A Journey to SE Asia An in-depth look at human trafficking and the power of community development Dates: January 7th -16th, 2018 Optional extensions available to GoPhil s NGO partners in Luang Prabang, Laos and/or Hoi An or Halong Bay, Vietnam Join GoPhilanthropic This journey, rich in culture and history, takes you from the archeological wonders of Angkor Wat, to the bustling streets of Hanoi, then onto the picturesque terraced terrain of Sapa the fertile, northernmost region of Vietnam. While this region of SE Asia offers staggering beauty in so many forms, it ranks among the poorest in the world. The intergenerational post traumatic effects of the Khmer Rouge and Vietnam War are still tangible today and have resulted in extreme poverty and a lack of education. Effects of this destruction are seen in a widespread weakening of the family and community networks and a vulnerability to human trafficking, now one of the world's fastest growing industries. Couple your historical and cultural exploration of these magnificent yet complex countries with a deep dive into the issues surrounding poverty, gender-discrimination and human trafficking. Meet with GoPhil Foundation s carefully vetted group of courageous change-makers, local non-profits working hard to rebuild a stronger families, communities and futures through community-driven education and empowerment programs.
Trip Highlights Visit the funky French colonial town of Siem Reap, Cambodia and the famous Temples of Angkor Wat Meet with three inspiring community programs working to prevent human trafficking, empower women and families, strengthen family units and improve the job ready skills of young people in order to help them secure bright futures and be less vulnerable to trafficking. Learn about the challenges that face vulnerable people, the root causes that make them prone to exploitation, and the work that is being done to support and protect people against trafficking. Explore the highlights of the bustling, ancient city of Hanoi Travel by luxury overnight train to Sapa renowned for its ethnic minority hill tribes Learn how social enterprises contribute to the prevention of human trafficking Enjoy comfortable, beautiful and authentic 4-star accommodations throughout the journey. Optional privately guided extensions to Luang Prabang (Laos), Halong Bay (VN) and/or Hoi An (VN) available upon request. Itinerary January 7th: Arrival in Siem Reap, Cambodia You will be greeted at the airport in Siem Reap and transferred to your hotel. Enjoy the remainder of the day and evening recuperating from your long journey. Siem Reap is a cluster of villages with a French colonial centre, and the gateway to the Temples of Angkor. These majestic temples in northwest Cambodia belong to the classic period of Khmer art and civilization. They were created by a succession of Khmer Kings who presided over an empire that dominated the region from the years 800 to 1430, reaching its peak in the 12th century. From the 15th century the temples were abandoned and forgotten by the world
until their rediscovery in 1861 by French naturalist Henri Mouhot. The villages originally grew around individual pagodas, eventually coalescing into the town. Nowadays, Siem Reap offers a wide range of hotels, restaurants, cafés and shops. It also offers the opportunity to see traditional Cambodia, with dance performances, silk farms, rice-paddy countryside and boat trips on the huge nearby Tonlé Sap lake to small fishing villages. Meals: None Accommodation: Shinta Mani Resort Shinta Mani Resort is a newly renovated boutique property centrally located in the leafy French Quarter. Shinta Mani Resort with its Open Doors, Open Hearts reflects a commitment to responsible tourism. January 8th Angkor Wat Temples and Women s Resource Center After breakfast, we will have a short meeting to get acquainted and to review various aspects of our journey together. We will share some of GoPhilanthropic's lessons learned over the years such as the value of entering into visits with an openness to "listen and learn" instead of serve and solve and ways to ensure we are respectful to culture and tradition while visiting. Our local guide will discuss some of Cambodia s more recent history and its implications on current daily life in Cambodia. They will also provide some guidance on cultural etiquette as we head out to explore this magnificent country. We will stop by the local market in downtown Siem Reap to get the lay of the land then begin to discover the stunning temples of Angkor Thom by tuk-tuk. In the afternoon we will take a visit to Women's Resource Center - a local NGO run by Cambodian women for Cambodian women. They provide emotional support, referral services and
informal education workshops for free to local women. WRC believes that access to information and support is the most effective method of self-empowerment for women. Today you will meet with the team at WRC to hear about their services, the issues faced by local women and how their work empowers these women and their families and in turn leads to better lives and more secure futures. You may also get the opportunity to observe one of the educational workshops and see first hand the team working together with local women to improve their skills on financial literacy, family care, women's health and gender issues, social issues such as domestic violence and substance abuse and, in turn, protect themselves and other family members against trafficking. In the evening, you have the option of attending the Phare Circus. More than just a circus, Phare performers use theater, music, dance and modern circus arts to tell uniquely Cambodian stories; historical, folk and modern. All the performers you will see come from disadvantaged backgrounds and are supported by Phare Ponleu Selpak to embrace their artistic talents and become the amazing artists you will see in the show, some of the performers have even gone on to work with the internationally acclaimed Cirque du Soliel! A night not to be missed. Meals: Breakfast Accommodation: Shinta Mani Resort January 9th Free to Shine NGO and & Day in Life HUSK After breakfast we will drive to Free to Shine - this NGO seeks to tackle sex trafficking by empowering young women through education and helping to keep them in safe family-based environments. They support girls with scholarships, monitoring school attendance, family visits, community education on trafficking and its root causes, and seek to work with families and support them to ensure children are brought up in family care as a first option. Free to Shine look forward to welcoming you to share their knowledge around these issues and have some
