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Runs
'N Roses wants to help preserve
the local environment by:
create financial benefits for locals
stimulate maintenance of local lifestyle and skills
promote education on nature and culture
To achieve this we have the following aims:
respect local skills and culture
promote awareness
youth education
preserve the jungle
create secondary income for village people
Preserve the jungle
Deforestation is a major global problem. Locally it causes droughts
and devastating floods as well as damage to the chain of life by
the disturbance and extinction of wildlife. It is extremely important
to preserve the few forests that are still left, such as the ones
high in the mountains in Phato. But how do you tell a villager to
stop cutting trees when this is his only way to earn a living?
Runs 'N Roses is trying to preserve
the beautiful nature in Phato area by cherishing it instead of destroying
it. Runs 'N Roses wants to show
the locals how to conserve their forests in the long term. By hosting
tourists in a regulated way for example. Or to create additional
income for villagers by jobs such as tour guides, shopkeeper, restaurants
and so on.
In 2007 a project named Bai Tong
was started by Runs 'N Roses
to help create more awareness amongst local people about the importance
of the forest.
Secondary income for village people
All monocultures are dangerous if one aspect of income is too heavily
relied upon. Most people in the rural areas of Thailand are very
dependent on the weather. If the rain comes late then their crops
may not survive. If there is too much rain their crops may be washed
away. For many families a small income -selling crops- is just enough
to feed their family. Most people do not have money reserved in
the bank in case something goes wrong with nature, inflation, or
anything else. Tourism by itself is a very unreliable source of
income because there are so many factors that can lead a tourist
to a different destination from one day to the next. Such factors
include political situations, weather changes or simply a rise or
decline in the interest and lure of a certain destination. The aim
of the Runs 'N Roses projects
is to have a small yet steady flow of tourism coming into the area
to generate secondary income sources for local people.
Respect local skills and culture
In Thailand the results of globalization and western influence are
very clear. Young people are leaving the villages with the dream
of working in offices in the cities. Today the villages consist
of almost entirely old people and young children. Local skills are
being forgotten and local crafts are disappearing.
Hosting motivated people who have endured long plane flights and
expensive fees to come to a specific village to learn about Thai
"walks and talks" rather than to be in any other place
in the world (including westernized mass tourist destinations) can
stimulate people to utilize and share their skills and also be proud
of their rural lifestyle. A direct result of this are the projects
of the Thai Child Development Foundation
done on the same premises where Runs 'N
Roses is located. In the near future a local craft center will
be realized there, where people can teach and learn about handicraft,
make and sell their handmade products. Setting up such a center
is one of the ideas to realize together with the local authorities.
On smaller scale Runs 'N Roses
is organizing workshops and courses to introduce foreigners to Thai
culture. The participants of the workshop Thai culture and language
can feel comfortable in their travel through the country and easily
make Thai friends with their basic skills. The fact that they are
trying to adapt to Thai culture will break the ice and open many
doors for them.
Awareness and youth education
To be proud of one's village means taking care of its surroundings.
Besides the preservation of the forests, cleaning up, recycling
and reducing garbage is a major aim of Runs 'N
Roses. On the premises of the lodge youth activities will be
organized by volunteers of the Thai Child
Development Foundation regularly to raise awareness on
this subject.
In 2007 Runs 'N Roses started
the Bai Thong project to help
preserve the forests in the area. An educational program in the
schools is one part of the project to create awareness.
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