WHAT WE DO

Begun in 2007, Charities and Challenges (C&C) is the Responsible Travel division of Sherpa Trekking Service (STS). 

What is Responsible Tourism?
In 2002, 280 representatives from all sectors of tourism from 20 countries attended the Cape Town Conference on Responsible Tourism in Destinations, preceding the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg.

A declaration on responsible tourism was agreed. 

 

Cape Town Declaration

The 2002 Cape Town declaration agreed that responsible tourism:

  •  Minimises negative economic, environmental and social impacts
  •  Generates greater economic benefits for local people and enhances the well being of host communities; improves working conditions and access to the industry
  • Involves local people in decisions that affect their lives and life chances
  • Makes positive contributions to the conservation of natural  and cultural heritage embracing diversity
  • Provides more enjoyable experiences for tourists through more meaningful connections with local people, and a greater understanding of local cultural, social and environmental issues
  • Provides access for physically challenged people
  • Is culturally sensitive, encourages respect between tourists and hosts, and builds local pride and confidence


Keeping in mind the Cape Town Declaration of 2002, Charities and Challenges (C&C) arranges tourism activities in Nepal mainly in three different ways:

1) Our team act as ground-handlers for international organizations and overseas agents who want to set up charity treks or tours in Nepal either in support of their own charity abroad or a local charity in Nepal. The treks and tours we organize directly benefit local communities along the routes economically but also "behind the scenes" they benefit the families of our field staff and various local people from hotel workers to vegetable vendors whom we buy our produce from. We do not travel en-masse, breaking up large groups to manageable sizes in order to reduce the negative environmental and cultural impact. We make great efforts to do the right thing environmentally like brining our rubbish back from treks.

2) We also ourselves set up challenges every year which participants from around the world can join up. Sponsorships raised go to helping realize a tangile goal for one of our local charity partners in Nepal for e.g. building doors and windows in a local school in the rural outskirts of Kathmandu, sponsoring several children at an orphanage or supporting in part a sustainable bio-gas project, or in some cases helping the needs of an entire village in remote regions of Nepal.

3) We often simply act as intermediaries between our international clients and one or all of our local charities, expressing the need of the hour for the specific charity and this often results in a direct contribution in cash or kind