How travelling has made me eco-conscious

I started travelling pretty young. First with my parents in Europe, than in a school-enrolled programme to Mauritania. After that I could not stop, I have returned to Mauritania, been to Cameroun and Central America. I currently live in Bali and have travelled other countries in South-East Asia. Each country and culture I discover has impacted me. This is my story of how travelling has made more humane and more eco-conscious.

Why I have reduced my waste production

When I started diving and hiking, when I visited the nicest beaches and went through amazing cities, I started realise that waste is everywhere. I saw plastic bottles swimming in the ocean as if they were fish, and I saw plastic bags flying through cities and forests as if they were butterflies (sadly, that is how plastic backs are called in Nouakchott: Mauritania’s butterflies). I really don’t want to see the waste and more important: I don’t want it to be there. I want to see real fish and I want to see real butterflies. When I explore nature and cities, I want to see the beauty of it, not trash mountains. Even though in certain parts of the world much waste is recycled, big parts of trash always end up in the oceans and forests. For me, reducing waste has become the only way to keep the oceans and the forests clean.

Why I have reduced my general consumption

When travelling you realise that you do not need much. Everything I actually use fits in my backpack. I have come to realise that I do not need most of the objects I used to possess. Why do I need a smartphone, a tablet and a laptop? It takes space in my backpack and it’s heavy. I have also learned that a pair of hiking shoes and a pair of flip-flops is more than enough. I do not need a whole wardrobe of cloths. It is ok to wash your cloth more often and wear them every week! Why do I need a new bikini every year? It is expensive and I rather spend money paying for a local guide that shows me a secret track in the forest than for a new handbag.

Why I don’t eat meat and fish

I stopped eating fish when I started diving. I enjoy to see the fishes underwater so much that it started to make me sad to see them on my plate. Little by little, I got the same sadness when I saw meat on my plate. I remember when I was travelling in Cameroun, I had a piece of meat in a laid-back jungle village for dinner. I do not know what kind of animal I ate and if it is was an endangered species. I felt really guilty afterwards and started to decide that I will not eat wild animals any more (later I became a vegetarian). In my first years of travelling I wanted to taste everything new. Now I think sometimes a new taste is not worth it, if I don’t know if it is a right thing to eat.

Why I don’t go to the zoo any more

I used to love to go to zoos and aquariums. I have always been a great animal-lover and seeing all these cute and exotic animals, looking at them and studying their behaviour was something I really enjoyed. I have been to zoos in many parts of the world and I think I decided to stop going to the zoo when I was in a public zoo in Merida, Mexico, where animals live in tiny cages and are visibly psychotic. It made me really sad to see them and I realised that it is not right to keep another living being in a cage, even if it is big and well equipped. Instead of going to the zoo, I prefer going to animal sanctuaries now. The animals are still not free, but I like the idea of supporting associations which rescue animals out of terrible keeping conditions. It is always better if the animals can be released into the wild, but sometimes it is not possible. I have been to this amazing camp in Northern Thailand where formerly badly treated and tortured elephants were given a peaceful life. This is the kind of “zoo,” I want to support. Most of all, I enjoy seeing wild animals during my hikes. It is difficult to find them and sometimes I have been disappointed by not seeing any, but when I see a wild animal it is so much more exciting. The best wildlife I ever saw were spider and howler monkeys during a hike in Guatemala. When spotting a wild animal, it is always a kind of achievement that gives me a special thrill. There are many animals you cannot see in wild, because they are difficult to find or they are dangerous. But I rather not see a tiger in my life again than go to one of those tiger attractions in Chiang Mai where animals are probably drugged and badly treated.

Why I ride a bicycle as much as possible

I have always enjoyed to ride a bicycle. It is free, it gives me a little exercise and it makes me explore my city much better. However, in Chiang Mai I have started to wear a mask when riding my bicycle. Air in Chiang Mai is very bad and sometimes (depending on the season and weather) it is hard to breathe, even though the city is located in the middle of nature. This has encouraged me to rethink my way of transportation. When travelling, taking a plane is often unavoidable. But now, I will rather take my bicycle than my motorbike – even when it is hot. If possible, I will rather take the train than the plane – even though it takes longer. As I enjoy breathing fresh air and riding by bicycle without a mask, I felt that I should adapt my way of transportation.

Why I use organic cleaning and body products

Many times when I have travelled, I saw locals (and tourists) soaping themselves in rivers, lakes and seas, leaving behind them a puddle of foam. I saw water evacuations spilling used water right into the nature. I have been to a beautiful lake in Guatemala which is – how I learned afterwards – completely polluted and close to die. I have been to waterfalls in Thailand which could have been mistaken for foam parties. I realised after one month that the used water of our house in the middle of Chiang Mai, goes directly into our garden. This is when I decided to use organic cleaning and soaping products. My house, my laundry and myself have never been cleaner.

