Today is the launch of Passports With Purpose, the fundraiser by travel bloggers to support projects in the developing world. Last year, PWP raised $90,000 to build two libraries in Zambia through a partnership with Room to Read, and this year we plan to raise $100,000 to fund wells in two communities in rural Haiti.
The beneficiary of this year’s project is Water.org, a nonprofit organization that works with communities to provide access to safe water and sanitation. Think about your travels and the worry about whether the water in your lodge or hotel room is drinkable. It’s a legitimate concern—you could be sidelined for a day or two (or worse) if you make the wrong choice. What if a clean water source was a daily problem for you? It is for nearly one billion people.
Win an Icebreaker Realfleece Jacket
For Passports With Purpose, Icebreaker has kindly offered a Realfleece 260 jacket. The winner can choose between four styles (and a handful of colors): the Sierra Hood and Sierra Zip for men, and the Cascade Hood and Cascade Zip for women. The prize is valued at $200, and cannot be exchanged or returned once mailed to the winner. The Icebreaker Realfleece 260 jacket collection is made from midweight 260-gram pure merino.
If there’s any brand that shows up most frequently in my suitcase, it’s Icebreaker. The flexibility of merino weight, as well as clothing style, allows for a variety of uses—from city styling to outdoor adventures. The brushed merino Realfleece has all the warmth of a heavy sweater but with none of the bulk. It’s lightweight, breathable, odor resistant and so soft you may have trouble parting with it when you do finally have to wash it.
How You Can Donate and Win
Beginning today, (Nov. 27, 2012) the Passports With Purpose website will show a list of all the prizes available, and each one will link back to a full description of the prizes on the blogger’s website. For each $10 in donations that you make to Water.org, you’ll be entered to win a prize (or prizes) of your choice.
The fundraiser closes on Dec. 11 and all proceeds go directly to Water.org. You can donate $10 for the prize of your choice, multiples of $10 for one favorite prize if you want to increase your chances, or $10 or more for several different prizes. You can also make a donation as a gift on behalf of someone else.
Thank You
A huge thank you to Icebreaker for donating the prize and caring about the project. Thanks also go to PWP sponsors: Expedia, Tripit, TBEX, HomeAway, Travellerspoint, HostelBookers and Go with Oh.
Finally, thanks to the founders and organizers of Passports With Purpose: Beth Whitman, Debbie Dubrow, Michelle Duffy and Pam Mandel, the bloggers behind Wanderlust and Lipstick, Delicious Baby, WanderMom and Nerd’s Eye View.