Among the MANY things that impress me about PEPY is how thorough they are with all that they do. They have so many innovative programs and strategies that enable them to work on problems such as rural education in such HOLISTIC ways. They don't take short cuts, and are willing to do the extra work when they think it's in the best interest of the communities that they serve.

PEPY also attracts AMAZING people, and that is one of the keys to their sustainability!!! The PEPY staff and other participants on my trip were all inspiring and challenged me to expand my perspective of what my life could be. The people that I met are key in keeping me engaged in PEPY now and in the future, and they are certainly part of the reason why I give back and hope to GO back.

I don't mean to say that PEPY RELIES on the INDIVIDUALS in its staff, although everyone who knows Daniela may disagree :) Great organizations (non-profit or otherwise) aren't great because of 1 or 2 great leaders, they're great because they can sustain their work over long periods of time and have success at achieving their mission (paraphrasing Jim Collins, for any who know his work). I think PEPY's thoroughness in all that it does, the systems and strategies it has developed, will allow other leaders in the future to continue to develop PEPY and add more and more innovations. I don't know if Daniela wants to be in Cambodia for the next 40 years, but I know she wants PEPY to be!!

Keep up the great work - I look forward to seeing where this crazy idea goes!

Chris

double post

I was first introduced to PEPY at the Adventure Travel World Summit in Whistler, Canada last October. It was a pleasure. How refreshing Daniela (founder of PEPY) was, candidly sharing how important is it to not only celebrate your successes, but also accept your failures. She also stressed the importance of listening to local communities; there is almost always a difference between what the outsider recognizes as a need, and what the insider community views as a necessity. There are certainly a lot of “best-intentions” people and organizations within the industry – which is something we should celebrate – but finding those that are truly effective, is much more difficult. The company I work for, Adventure Life, has been dedicated to giving back to the local communities and environments where we send our travelers, since we began in 1999. And finding organizations and projects to support that go beyond simply good-intentions, has taken a lot of time, research and trial and error. I can certainly appreciate PEPY’s successes and struggles. There is also a frequent pressure (both internal and external) to try and “save the world,” if you will. Keeping yourself, your project and your funds focused is a struggle – and PEPY is certainly taking a great path out of this struggle.

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Travel well.
Beth Conway
Adventure Life
www.Adventure-Life.com

Having first joined PEPY as a volunteer in March 2007, I immediately signed up for another PEPY experience in March 2008, a trip that finished just 1 week ago. Both trips provided such amazing learning experiences at a completely grassroots level; and never before have I been in touch with so many like minded individuals who are so on the ball about issues including development and sustainability, the environment and social affairs. PEPY is doing great work for both rural education and responsible tourism throughout Cambodia, and I will most definitely continue to support all of their future endeavours. Go PEPY!! :)

I would love to get a discussion going about the impact of volunteers. I think one of the biggest issues we face in the "volunteer tourism" world is analyzing if our impact really IS positive. It is much easier for us to measure our impact on the travelers themselves. Repeat customers and referrals are just some of the many easy indicators that our trips are impacting travelers positively.

When it comes to the communities, issues, and people "volunteer" trips are supposed to be working for, sometimes the monitoring and evaluation is much harder. Especially for groups who might not have as much full time presence in the areas they work. Even though we live here and see our impact daily, it is STILL sometimes hard to measure the "good" being done by volunteers. If I didn't think the impact was much more good than bad though, I wouldn't still be here.

I would love to hear other comments from people about this issue, and perhaps ideas from others who have done M&E for NGO and voluntourism projects who can reflect on their successes in this area.

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Daniela Papi
PEPY Founder
www.pepyride.org

I had the privilege of taking part in the August 2007 trip as well as the December PEPY Ride III - experiences that are hard to sum up in a small comments box! While I've been part of volunteer trips before, what amazes me the most about PEPY is how much I learn, and not in a sugar-coated or all-knowing way, but passionate, raw and honest. We learned about amazing, local organizations doing incredible things, as well as the mistakes they've made, what they've learned, and the steps they continue to take to make their programs better. We learned about different perspectives on development and rather than learning through textbooks or the websites of large organizations, I gained a perspective from the realities on the ground. My time with PEPY was more than I could have hoped for. It was an incredible opportunity to be exposed to a number of socially responsible organizations, learn about the simplicity of development principles and the challenges of implementing them successfully. I was struck by how I started to think differently and realized how little I knew and how much I wanted to learn more. I enjoyed listening, learning and challenging the wealth of knowledge of both the PEPY staff and their partners (that they share honestly), and formulating new perspectives I didn't have before. Experiential learning never felt so sweet!

