Thank you all so much for helping me raise the minimum goal of $1,000! This campaign will remain open until August 15th, so there is still time to contribute and pick your favorite perk.  If you will peruse the trip budget below, you will see why my ultimate fundraising goal is $5,000+.  Thank you again for your current and future support!

My goal is to produce a meaningful, visual story about the volunteer tourism opportunities in Peru that will be published in a photo book and online.  Peru is a country with vastly different landscapes from desert coastlines to grand mountain ranges and Amazon River jungles.  I have chosen volunteer organizations in differing regions to demonstrate the diversity of geography and volunteer opportunities available to those who would like to add meaning to their travel experience.  Images produced will range from capturing aspects of everyday life and culture, volunteer activities, and the grandeur of the ever-changing earth.

Can I do it? Can I hack it in the jungle? Can I survive the incredible altitudes of the Andes Mountains? Can I learn from the experiences there and teach others through the visual work I produce?

Conquering fear is another big thing of mine. Fear stops us all from being happy and experiencing things that may enrich us or may teach us a valuable lesson! Although I fell in love with rain forests many years ago when traveling in Costa Rica, I admit that I am a bit apprehensive about spending a month in the jungle with no electricity and no roads, but because I fear it, I must face it. Giant tarantulas and all!!!!! Aieeeeeeee!

I live to travel, because travel feels like the best way to learn about others, as well as about myself, and each trip helps me determine areas in my life which need adjustment. I want to ask questions and learn how we are the same, how we are different and why? Understanding is the key to peace. In this ever-more-connected world, I want to learn how different cultures deal with their similar problems.  I do not go there with the idea that I can fix it, but rather I offer the ability to photograph and demonstrate what I observe. It's an exchange, through sharing thoughts and ideas, perhaps better options will be within our reach. Visually telling the stories is a goal, but being fully involved in the experience, not always making photos, is also a goal. Just learning and understanding and contributing what I can, wherever I can. There is much for everyone to gain when we try to really get beyond the surface of things when we travel, so this project is to share the experiences I have while doing what has become known as volunteer tourism. I picked Peru for many reasons, but I picked the broader category of a Spanish-speaking country first. I've found that language can be one of the biggest barriers during my travels. Communication is still possible and wonderful, but true depth comes when there is a common language. My Spanish is rusty at the moment, so a lengthier stay to rectify that is in order.

Project Itinerary

Arrive in Lima, Peru.
Take a flight from Lima to Pucallpa.
Hire a driver to take me to Neshuya, and an additional driver to take me to Curimana.
Travel by boat to Bello Horizonte and on to Esperanza Verde.
Spend one month at Esperanza Verde, the first wildlife rescue center/rain forest conservation group in Ucayali, Peru. Work will include:

• Assisting with animal care-taking, including feeding and cage cleaning.
• Reforestation, planting seeds and seedlings at the tree nursery as well as planting fruit trees for the future animals in the rescue center.
• Collecting an inventory of the various species of fauna and flora existing on the land.

From Esperanza Verde, make trek back to Lima.
Fly from Lima to Cusco.
In Cusco, check into local hostel, and attend orientation at Aldea Yanapay.
Spend one month volunteering with local underprivileged youth.  Tutoring and activities with the kids are based at the Cultural Center Aldea Yanapay and the Yanapay School, tasks will include:

• Assisting with homework.
• Teaching English.
• Teaching arts and cultural classes.
  
• Playing educational games.
  
• Assisting with projects such as their Cinema Project, which involves watching films with the kids and using the films as a tool for analyzing and understanding diverse facts, ways of thinking, and ways of living as represented through films. 

While in Cusco, it is also a goal to walk the Inca Trail and see Machu Picchu, as these ruins are a key cultural and scenic component to the people living in Cusco.
Fly from Cusco back to Lima.
Take bus from Lima to Huaraz in the Andes Mountains.
In Huaraz, I will spend one month volunteering with Seeds of Hope, a small NGO that works with around 60 children aged between 6 and 18 who are at high risk of dropping out of public school and with a small number of children who do not attend public school, in order to raise the standard of their reading and writing to enable them to enter the education system. A supportive educational environment to assist with homework is provided, which is crucial because most of the kids come from families where the parents have to work long hours to support the family and often cannot read or write themselves. Educating the parents about the importance of their children staying in schools and the long-term benefits this will bring to the children and family is another aspect of the work. As a volunteer I will tutor students in a variety of subjects, as well as teach a variety of subjects to help enrich the student's educational experience.

From Huaraz I will return to Lima, and spend between 2-4 weeks in the desert coastal region, photographing the landscape as well as the culture.  There is a tentative volunteer option for this region, as well, but details are not finalized.

Your Funding & Perks

I'm asking for a minimum of $1,000 in funding because while the trip will cost me at least $6k (see general trip budget below), the $1,000 or more you provide will solidify the need for me to complete the project despite any and all challenges faced along the way. I won't be earning any income for the months while I'm there, but this is my life's calling, finding and photographing the good in the world, so the risk is worth it. There is no limit on how much money may be raised above the minimum during this time. Think of it this way, you're funding the creation of your future art collection piece! My time period for being in Peru will be for the months of August-November.  This campaign will be ongoing during part of the time I am in Peru, and although I will not have access to electricity or communication while in the jungle, at any point when I have access, I will certainly provide trip updates along the way.

It would, of course, rock my socks right off if you generous souls out there funded the entire travel period of the project in Peru, and it would cause me to weep and grovel at your feet in absolute gratitude if you somehow pooled together to additionally sustain me financially upon my return when I will be spending additional months putting all the work together on websites, in the coffee table book and making prints. With additional time funded, a multi-media documentary could be produced as well. But that's the blue sky big picture! Anything from the goal of $1,000 and above will be amazingly helpful, will have my deepest thanks, and will be rewarded as described in the Perks section of this page! Hand-written postcards from Peru, archival-quality signed prints, photo books, my stuffed monkey and a personalized video message from me - with trip footage - potentially with me handling the dreaded tarantula - are amongst the perks available!

Is there a perk I've not listed that would inspire you to fund? By all means, let me know what you would like, and I will try to accommodate! 

General Trip Budget (No post-production time/costs are included)

• Yellow Fever & Rabies Vaccinations for Jungle Travel - $865
  
• Round-trip airfare Memphis - Lima - Memphis - $1,400
  Jason generously covered this with his airline mileage!
• Round-trip airfare Lima - Pucallpa - Lima - $215
• One month's room & board at Esperanza Verde - $300
• Round-trip airfare Lima - Cusco - Lima - $320
• One month's room & board in Cusco - approx $500
  
• 4-day Inca Trail Trek - approx $400
  
• Round-trip bus fare Lima - Huaraz - Lima - approx $50
• One month's room & board in Huaraz - approx $500
• Travel expenses in desert coastal region for 2-4 weeks - Approx $500
• Fixed expenses back home (which must continue to be paid in my absence) - $400/month - so, at 4 months = $1,600

Total (minus unexpected and/or unplanned costs - which there always are): $6,615 now $5,250. 

I thank you for your time in reviewing my proposal, and for any support you may provide! Don't forget to check out the Perks, and If you know anyone else who may be interested in this project, please spread the word!