Planeterra, the non-profit offshoot of Gap Adventures dedicated to sustainable community development through travel, is suggesting ways travelers can contribute to long-lasting solutions in local communities worldwide. Through local organizations, international charities and travel industry partners, Planeterra has developed a network of more than 50 community projects around the world that focus on education and employment skills training, micro-enterprise and community tourism development, environmental conservation, and healthcare initiatives, with new projects and partnerships coming online each year. Planeterra’s creative ways to give back during this holiday season are found in Asia, Africa, Central and South America.

New Hope Cambodia Outreach Center, Siem Reap, is a community center providing free education and training to area youth, many of whom do not have access to public schooling. Donations to this project will help to provide an improved training facility and restaurant as well as necessary supplies for the trainees. For $20, a child receives uniforms and supplies required to attend school. Another $35 provides a child with a bicycle, to go to and from school.

At Red Hill Pre-school, Cape Town, a small pre-school in a settlement area where formal structures, including schools, cannot be built, children receive access to early education that is not normally provided by the government. Donations made to this project will support the development of the pre-school, as well as the sponsorship program to help provide children in this community with an opportunity to receive support and a strong foundational education.

Planeterra’s goal for the Nicaragua Mobile Library Project, San Juan del Sur is to set up a reference library of curriculum textbooks for each rural school in its district -- a cost of $8,000. Only half of the students in San Juan del Sur have their curriculum's designated text books. This Mobile Library is the only lending facility within a 75-mile range. As book lending is not a tradition in this Central American country, only the wealthy have regular access to books, textbooks, computers and life skills needed to succeed in a world of written culture.

Families who live in Rio de Janeiro’s favelas can experience a safe and loving environment at Brazil Favela Daycare Centre, Rio de Janeiro. This community-run facility serves the city’s largest favela. Here children can engage in cultural and educational activities and receive nutritious meals and health care, giving their mothers peace of mind while working to support their families. Donate to the Community Favela Project with $50 that pays for a child’s daycare for one month, $100 that sponsors a field trip for the children, $150 that buys snacks for the children for one month, $300 that pays one month’s salary for a staff person, $4,000 that covers an entire monthly budget, and $10,000 that ensures the continuation of the after-school program for one year.

Planeterra provides the opportunity to make donations on behalf of friends and family. After making an online donation there is an option to download a card for the recipient. Planeterra is a global nonprofit dedicated to sustainable community development projects worldwide. Founded in 2003 by Gap Adventures, Planeterra evolved out of a long history of travelers committed to finding ways to give back to the people and places they visit. For more information on Planeterra’s mission, call 416-260-0999 or visit www.planeterra.org.