While PEPY is making a difference through their programs here in Cambodia, they also made a difference in me. While I walked away with great memories, pictures I will always cherish, and a strong love for Cambodia, I also walked away with a changed and more informed perspective, a deeper understanding of what successful, sustainable development is, a strong personal momentum of knowledge-seeking, and a desire to continue contributing to causes I believe in. Thank you PEPY!!

Being an intern at PEPY has been the most rewarding, challenging, and educational experience of my life. PEPY works really hard to make sure that our work benefits those its supposed to and leaves both Cambodians and foreigners with the I-can-do-it spirit! Such a simple and functional idea has led to so much change in the schools we work in... After five months in Cambodia, I can already see the excitement that students have to come to school and learn, and I can see students' eyes opening wider to the world. I love hearing students' dreams: to go to high school, to be a teacher, to travel to Angkor Wat. Nih-seut t'wer baan dtay!

(sorry, double-posted!)

PEPY connects the traveller not only with Cambodia and Cambodians but with many of the incredible NGO's working on issues from providing clean drinking water to villages and increasing access to education to furthering Cambodian traditional arts. By joining a PEPY tour you can support these causes AND you can learn about them first hand. During my travels with PEPY I have been fortunate enough to meet with some of the most inspiring individuals that are making a difference in Cambodia today. These people have encouraged me to make many positive changes in my life. If you want to travel responsibly, PEPY is the way to go!

My first PEPY trip and the folks on it literally changed my life. I studied development in graduate school and thought I knew what I was going to be seeing and experiencing. My views completely shifted by seeing the work on the ground firsthand and meeting with the different NGOs that PEPY put us in touch with. I came away with a much more realistic and complete view of development and the non-profit sector which has been incredibly beneficial to me in my work since then.

I also had a fabulous time! Riding through the backroads of Cambodia, with kids running out of rural houses each day to wave and cheer you on just can't be beat. Since PEPY I've even been inspired to lead my own trips, which have snowballed into others from that trip doing the same thing. Including myself, 3 people from the cycling trip I led post PEPY (which was raising funds for Hurricane Relief ), have led their own trips and raised their own funds for other causes. To me, there is no better example of success than this----empowering others to keep making a difference in their own homes and in their own ways. Thanks PEPY!

PEPY stands out as the only group I know of who have successfully bridged the gap between voluntourism and a long-term, sustainable approach to effecting genuine development. This enables volunteers to see and enjoy a large part of Cambodia and the work that happens there while knowing their contribution will live on long after they have left. Amazing!

PEPY is a fantastic group of people committed to change in Cambodia. I love their work and their enthusiasm for transforming an often destructive industry - tourism - into a positive force for education and sustainable development. In a country where 40% of the population is under the age of 16 and where tourism and other industries are only in their infancy, PEPY's work is imperative. An empowered and inspired group of people doing empowering and inspiring things.

My first trip with PEPY was building a rainwater collection unit at a rural elementary school outside of Phnom Penh. Although I had participated in volunteer projects before I never felt like I was working with a group of people who were so passionate about the project and place we were. PEPY does an amazing job of introducing people to Cambodia, its people and culture while also doing amazing work. I loved the country and the people I was working with, so I came back for more! I just co-led the March ride from Phnom Penh to Kratie and it was incredible. So physically challenging and emotionally fulfilling. It was so special to see our participants open their eyes and hearts to the people of Cambodia while riding a bike through the back roads of Cambodia. These tours and the resulting programs and projects PEPY supports are one of a kind and I will continue to work with them and be inspired by them. Because traveling changed my life, and now I can use travel to help change the lives of others!

I went on a PEPY tour for Spring Break 2007. Since then, I have traveled to Europe, Las Vegas, and Mexico, none of which have been even close to the amazing, inspiring experience the people at PEPY provide! I learned much about Cambodia and responsible travel, and hope I will be able to have another PEPY adventure.

I was lucky enough to be chosen as a leader for a February 2008 ride through southern Cambodia, and from this experience I saw that the kind of development work that PEPY is doing is multi-pronged and innovative.

PEPY uses money raised by tourists to fund development projects at schools. Then the tourists come to Cambodia and teach environmental awareness at schools and work on development projects. Some former projects involve building rainwater collection units, helping produce water filters for rural families, and creating a community economic empowerment program in Koh Ker.

The cycle of tourists give to Cambodia --> Cambodia gives to tourists is unbeatable.

PEPY, keep up the good work! I'm inspired by your work and can't wait to see where you go in the future!

Daniela, Check out http://www.justmeans.com.

JustMeans is like Idealist. Their goal is to connect companies providing a socially responsible product or service with individuals interested in the field. If you are looking to hire, you can post PEPY's need for marketing expertise and technology solutions.