5 experiences that support women around the world

Dedicated to caring for elephants in Thailand through rescue, rehabilitation, community participation and education, Save Elephant Foundation was founded by Sangdeaun Lek Chailert, a Thai woman born in a small hill tribe village two hours north of Chiang Mai.
Knowing that Thailand’s national symbol was often being treated cruelly and was becoming endangered, Lek began advocating for the welfare and rights of the Asian elephant, and since 1996 has rescued 200 of the gentle giants in Thailand and nearby countries. She continues to raise international awareness of her work and strives to encourage others to follow her example, but most days can be found at the Elephant Nature Park, one of her projects in Northern Thailand, where visitors are welcomed to engage ethically with the animals – no riding or tricks allowed.

As an office of food-lovers, we’re huge fans of cooking classes. We offer so many experiences to cook during our trips because they provide such an amazing opportunity to experience life from a local’s perspective – not to mention the chance to try authentic, fresh delicacies around the world. As well as this, they’re also a fantastic way of ensuring your money goes right back into the community.

In many of our destinations, women are the heart of the home; in charge of providing meals for their families, and their guests too. Empowering women to share their skills and experience can provide them with much-needed income, as well as an enjoyable cultural exchange, not just for their travellers they meet, but for them too.

One of our favourite cooking classes is in Sancti Spiritus, Cuba. Here, you can learn to cook traditional classics such as arroz con gris, cerdo asado, frijoles negros or yuca con mojito. You’ll learn from a local woman and artist who has made her home in a restored soap factory. She’ll teach you how to prepare each dish and give you her tips and tricks so you can recreate the flavours of your trip to Cuba at home. Cubans hate wasting food – so of course you’ll also get to taste some of your creations.

Another Rickshaw favourite is our cooking class in Arequipa, Peru. Here, you’ll join Sila, the cook of the household, on one of her daily trips to the market. After picking up your seasonal veg and herbs, you’ll head back to the home to prepare a traditional Peruvian meal together – well, you’ll mainly be on chopping duty! And with a guide as your translator, you’ll get first-hand insight into the lives of Sila and her family, whilst supporting her personal business venture – giving money directly back to the community you’re visiting.

Chandelao Garh is a stunning 300-year-old rural fort in the heart of Rajasthan which has been converted into a quirky place to stay. Owned and run by Mr Praduman Singh – a descendant of the original generals of Marwar, it’s packed with atmosphere and royal history.

But the even more incredible part of the story is their local arts and craft project, Sunder Rang (which translates to beautiful colours in Hindi). It opened back in 2007 and offers local women the opportunity of fairtrade employment, with a living wage and access to education for both them and their families.

In the morning, the women craft beautiful embroidery, clothes, accessories and homewares – earning a living wage and preserving the traditional Rajasthani handicrafts for generations to come. In the afternoons, the women are taught reading and writing, languages and technology alongside their children. 60% of the initiative’s profits go directly back to the women, and the rest is pumped into the community. Recent profits have even helped build toilet blocks in the local village.

An hour north of La Fortuna and Arenal Volcano, you’ll find the Juanilama community, who reside in a typical Tico village, and invite travellers to stay a few days in their rural pocket of Costa Rica. The initiative was launched by the women of seven local families to introduce travellers to villages and communities off the usual tourist trail and give the women a sense of independence and entrepreneurship.

Each family takes it in turns to host travellers and get them involved, and each specialises in their own area of expertise, from agriculture to handicrafts. You can stay with a local family in their home (or an adjacent bungalow) and learn all about rural life, discovering which plants and vegetables are grown here, building fires, crushing sugar cane and swimming in the local waterfall.

The women are passionate about combatting over-tourism and the commercialisation of their lives, so they work hard to provide an authentic experience, while both sustaining and protecting their community and environment.

We support local projects across all of our destinations. In India, the project we support is Odanadi,a pioneering anti-trafficking organisation based in Mysore, South India. Odanadi focuses on the rescue, rehabilitation, and reintegration of trafficked women and children.

For over 20 years Odanadi has been committed to providing a safe haven for survivors of human trafficking, sexual exploitation, slavery, domestic abuse, and destitution.

Currently running two residential rehabilitation centres in Mysore, Odanadi houses up to 85 women and young people at any one time. By booking your holiday to India with us, you’ll be supporting the work of Odanadi, with £5 of the value of every booking being donated to the project.