“At the moment, 10 out of 14 states and divisions have been flooded. Many towns and villages are badly damaged. Although the floods didn’t affect the major tourist sites, at least 100 people have been killed and many more lost homes and land. If you can mention something about it and convince tourists to help the people while they are here, it’ll be great. For effective Myanmar flood relief, there should be a lot of volunteers. As you know, we do not know that much about marketing. I am sure your blog will be much more effective on this issue.” -Kyaw, One-Stop Travel.
It was that infamous throat taco, as we say in Puerto Rico. You know, the feeling of starting to choke in your own tears. My heart was squeezing itself. Hard. A quite familiar feeling, as I experienced it every time I checked out of a local guest house throughout my Myanmar trip last June.
The Burmese people, who captivated my heart like no other group has in the world, were suffering. I have not even told you about my 16 days in the country yet. But this is more important: thousands of people have been affected. They need bloggers and other volunteers like YOU to mobilize hands and funds to the right Myanmar flood relief organizations.
I picked One-Stop Travel to lead my private tours and chauffeur me around Myanmar because they are 100% local. Not only is its owner Burmese, but the agency also employs stationed guides.
What does this mean?
That means every time you book a city tour, One-Stop Travel assigns a travel guide from that very village to show you the local attractions and teach you about their culture.
100% of your money goes to the communities you visit in Myanmar
So when Kyaw, the owner himself emailed me to help, it reassured me that I chose the right agency. Keep in mind, his company is not organizing any volunteer trips. Yet, they are pulling money from their own budget, giving funds to rehabilitation programs.
Moreover, he kindly asked me to share the names of the organizations that he personally confirmed are directly involved with the 2015 Myanmar flood relief:
Wai Lu Kyaw Foundation
Free Funeral Services Society
Kyaw and several of One-Stop Travel’s employees have personally volunteered and helped the aforementioned organizations on their relief efforts as well.
If you’re planning a trip to Myanmar, I suggest you consider not only booking through this sustainable agency, but also consider giving at least a day or 2 to help.
Not planning a trip to Myanmar in the near future? Kindly share this blog post or publish an article on your own mediums, spreading the word and cry for help. The beautiful Burmese people will greatly appreciate it.
If you have any questions about flood relief efforts and/or Myanmar trips, please contact me or Kyaw directly at onestop.myanmar at gmail.com.