Help Passports with Purpose build a school in Cambodia - and you may even win a great prize, too

We all know that social networking is powerful, and that travel has the power to change lives. Well, here's a way to combine all those things in support of a great cause. It's the second annual Passports with Purpose (PwP), a collaborative online fundraiser dreamed up by four Seattle-based travel bloggers: Beth Whitman of Wanderlust and Lipstick, Debbie Dubrow of Delicious Baby, Pam Mandel of Nerd's Eye View, and Michelle Duffy of Wandermom. Last year PwP raised $7,500 for Heifer International. This year the organizers have an even more ambitious goal: they aim to raise $13,000 to help build a school in Cambodia.

This year's PwP will benefit American Assistance for Cambodia (AAfC), an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to improving opportunities for the youth and rural poor of Cambodia. AAfC Chairman Bernard Krisher notes that the project will benefit the many Cambodians who live close to the poverty line. “Passports with Purpose and AAfC projects give them the chance to better their lives through education and gives them the message that opportunities are limitless,” Krisher says.

PwP co-founder Dubrow adds, “Like last year, we hope that this effort will not only raise money for a very worthy charity, but also help develop a stronger sense of community among travel bloggers, and demonstrate the effect we can have when we work together.”

Here's how it works: Bloggers secure raffle prizes and/or post information about PwP on their site. The prizes include getaways, travel gear, experiences and more. Readers make donations through the PwP site, in increments of $10. Each $10 donation earns one prize drawing entry. One hundred percent of the proceeds will benefit AAfC’s rural schools project.

The raffle begins today, November 30, and ends on December 21. Prize winners will be announced on January 5, 2010.

To make a donation and enter the drawing, click on the logo below.

Journeys Within makes a difference in typhoon-ravaged Southeast Asia

A post today on Condé Nast Traveler's Daily Traveler blog reinforced my belief that travel companies can make a difference in the lives of the communities in which they operate. In this case, the company in question is Journeys Within, a small tour company in Siem Reap, Cambodia, that is helping communities recover after the recent typhoon that devastated the region.

Typhoon Ketsana seriously damaged the local communities in Journeys Within's area. The company's nonprofit arm, Journeys Within Our Community (JWOC), immediately leaped into action. Clean drinking water was the most critical concern. In the days following the typhoon, JWOC has distributed nearly 5,400 gallons of fresh drinking water to the villages of Taksen Tboung and Veal, and has also provided mosquito nets to more than 600 households to reduce the risk of malaria, dengue fever, and other mosquito-born diseases exacerbated by the flood waters. The organization has also distributed vital supplies in a third village, Sala Kansang. Click here to see images of the flooding and JWOC's relief efforts.

Journeys Within is run by Andrea and Brandon Ross, British and American expats, who are dedicated to giving back to the local community. Through JWOC, they work to improve living conditions for people in Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar. According to the organization's website, JWOC operates under the following philosophy: "By working at the local level and focusing on basic needs such as clean water, education, health, emergency relief and other community based issues, JWOC helps to develop projects that start small, but with outside support, gain momentum and change lives."

Founded in 2005, JWOC has raised over $30,000 for Myanmar communities destroyed in Cyclone Nargis in 2007; provided scholarships for more than 70 students in Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar to attend university; opened three JWOC Free Schools in Cambodia and Laos; built 300 wells in the Siem Reap area; provided more than 200 micro loans to poor families; and established the JWOC Village School Sponsorship program for school children in villages in Laos.

JWOC needs donations to support its continuing typhoon relief and community development efforts.
Click here for options on how to contribute