For more information contact:
Carolyn Walters Fox
800-464-9255/802-244-1387
carolyn@countrywalkers.com 
    
Sarah Evans
Hawkins International PR
212-255-6541
sarah@hawkpr.com

Waterbury, VT (January 2006) – The idea of “giving back” is no longer just a holiday theme. Globally responsible travelers are leaving their “footprints” as they venture into new parts of the world. As their eyes open to new cultures, so do their wallets and pocketbooks to help fledgling communities improve their economic, academic or medical conditions.  

For a superb example of such good works, consider a small Peruvian village that was recently able to create a new school dormitory and community center thanks to the generosity of Country Walkers and its guests.  

While on a Country Walkers tour in Peru in 2001, guests visited with the people of Patachancha, a small village 13,000 feet in the Andes. Moved by the tremendous spirit of those they encountered, guests began asking guide Eddie Pizarro, “What would this village need?” Pizarro, a Peruvian native with more than two decades experience guiding in the Andes, asked the Patacancha school principal. He suggested that a dormitory would be a tremendous boon to the local children. 

“Almost immediately after visiting Patacancha, our guests wanted to give back,” said Jamen Yeaton-Masi, a Senior Manager at Country Walkers. “It is not out of the ordinary for our travelers to be motivated by encounters they have with the people of a community. They are absorbed into the local culture, spending time in homes and school classes. Quite often, they want to contribute to the villagers’ lives. Though we never ask for donations, our guests seem compelled to contribute. It’s a way of saying ‘thanks’ for sharing their culture while on the trip.”  

As of December 2005, Country Walkers and its guests have donated enough money to fund the completion of the entire Patacancha Dormitory Project. According to Pizarro, Country Walkers guests contributed enough to pay for engineering plans, required permits, and construction. The price tag is considered steep in this remote region, where some 98 percent of the people work in agriculture and have little or no access to technology.  

Initially designed as a two-room dorm, the project quickly took on a life of its own, becoming a two-story, five-room building complete with a basic kitchen. The dormitory is quite modern by local standards, and it doubles as a community center. It has electricity (lacking in most village dwellings) and space enough for 20 students – who range in age from seven to twelve years – to live there comfortably during the week. In addition, professionals from the Ministry of Health also use the dormitory to give the children physical examinations and vaccinations.  

Although the dormitory is now complete, the donations keep on coming. Recently, a van arrived in Patacancha packed with 20 mattresses, 20 pillows and 60 blankets for bunk beds in the dorm – all thanks to recent donations. The children of the village were ecstatic to assist, running back and forth for loads with wide smiles on their faces. A trout farm has also been constructed outside the dorm to provide the children with food to eat and provisions to sell. The acts of giving have not been limited to monetary donations, either, as many Country Walkers guests bring along school supplies and even hand-made quilts for the children.

The road to learning has long been a rugged one for students in the remote Ollantaytambo district of the Urubamba Valley – or Sacred Valley of the Incas. The school draws students from five surrounding communities. With no public transportation in the region, and a challenging trek by foot amidst chilly temperatures from autumn through spring, low class attendance and retention rates are the norm.  

The dormitory project is just the latest example of “giving back” at Country Walkers. During an earlier project in the Peruvian village of Cancha Cancha, for instance, Country Walkers matched guest donations to provide a sanitation system for the village.  

“Through programs such as the Patacancha dormitory and Cancha Cancha system, we open new avenues for sharing the benefits of world travel – in ways that make a difference in the regions we explore,” said Yeaton-Masi.

Country Walkers is the leader in walking and active tours around the globe. On the 9-day Peru: Machu Picchu & the Sacred Valley tour, travelers visit the new dormitory in the Patacancha village. The 2006 departures for this trip are May 18, June 15, September 7, November 8, and December 21, 2006. For additional information about Country Walkers or any of its 56 worldwide tours including Private Trips, Family Adventures, Women’s Adventures, Special Departures, and Classic Walking Tours, visit www.countrywalkers.com or call 1-800-464-9255. To view the Country Walkers Peru itinerary, please click here.

Country Walkers, based in Waterbury, Vermont(www.countrywalkers.com) was established in 1980 and is the world.s premier small group walking tour provider. Country Walkers offers well-crafted itineraries for walking, snowshoeing, family, women.s adventures, and private vacations. All trips highlight superb cuisine, outstanding tour guides, and authentic accommodations.

First Choice Holidays PLC is a leading international leisure travel company. It operates from 17 major source markets, has 8 million customers and 72 brands. For more information visit First Choice Holidays PLC (www.firstchoiceholidaysplc.com).