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Journeys Within: Cultural Support in Southeast Asia

March/April 2008

The Mission: Brandon and Andrea Ross’ boutique Southeast Asia tour company Journeys Within strives to give guests authentic experiences in Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam. The couple also formed the nonprofit Journeys Within Our Community organization to spearhead such projects as: a microfinance fund that has loaned over $17,000 to give the poor an opportunity to start or expand a business; a water project that creates wells to provide a safe, dependable water source year round; the Killing Fields Pagoda language school that offers classes in Thai, Japanese, Korean and English; the Dollars for Scholars Fund that gives students university scholarships; and the Than Xuan Peace Village shelter that helps victims from the Vietnam War, To really make a difference, join them on a giving tour of Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam while enjoying some of the region's finest accommodations and experiences.

Your Experience: Personal tours of projects run by president Brandon Ross and private tours of the Angkor temples bring cultural and historic connection so guests bond with the projects they support. Guests meet with Dollars for Scholars leaders to discuss the donors’ interests and strengths. Visits to the villages include bringing donations, collection payments, assessing loan recipients’ business plans and offering advice on how to improve productivity. Guests can donate their time and money to Journeys Within’s English language school.

Give Big: $5,000 will sponsor a language school in Cambodia for a year; $400 will provide a one-year university scholarship.