thanks to a booked trip, they can make food available for an older homeless person for a year.
Jatun Sacha has several conservation projects in Ecuador but we support the project which oversees the conservation of a
unique piece of forest called parque Bilsa. This project is anything but accessible and is not designed to stimulate tourism in the area. The beautiful environment and the unique ecosystem in which this reserve is located has been the reason. Logging (mainly for commercial purposes), agriculture and livestock farming are still a serious threat to the small primary forest (2-5%) which can still be found in the north-west of Ecuador. The reserve is owned by the Fundacion Jatun Sacha, an Ecuadorian non-profit organization. 16 years ago, the first steps were taken to protect this forest, simply by purchasing a piece of forest and describing it as a Nature Reserve. They started with 760 ha and then extended it to 3600ha. In addition to protecting the tropical forest, it is very important to maintain a good relationship with the surrounding communities and to make them realize how important the conservation of these unique forests, even for themselves, is. Bilsa also offers scientists and students the opportunity to carry out long or short-term studies. Parque Bilsa has years of experience in carrying out reforestation projects (500 hectares), often initiated from CO2 compensation. Thanks to a booked trip, they can also maintain the reforestation programs and build housing for volunteers.