role play games and activities for you to take part in to deeper your understanding of the situations these families find themselves in and the choices they must make. In the afternoon you will experience authentic Cambodian life as you visit a farming village located around 16km from Siem Reap. Please note this is a real village not a replica set up for tourists to visit, as such you need to flexible as things can change, ceremonies may be running or events may be taking place in the village. We in no way want to impact on the traditional culture or practices in the village and so will adapt the tour if need be. We will work with, and help prepare lunch, with a local family, along side one host family, who are very poor. Activities may be planting rice, harvesting or transplanting rice, as well as weaving wall hangings or planing crops. Following your Day in the Life experience, spend time visiting HUSK, whose program goals are to help improve the lives of Cambodian families. Spend the remainder of the day exploring the local markets and strolling the tree-lined streets surrounding the resort. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch Accommodation: Shinta Mani Resort January 10th Sunrise temples, CCFO Afternoon at Leisure Rise before the sun in order to catch the temples as the first rays cast light on their splendor. Return to the hotel for breakfast. After breakfast we will head out to meet our third NGO in Siem Reap, Community Care First Organization. This organization is working with communities and young people on several levels. CCFO runs workshops and one on one advice sessions for young people in order to help them transition into the world of work - this involves career counseling, CV and cover letter writing, interview technique, learning and practicing soft skills and being empowered to know their employment rights. CCFO have been leaders in the field of transitioning children out of residential care and supporting families and children with reintegration, kinship or foster care. This work in combination empowers people, supports strength in family units and educates
people about their job and migration choices. All these factors are important in fighting the trafficking issues we see in Cambodia. There may also be the opportunity to meet some of their beneficiaries and understand the impact this work has had on their lives and community. In the afternoon enjoy some free time to wander or enjoy a visit to Artisans d Angkor, where you can see a fabulous collection of local art as well as artists creating their crafts. Artisan s d Angkor is a Cambodian social business creating job opportunities for young people in rural areas, while reviving traditional Khmer craftsmanship, like stone and wood carvings, painting on statues and silks, lacquering and silver plating. Another site to consider visiting is the well regarded Cambodian Landmine Museum. Free evening to take in the ambience of Siem Reap's night life and explore the night markets. Meals: Breakfast Accommodation: Shinta Mani Resort January 11th Flight to Hanoi, VN The capital of Vietnam, is known for its centuries-old architecture and a rich culture with Southeast Asian, Chinese and French influences. At its heart is the chaotic Old Quarter, where the narrow streets are roughly arranged by trade. There are many sights to see from museums to little temples, including Bach Ma, honoring a legendary horse, plus Đồng Xuân Market, selling household goods and street food. Meals: Breakfast Accommodation: Apricot Hotel Set by the fabled Hoan Kiem Lake, Apricot Hotel is bound to transport you back and forth between Hanoi's glamorous past and its modernity. Inspired by classic French architecture mixed
with Vietnamese art, Apricot makes for your exquisite home away from home in the capital city of Vietnam. January 12th Visit with Blue Dragon After breakfast we will head to Blue Dragon Children's Foundation, one of the most well known organizations in Vietnam, with a great reputation for their work with street children and rescuing victims of trafficking. You will see first hand the work of the drop in center for youngsters who live on the street and meet with Founder Michael Brosowski and team as you hear about the the issues pertinent to trafficking and how Blue Dragon are tackling these through safe spaces, education, rescue and rehabilitation, on a daily basis. We will eat lunch with staff and children of the drop in center at Blue Dragon before an afternoon of guided sight seeing around Hanoi. Afternoon walking tour for sightseeing in Hanoi. Enjoy a water puppet show, a tradition that dates back as far as the 11th century when it originated in the villages of the Red River Delta area of northern Vietnam. Today's Vietnamese water puppetry is a unique variation on the ancient Asian puppet tradition. In the evening we will dine with representatives from the International Organization for Migration. IOM are a global organization who support those exploring migration with knowledge of their rights, risks and educating them on the safest way to migrate. They also chair the antitrafficking network in Hanoi and are the UNs partners on trafficking and migration issues for Vietnam. Spend some time learning from the staff here and asking questions.. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch (Blue Dragon) Accommodation: Apricot Hotel
