Sustainability

30 August 2024

New future prospects for humans, animals and the environment

10 years of DERTOUR Foundation

Reading time: 8 min.

Ten years of social and ecological commitment worldwide – the DERTOUR Foundation is celebrating its anniversary with a very personal campaign: ten people talk about their very own experiences with the projects. Kathrin Sommer (Manager Corporate Responsibility at the DERTOUR Group) reveals her wishes and plans for the foundation in an interview.

Since its establishment in 2014, the DERTOUR Foundation has supported more than one hundred projects in 28 countries on 5 continents and, together with local partners, has created many positive changes and improved numerous life prospects.

DERTOUR Foundation e.V. is celebrating its tenth anniversary with the “10 years – 10 faces” campaign. Every month until the end of 2024, the Foundation’s website, social media, DERTOUR travel agencies and events will present examples of success stories from around the world with personal stories.

These examples demonstrate the hard work and commitment of everyone involved and show how the projects have changed people’s lives and continue to do so. Ten years of the Foundation means a decade of positive change, successful collaboration and making a difference in communities around the world. We hope to lead by example and inspire others

Laura Steden, Director Corporate Responsibility DERTOUR Group

laura-steden

Laura Steden, Director Corporate Responsibility DERTOUR Group

The Foundation’s projects:

  • Supporting people

    Over the past ten years, the DERTOUR Foundation has built and equipped 71 schools worldwide with the help of experienced local partners, enabling 15,000 schoolchildren to receive an education. In addition, 66 young people have been trained in tourism and the hospitality industry. Examples include the Pimali project in Thailand, Smiling Gecko in Cambodia, Africa Amini Alama in Tanzania and KOTO in Vietnam. In Tanzania, a total of 112 young people received qualified vocational training to become bricklayers, metalworkers or carpenters. Also in Tanzania, 58 microloans were granted to Maasai women to support their financial independence and self-determination.

  • Preserve nature

    Together with local partners, the DERTOUR Foundation fights to restore and preserve the balance of nature. In Sri Lanka, for example, the project partner Wildlife and Ocean Resource Conservation (WORC) is being supported in restoring and preserving the mangrove forests in the Koggala Lagoon. Around 15,000 mangroves have been planted here since 2022 to protect the precious ecosystem. In Mauritius, the collaboration between the DERTOUR Foundation and the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation (MWF) has also helped to save 27 Aldabra giant tortoises since 2021.

  • Protecting animals

    The DERTOUR Foundation aims to safeguard the welfare of animals, protect them from the potential negative impacts of tourism and promote the positive effects of tourism on wildlife. Over the years, the foundation has worked with numerous animal welfare organisations and other partners and supported various projects to offer travellers animal-friendly experiences. One example of this is the Lipsi Marine Mammal Centre in Greece, which today serves as a sanctuary for seals, turtles and dolphins. In Tanzania, 52 elephant guards were trained, in South Africa 1,800 children were sensitised to environmental education in Kruger National Park and 36 young women from tribal communities were trained in the fight against poaching.

    More information about the DERTOUR Foundation, the projects it supports and how to donate can be found on the foundation’s website.

The DERTOUR Foundation is also becoming increasingly visible internationally within our Group – and its sphere of influence is growing as a result. This enables us to reach even more people in even more places and change even more. Our motivation is to use the economic power of tourism to protect and preserve the diversity of our planet, to promote local economic development and to fight poverty.

Sören Hartmann , Former Member of the Management Board – Chief Executive Officer DERTOUR Group

soeren-hartmann-kachel

Sören Hartmann , Former Member of the Management Board – Chief Executive Officer DERTOUR Group

“That is true empowerment!”

Three questions for Kathrin Sommer, Manager Corporate Responsibility at the DERTOUR Group

100 projects in ten years – that’s an impressive number! Do you have a favorite project?

Kathrin Sommer: That’s a difficult question. All projects make a great contribution and positively change the lives of people and animals.

So far, I have been able to get to know four projects from the “Supporting people” area on project trips. On these trips, I got to talk to the trainees at the craftsmen’s center and the Maasai women at the women’s center in Tanzania. I also visited the tourist training projects KOTO in Vietnam and Smiling Gecko in Cambodia. It was always very touching to see how grateful the people are for our help, how self-confident they have become thanks to the courses we have financed and how happy they are to share their new knowledge with others as mentors. That is true empowerment!

When an experienced Maasai woman tells you that our training courses (for example in hygiene, clothing or nutrition) not only bring independence, autonomy and education, but also joy and light into her life, it is very touching.

kathrin-sommer

About:

Kathrin Sommer

Manager Corporate Responsibility at the DERTOUR Group

You had announced that in future you would be expanding the focus of the foundation’s portfolio in the area of sustainability. For example, in addition to the many empowerment projects, giving more weight to environmental protection and environmental education. Are there any new projects that focus on these aspects?

Kathrin Sommer: Yes, that’s right. In 2024, we added two new projects in this area to our funding. We are expanding our portfolio to include WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) and a women’s empowerment project in India.

With the “Water is Right” Foundation, we will be supporting a WASH project in the Dominican Republic for the first time. With the help of the DERTOUR Foundation, 20 marginalized young people over the age of 18 will receive vocational training during the school year that will enable them to become independent in the repair, maintenance and installation of water and wastewater infrastructure. Following the course, successful graduates are offered a tool loan program through which they can borrow the tools for follow-up jobs.

Our second new project is based in India. Although women make up a large proportion of the global tourism workforce, they are barely represented in the sector in India – and certainly not among rickshaw drivers. To change this, the Lake City Rickshaws Initiative is focusing on women in this traditionally male-dominated sector. Women from low-income households, mainly between the ages of 18 and 35, are being trained to drive e-rickshaws and offer excursions in Udaipur. But the project can do a lot more: Click here for more information.

What are your wishes and plans for the near future of the DERTOUR Foundation?

Kathrin Sommer: The DERTOUR Foundation wants to promote and help shape positive social change while always keeping the needs of those we want to help in mind. This will continue to be our core concern in the future.

I personally hope that we can expand our commitment to environmental protection projects in important tourist destinations and promote projects that can be actively experienced by our customers.

We also want to get hoteliers and external partners in the destinations more enthusiastic about Foundation projects and generate more funds as a result.

And finally, we are pushing ahead with internationalization within the Group and were recently able to welcome DERTOUR Austria as a new member at the General Assembly. It is great to see how the DERTOUR Foundation – originally founded as a purely German project – is gaining more and more support and importance within the DERTOUR Group.

Training in tourism and the hospitality industry

DER Touristik Foundation e.V.

  • Founded in 2014 as a non-profit organization, DER Touristik Foundation promotes local communities in the destinations, opens up positive future prospects for young people, empowers women, promotes animal welfare and makes an effective contribution to the protection of nature. To date, almost 100 projects have been supported worldwide in cooperation with local charities, foundations and aid organizations. Further information can be found at www.dertouristik-foundation.com.

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