This article was first published on The Journal and has been republished with permission.

Dear Peregrine traveller,

I hope you are coping in this new world we all inhabit. I’d like to wish you all the gifts of good health, peace and, above all, patience.

My name is Anna Wade – I am the Fundraising Co-ordinator at Peregrine’s not-for-profit arm, The Intrepid Foundation. I’ve been with Intrepid Travel, Peregrine’s sister company, from the outset – I’m married to Darrell one of the founders. For 31 years my family has been part of the extended family: a bunch of amazing people all over the world. You may have shared a trip with one of our incredible leaders in the past.

Anna, wearing the red shorts, pictured in Africa along with Intrepid co-founders Darrel Wade and Geoff Manchester in 1988.

In 2002 The Intrepid Foundation was established to help formalise the support Intrepid and Peregrine and their travellers were providing to community-based projects around the world. This year we reached a total of AUD$10,000,000 raised.

Fortunately, The Intrepid Foundation has the funds to honour our commitments to our twenty-five current partner organisations for 2020. However, we are usually able to top up these funds with the generous donations from people like you. Whether your donation is made to a specific project that resonates with you or to our general fund, these extra funds make a huge impact on many, many lives.

All our partner projects are dependent on the tourism industry for their income. Projects like Pusapadi who offer hospitality training to people living with a disability in Bali or the Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project who support mountain porters in Tanzania. Our partners are in dire straits. All of them rely on selling goods or services to the many travellers visiting their communities. The travellers who are now literally staying home.

In Africa, Asia and South America we have partners who need your help more than ever. Your dollars, euros or pounds can go a long way in Peru, Vietnam and Kenya. Your gifts, no matter how small, would help support our partners’ beneficiaries as they confront these challenging times.

As a keen traveller it breaks my heart to think of these amazing communities facing COVID-19 with such an acute downturn in their income. There are no unemployment benefits for many of these people and health care is minimal and expensive. Now is our chance to be together.

With my sincerest wishes that you stay safe,

Anna.

You can make a difference and support Communities in Crisis now, via The Intrepid Foundation.