January 13th Blossom House Shelter plus optional touring at leisure After breakfast we will meet with the small, but passionate team of the Humanitarian Services for Children of Vietnam. HSCV has three main programs: family support, foster care and wheelchair distribution. They work with families in rural areas to provide them with the support needed to keep children in education, each family is supported on an individual basis with scholarships, bicycles to get to school, rice and some basic needs. The support given to these families is essential and protects the education of these children and reduces the risk of them being trafficked. For the children from these families who would not be safe remaining in the care of their family HSCV has a small foster home in Hanoi, which is where we will meet with them today to talk about their work, meet some of the children and enjoy lunch together. The afternoon can be spent enjoying Hanoi at your leisure before dinner and taking the Victoria Express night train to Sapa. [As it is difficult to take large cases on the train provision will be made to store larger luggage at Apricot Hotel until your return to Hanoi.] Meals: Breakfast Accommodation: Overnight train: Victoria Express January 14th SAPA Introduction to Ethos Spirit Sapa District is 380 km northwest of Hanoi and close to the border with China. Sapa is a quiet mountain town and home to a great diversity of ethnic minority peoples. There are mainly five ethnic groups in Sapa: Hmong, Dao, Tay, Giay, and a small number of Xa Pho. Most of the ethnic minority people work their land on sloping terraces since the vast majority of the land is mountainous. The scenery of the Sapa region in large part reflects the relationship between the minority people and nature. This is seen especially in the paddy fields carpeting the rolling lower slopes of the Hoàng Liên Mountains. These rice paddies are a spectacular sight at any time of year as they turn from raw winter browns to lush summer greens.
Aside from the beauty of Sapa, this area is integral to our visit and understanding the trafficking issues in Northern Vietnam. Young women from rural ethnic minorities, such as the Hmong community, are the main targets for traffickers. In addition, Sapa is so close to China, where the demand for brides and sex workers is extremely high. It is estimated that one girl from this region is trafficked every five days. Here we will get a deeper understanding into the root causes of trafficking in the region, the effect it has on families and trafficking victims and what the community in Sapa are doing to fight this. You will arrive in the early morning and transfer to the hotel. Rest and refresh from the train journey-enjoy a late morning spa. Lunch at your leisure. This afternoon / evening you will meet Ethos Spirit an ethical social enterprise working with local guides from the ethnic minority Hmong tribe. Phil, Hoa and their team will share some interesting insights into the lay of the land in Sapa, its history, the current state of affairs and what this means in real terms for the tribes in this area. You will learn about the migration and settling of the Hmong people, persecution and rights of local ethnic minorities and the risks and prevalence of trafficking in the region. This will be a great opportunity to ask questions of knowledgable people living locally. Today you will also be briefed on your next two days activities. Accommodation: Victoria Sapa Resort and Spa Nested amongst the slopes of North Vietnam's mountainous region is Victoria Sapa Resort & Spa, built in the style of a traditional chalet in perfect harmony with the natural scenery. This stone & wood construction blends seamlesslly with surrounding environment, overlooking Indochina's highest peak, Mount Fanxipan January 15th SAPA Full Day Trekking with option for homestay You will enjoy trekking through the rice paddies and steppes of Sapa, meeting local people, seeing local crafts, cooking and eating together in the homes of the Hmong people and also have the opportunity to experience a homestay should you wish.
Meals: Breakfast Accommodation: Victoria (or option for homestay with Hmong guides) January 16th SAPA - Visit with Pacific Links You will have the opportunity to freshen up ahead of your transfer to Lo Cai. In Lo Cai we will meet with renowned NGO Pacific Links who work with Vietnamese women to protect them from trafficking and assist with rehabilitation for those who have been trafficked. They tackled trafficking through ensuring young women have opportunities via scholarships, vocational training, job placement, summer camps, after school clubs, counter trafficking and safe migration awareness (for employees and employers). They also have reintegration shelters and support and training packages for returnees. In addition they work with international businesses to address supply chain issues train them and help them ensure their workers are protected from trafficking and know their rights. Return to Hanoi for your onward journey back home or Stay on for optional trekking extensions or to Luang Prabang, Ha Long Bay or Hoi An, (VN) Trip Costs for Main Program $3995.00 per person - double occupancy $750.00 - single supplement 3% additional for credit card payments Extensions Optional extensions available to GoPhil s NGO partners in Luang Prabang, Laos and/or Hoi An are available. Pricing upon request. Trip Includes Accommodation with breakfast All private transfers and transportation Entrance fees where noted English speaking guides Meals as indicated Trip Excludes Flights to and from destination and departing countries All airport taxes Other meals and drinks Personal expenses Travel insurance Other services not mentioned in the itinerary