Empower the Lives of Communities with Hands on Journeys

Simla Sooboodoo, Founder of Hands on Journeys, helps others explore a destination from the inside whilst empowering the lives of the communities they meet.

Simla is a part of our Sydney Travel Massive chapter and as an inspiring and purposeful traveler, we wanted to ask her a few questions about what it is Hands on Journeys does, and how it helps create a positive change in travel.

Curious to know too? Happy reading!

What is your initiative about? Who does it help?

Hands on Journeys allows travelers to explore the famous sights of a country whilst also providing funds, skills, and sustainable projects to help empower the local communities we work with. One day you might be seeing the Taj Mahal and the next, meeting the teachers your funds have helped employ at a local school.

What inspired you to create this initiative?

After taking a few years of traveling and volunteering my time I found so many powerful projects but sadly, I also discovered an uglier side to this industry. Some of the projects created to support locals were actually holding them back from developing skills and being able to support themselves. I wanted to create a bridge allowing those who wanted to truly empower those in the developing world to be able to enjoy the splendor of the country sights and attractions.

Is there a unique story of how it came to be?

When I woke up from a coma following a brain aneurysm I knew I was lucky to have survived, my family had been told I had a less than 10% chance of making it. This was a defining moment for me as I just knew I had to seek a new purpose in life, one that would give others the second chance I had been given.

What has been your biggest success or accomplishment?

We have run a range of different projects over the past year of operation. From employing teachers, house building projects and creating art school classes for Orphanages, one of the standout successes for us was creating job opportunities. At a village in Siem Reap, we hired a food cart and had chefs teach the locals how to create food whilst our travelers supported them in how to communicate and retail to foreign customers. Seeing the businesses first day of trading at Angkor Wat and knowing that the village now had a sustainable business model to grow was a truly special day.

Do you have any tips for aspiring do-gooders who want to give back or start their own social project?

Research is the absolute key to any project. It is not up to us to shower pity on those we want to support but to engage in two-way conversations with them and finding out what they actually need rather than what we think they want. The key to any support provider has to be a long-term impact which allows everyone to stand on their own two feet, develop skills and be able to create a life where they no longer require support from others.

Purposeful Traveler is a series that profiles inspiring people or projects making a purposeful change to the way we travel. You can connect with Simla and Hands On Journeys on Travel Massive, Facebook, and Twitter.