Emanuel ran away from home when he was just 11 years old. He was living in Northern Tanzania. His parents divorced when he was young and when his father remarried support stopped for Emanuel, his sister and their mother. To try to make ends meet, Emanuel’s mother would send the children to the street to beg, while she took up with various men. One long-term boyfriend was an alcoholic and beat Emanuel frequently. In 2009 Emanuel fled.
Emanuel was homeless for 6 months before coming to Amani Children’s Home. When he arrived, he could not read or write, but Emanuel proved to be bright and eager to learn. He is well-organised and meticulous with his school work and now, after 2 years in Amani’s program, he’s preparing to enter Grade 4.
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Charley Boorman is an obsessed travel adventurer who is known around the world for undertaking epic, continent-spanning journeys. With his friend, Ewan McGregor, he has travelled overland by motorbike from London to New York, via Europe and Asia for the award-winning series Long Way Round and from John O’Groats in Scotland to Cape Town for Long Way Down.
He has taken part in the Dakar Rally, one of the most demanding and dangerous motor races in the world, and travelled solo from Ireland to Australia using whatever mode of transport he could find for By Any Means. He travelled from Sydney to Tokyo for By Any Means 2.
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Having caught a red eye flight to Marrakech, Karl Thurlow arrived a little fatigued. Not an ideal start to his Active Morocco trip, but he didn’t need to worry because the senses kicked in as soon as he walked through customs and joined the wonderful world of Morocco…
“Riding shotgun in the taxi enroute to Djemaa-el-Fna, the square in the heart of old town Marrakech, my eyes grew large and a healthy smile dawned on my face…oh how good it felt to be back travelling in a foreign land, even if we had just dodged a camel and horse roaming the road. It’s exactly these kind of unexpected sights I love to see and they weren’t confined to the highways.
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Up until a couple of years ago, most children aged between three and five in rural villages in Laos were not attending preschool. This was largely due to the lack of facilities, trained teachers and learning materials, but also because most parents in rural Laos didn’t understand the importance of early childhood education for children.
Education is a key pathway to breaking the cycle of poverty. As one of the least developed countries in the world, Plan, with the support of SAMA, is working in northern Laos to provide children aged 0-8 years with support for their development. This is being done through education for parents on health, early stimulation and learning, access to quality formal and informal preschool services, as well as school readiness for older children.
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Taking part in a local festival is very ‘Intrepid’. It embodies everything we love about embracing other cultures and enjoying real life experiences, though as Rachel Nowell discovered, sometimes local celebrations also pose some puzzling questions…
“The sight of a Hindu man with a skewer piercing through his cheek and tongue and bells hanging from skin hooks on his back certainly makes one cringe. But at the same time one is unable to look away for sheer curiosity and amazement. How do they endure the pain? Why do men do this to themselves?
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We asked Jess Klaebe from My Adventure Store Brisbane what makes her Intrepid and she could sum it up in one word, “fearless”…
“My first time overseas was Indonesia. I loved it, even though I was constantly tugged at by locals wanting to touch the “Anak perempuan kulit putih yang indah” (beautiful, white girl). I was six years old and already fearless. From then on wandering was in my blood. Travelling from one country to another, experiencing everything and anything I could.
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