I Went, I Saw, I Gave

Portions of the Central Asian republics we travel through are in a desperate race of their own – a race to the bottom of global indexes measuring poverty, health, corruption, and other important quality of life indicators.  Civil war, unemployment, and economic underdevelopment mean the average wage in many locations is under US$70 a year (!).

Part of the spirit of discovery & adventure is to spread the happiness we are blessed with and give back to people who do not share our advantages. We at the Travel Scientists are determined to uphold our obligation to leave the places we visit better off than when we arrived, as small as our assistance may be.

The Sary Moghol Kindergarten is one such project. The Central Asia Rally teams have donated money due to help with its poor state of repair and desperate need for substantial structural repair. In partnership with the Kyrgyz-ATE Foundation we raised enough money to perform the necessary work that saw the facility reopen. Rally participants’ donations also paid for books and games for the children.

Participation in our Central Asia Rally charity program is by no means mandatory, but the satisfaction found in giving to disadvantaged local communities is incredibly uplifting and provides an emotional high point for many of our adventurers. Our charity efforts embrace our spirit of exploration – we research these communities to find worthy recipients, and we encourage our fellow rally participants to take part with in-kind donations and/or fund-raising.

Just a little bit can go a long way to help people in desperate need. And who knows… one day someone your help could return the favor!