I was raised by my wonderful mum in Sweden and was lucky enough to have access to everything I needed; education, healthcare, and a safe environment to grow up in. I didn’t realise how much I took that for granted until I started travelling and working around the world. Being on the ground, seeing and experiencing things firsthand, opened my eyes. I began to understand that things I had always seen as basic, like clean drinking water or access to education, are not guaranteed for everyone. In many remote communities, even the most fundamental needs can be incredibly challenging to meet. It’s not because families don’t care, far from it, it’s because life circumstances make it incredibly hard.
I learnt that travel can be a force for good, but it can also be a force for harm.
Tourists often mean well, but their presence can unintentionally do damage. I’ve seen travellers walk into classrooms, taking photos and giving away books, games and stationery. At home, they’d never allow a stranger to walk into their child’s school. It’s a huge disruption to their education, and even worse, not everyone has clean intentions.
Volunteering is getting more popular, but most of these volunteers are not trained experts in the area of volunteering e.g. teaching. They are there for two weeks, just long enough to form a bond with a child, only to leave again. Adults consistently abandoning them. It can emotionally damage the children who are just trying to make sense of their world.
That’s why I’m so proud of the work we’re doing at Discova. In 2020 we became a proud partner of the ChildSafe Movement, a movement founded by Friends International. That meant thoroughly auditing our policies, updating contracts, and training our team and guides on child protection. We also work hard to educate our guests, helping them understand why some things that feel kind might not actually be helpful long term.
Our job is not to tell local families what to do, it’s to help remove obstacles that stop them from doing what they already know is best for their children.
If tourists really want to support children, they need to support their parents. Eating at local restaurants or buying the lovely handmade jewellery or scarves directly from the families who make them is incredibly beneficial. When a family has financial stability, the basic rights of the child can be met.
One of the projects closest to my heart is the Eileen Yee Education Fund, set up in memory of my dear friend and colleague who was so passionate about education and the children’s rights. The fund sponsors students, particularly girls, through high school, which is where dropout rates are the highest due to the financial strain. Many families simply can’t afford the cost of uniforms, books, transport or even their own pen.
Our 3-year goal is for 101 students to go through the three-year sponsorship programme in Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand and Cambodia. The idea is to encourage them to stay at school by removing any financial burden that they might have by attending school. The teachers are passionate about wanting to help their students and closely monitor their attendance and improving grades.
During Covid, I met a young woman who told me that she was the only girl in her village that year who passed high school. She told her parents she was going to study at university, and against all odds, she enrolled and is currently working in tourism, where she found her passion, improving her chances of a better future for her, and her family.
Her story inspired me to start IWTA, Inspirational Women in Travel Asia, in 2022 with Gary Marshall, Chief Executive Officer, of Travel Daily Media. IWTA is now a thriving platform sharing stories of remarkable women in the travel industry. Our goal is to amplify female voices and inspire others to chase their dreams. Representation is so important, especially in a world where female entrepreneurs still struggle for funding and recognition. We’ve published dozens of stories and hosted awards that brought together over 300 people to celebrate women across Asia-pacific. This has been one of my proudest moments to date.
When I started with Discova I could see my colleagues were passionate about helping their local communities. I was inspired, and I knew I was in the right place. The leadership team empowers us to get involved and I love that. We can see our impact first-hand.
It’s heartwarming to see local Discova experts on the ground getting involved because they are directly supporting their communities, their cultures, and their traditions. I hope to continue expanding our education initiatives, support more sustainable community programmes, and most importantly, step away when those communities are thriving on their own terms.
We can’t fix everything, but we can all do something. If we each do one small thing, consistently, with care, it adds up. You don’t have to change the world alone. Just start where you are, with what you have, and use travel as a force for good.
All the best,
Michaela
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