Why I started being a humanitarian

I am not only concerned by nature, but also by other humans. When travelling to Western Africa, Central America and South-East Asia, I have not only seen stunning nature, but I have met amazing people. Some of them helped me and some of them needed help – sometimes both at the same time. Lesly and I have created Omakua in order to support persons, families and villages in particular needs. This is my way of giving back to the people whose countries I enjoy travelling through. Travelling and being immersed into different cultures also made me more tolerant and sensitive to other people’s problems. Sometimes it is difficult to understand and accept a local tradition and I have to admit that I have come around traditions I do not personally approve of. But everybody and everything on this planet is unique – humans, animals and plants – and everybody and everything deserves a place to live safely and happily. For me it is differences which make our planet so special and enjoyable.

Why I am much happier like this

When I started exploring the world, my way of travelling was different from how it is now. All the experiences made me understand things, and I think that travelling has made me a better person. It is not only travelling and the amazing things I see that make me happy. It is also the values I have acquired through travelling. It has been a process and I am sure that I have not reached the end of it.

Happy New Year! Omakua review 2015

2015 was the year, we started Omakua on the field in Thailand. We have started blogging about NGOs in Bangkok and Chiang Mai, and have realised two amazing projects. While most experiences we made were 100% positive, there have been ups and downs all along the year.

Meeting amazingly dedicated people

For our blog we focused on meeting small scale NGOs, and have met so many dedicated people. Saovenee Nilavongse from the Friends For all Children Foundation, who dedicates her life to disabled children, in only one to mention.

Read our blog articles about NGOs we have encountered

We had to change our strategy

While our initial plan was to meet people in need during our travels, we rapidly realised that is not as easy as imagined – at least in Thailand. Most of those being in need do not speak English, and many not even Thai. Further, Thai people do not necessarily voice their needs, and it is difficult to know who needs what. We changed our strategy and cooperated with NGOs which have been in Thailand for many years, and which know the needs of the people. This was a very good alternative.

Projects – two successes and one setback

We thought to be able to realise more projects in one year, but as it turned out identifying needs, setting up a cooperation with other NGOs, and preparing and realising even a small project takes a considerable amount of time. For working in Thailand, one must be patient.

Both projects we have realised have been an amazing experience. Worachai Intakaew who works for the Community Development Centre in a village close to the Burmese border, and with whom we worked on the project “A bathroom for Jun” has been the most committed partner we could have asked for. Further, working with the CDCE on project proposal writing has been a very interesting experience for Lisa.

We also learned that development work can sometimes be frustrating. After weeks of effort, our third project “Sunshine for ARK’s dogs” has been cancelled four days before its realisation.

Read what happened.

Religion does not make people good – people chose to be good

Before coming to Thailand, we imagined that Buddhist people are keener to humanitarian work, even though their main motivation might be good karma. However, most NGOs we met have a non-religious or Christian background, and were led by foreigners. The only Thai-led NGO we met was the FFAC, and the only Buddhist one the Foundation to Encourage the Potential of Disabled Persons.

We learned that many Thais consider unfortunate people deserve their faith for bad actions in their previous life, and prefer donating to temples for good karma. We have even heard of cases where monks advise against donating to charity, and call for donations to temples. It seems like Buddhism as an institution – just like most other big religions – is about one thing: Money. And we did not getting started on corruption.

We had a very happy year 2015

Thailand and its people have welcomes us so warmly, and we are grateful for every experience. We have had great support from our families and friends whom we would to thank very much <3. We had the chance to see beautiful landscapes, temples and animals, and have met amazing people. Sometimes life was busy between our respective jobs, the work for Omakua, visa-runs and immigration offices, but we appreciated (almost) every moment of it. We became vegetarians and started a zero waste lifestyle which we do to our best, giving the conditions in South East Asia. 2015 has been the year of positive change, new experiences, small and big adventures.

What does 2016 bring?

In December we have moved to Bali and will continue the work for Omakua from here. We have spent the last three weeks figuring out accommodation, visa stuff and where to get a decent internet connection for our jobs. Lesly is currently working on redesigning our website and blog which will look awesome! We are also working on a project in cooperation with Urban Light (Thailand) which will soon be presented on our website.

We both wish all of you a very joyful 2016, full of happiness and good health!

Hi Bali!

We have arrived in Bali one week ago, and we have moved to a shared house close to Canggu. Our first impressions of Bali are amazing, and we can’t wait to discover the island and its inhabitants.

For now, we still work on a project in Thailand which will go over the period of one year, and which we can supervise from Indonesia. There will be more information on our website soon.

After the holidays, we will start to discover the humanitarian stakes of Bali with you on this blog.

See you soon!

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What happened to the project “Sunshine for ARK’s dogs“?

In cooperation with Blue Tail International we established a project for the dog shelter ARK. The goal was to build an outside enclosure for sick dogs which for now live in small cages. The sick dogs cannot leave their cages, because of a contamination risk for the other dogs.

For more information, read our blog article about Blue Tail and ARK.

We spent a lot of time and effort for the preparation of the project. We have visited ARK multiple times in order to determine the location of the enclosure, take measures, set a budget, and to find a volunteer engineer who could help us with the construction of the outside enclosure. We then presented the project on our website and conducted a social media campaign in order to collect the necessary funds.

Sadly, the project has never been realised. Four days before the scheduled construction of the enclosure, the owner of ARK Dip has stopped all cooperation with Blue Tail and Omakua.

Even though we have been very sad about his decision, we understand Dip’s decision.

The Thai government has recently conducted several raids in different animal shelters and NGOs in Chiang Mai with the goal to find illegal workers. The goal was to chase down foreigners who get paid for their work in Thailand, without having a working permit.

Many NGOs in Thailand employ volunteers and workers which are in Thailand on a tourist visa. Many NGOs do register, because it is difficult and costly for NGOs to be officially recognised. Further, work permits can be expensive, too.

We do not pay ourselves with Omakua, and we thus do not fall into the category of illegal workers. Nevertheless, we understand that Dip does not want to continue to work with us.

In Thailand, the law and what happens on the field are two very different things, and corruption remains wide-spread. We think that Dip was scared of possible consequences if foreigners are seen on the ARK territory, even if it would have been legal.

It only needs one person with bad intentions and some pictures of foreigners building an enclosure, to Dip could have been pressured into paying a bribe. Many shelters in Chiang Mai have demanded their foreign volunteers and employees to stay away from work for a certain time, even those who actually have a work permit – just in case.

We have heard stories before from other NGOs which were asked to pay a “tax” which does not exist on paper by local authorities. Luckily, in the mentioned case, the person had high-placed contacts, and could continue the work after some phone calls. Dip clearly does not have the same contacts.

We have been touched very much by the whole situation, because everybody loses. First, the dogs which will stay in their small cages and will not be able to go outside, then Dip who will have to find new sponsors if he decides to build the enclosure in the future; further, the waste of time and effort for Blue Tail and Omakua, and the disappointment of our donors and volunteer engineer.

Our research for articles about the raid in Chiang Mai were fruitless. You can find below links to articles about similar incidents:

http://voices.nationalgeographic.com/2012/02/17/armed-thai-officials-raid-wildlife-rescue-ngo/http://www.bangkokpost.com/archive/activist-says-60-70-parks-staff-raided-his-house/279857

It is important to underline that this is our point of view of the situation. The article does not reflect the opinion of ARK and Blue Tail International.

“Change the world through art” – Getting to know Art Relief

In order to talk about Art Relief International (ARI), one should firstly mention Cultural CanvasCultural Canvas has been established in 2008 and aims at connecting local NGOs seeking volunteers for support and people seeking volunteer positions in different areas.

Four years after Cultural Canvas has been created, Art Relief International was found by the Cultural Canvas staff and current volunteers who realised that they all share a common interest: Art. Instead of placing art-loving volunteers in other NGOs, Art Relief organises its own workshops around art and offers volunteer positions. Today, Cultural Canvas and Art Relief remain closely linked.

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The goal of Art Relief is to transform the lives of struggling social groups by offering them the opportunity to express themselves through art. ARI organises artistic workshops for different NGOs and associations and works with children, disabled, struggling and traumatised young people, as well as elderly people.

The workshops include different artistic fields like painting and drawing, dancing and drama, music and other forms of art. ARI believes that art can come from anybody and that art can be a powerful means of expression and even a therapy.

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The ARI staff in Chiang Mai includes five permanent workers, but is mainly based on the work of volunteers. Hence, volunteers from all over the world can join Art Relief and conduct artistic workshops in fields they are interested in. Art Relief has a weekly schedule for workshops; the content of the workshop can change according to the volunteers (but does of course fit the NGO’s specificities).

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Thus, every week, an ARI staff or volunteer goes to Wildflower Home – a women shelter we have visited previously – in order to work with the women. > Read blog article on Wildflower Home

Most of the workshops are conducted at the facilities of the NGOs and associations ARI works with, but we were lucky and could attend a workshop at the ARI office. Every Tuesday after school, Art Relief organises a workshop for children from the neighbourhood to play and be creative. This week, the children designed a hand football field to play on with capsules as players. See the pictures:


We have met with the Assistant Director Dan Hales and the Art Director Emma Yella who we both have met previously at the NGO Chiang Mai meetup. We love the idea of making art accessible to everybody. Art can be an important way of communication especially for traumatised children and adults. Art Relief works, for example, with Urban Light, an NGO for boys that have been rescued from abuse, exploitation and trafficking.


If you are interested in art and seeking a volunteer position, think about contacting Art Relief. You can also contact us for more information.