RUSTIC PATHWAYS FOUNDATION
Education. Travel. Philanthropy.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Mae Sariang Children's Home
Thailand’s literacy rate is one of the highest in Southeast Asia, and almost every child has access to a free, local primary school. However, UNICEF has reported the large disparities in opportunities for Thailand’s youth in obtaining a quality secondary education, particularly among ethnic minorities, migrants, refugees, and the rural poor. Most secondary schools are located in larger cities, creating challenges for students living in remote regions. Obstacles such as the cost of travel to and from city centers, expenses while living in a larger city, basic funding for school supplies and uniforms, and the sacrifice of labor to attend school prevent many students from gaining a proper education past the sixth grade.
For the past 15 years, Rustic Pathways has worked with ethnic Karen communities in the remote northwest highlands of Mae Sariang with the primary objectives of improving access to higher education and providing English exchange opportunities between Rustic Pathways students and the communities' youth.
The Mae Sariang Children's Home was created as a boarding home and educational center for Karen children living in the surrounding regions who otherwise would not be able to attend secondary school due to the remote locations of their communities. In addition to providing accommodation and full-time supervision, the Children's Home also covers the cost of three full meals a day, uniforms, school supplies, and full medical expenses for all students who reside there.
As of 2017, 73 students have graduated from high school while living at the Children's Home and many have continued on to higher education.
Fiji Education Fund
Fiji’s 900,000 inhabitants live on 108 of the country’s 332 islands. This also means that schools in some regions are not as commonplace as they are in more heavily populated areas. Compounded by social and familial pressures to contribute to social structures at home, this proves to be a major obstacle for students from rural areas to learn in a supportive environment.
Two ongoing priorities maintain our attention in Fiji: The schools in Nasivikoso and Somosomo will allow more students to attend school while strengthening involvement and support from parents and the community. Through our locally initiated efforts to improve school infrastructure, we hope to increase the educational outcomes of students in Fiji and instill in them a love of learning.
Monte Coca Batey Project
While the DR relies heavily on the production of sugar to sustain its economy, many sugarcane workers who are typically migrants from Haiti are often denied basic labor and human rights because of racial tensions between the two countries. Historically, a Batey is a community of sugarcane workers and their families. These communities have some of the lowest standards of living in the country, further intensified by institutionalized racism towards individuals of Haitian descent. Residents of Bateyes often lack access to some of the most essential resources, such as education, running water, electricity, or even basic housing.
In collaboration with Rustic Pathways, the Monte Coca Batey Neighborhood Association determined that building entirely new homes was the best solution to the community’s dire need of extensive housing improvements. It costs only $8,000 USD to build a home for an entire family. With donor support, the Rustic Pathways Foundation continues to work diligently to provident residents of Monte Coca with safe, dignified homes—one family at a time.
Sacred Valley Education Project
In the Sacred Valley of Peru, the direct descendants of the Inca Empire live in extreme poverty, struggling for access to even the most basic needs, such as a quality education. This presents an even greater challenge to indigenous girls. While many boys move to urban centers to pursue educational opportunities, only four in 10 Peruvian girls from rural Andean communities will graduate from secondary school.
Education for women is an especially important investment as the benefits impact future generations. Female education is proven to have a substantial impact on reducing poverty. Studies show that an educated woman is more likely to have a smaller and healthier family, a stronger voice in family negotiations, and the ability to advocate for herself and her children.
Founded in 2010, the Sacred Valley Project makes secondary education possible for indigenous girls in the Andes by constructing dormitories and education centers, preparing well-balanced meals, providing access to public schools and private tutoring, and partnering with organizations that provide life skills and post-secondary opportunities. More than just education and accommodation, it is a safe space for community and growth where girls learn, set goals for their future, and develop confidence in themselves and their skills.
Cambodia Floating Village School Project
Rustic Pathways has been visiting the floating village of Prek Toal on the edge of the Tonlé Sap Lake for the past five years. Prek Toal’s primary school, like almost every other structure in the village, is a floating building that rises and falls with the river. Unfortunately, the current structure that was originally built by UNICEF in 1996 has been slowly sinking for the past three years.
Every day, teachers and students must pump water out of the school just to keep it afloat. During the rainy season, conditions get so bad that two of the four classrooms are closed, requiring more than 200 students to cram into the remaining rooms. The Rustic Pathways Foundation plans to raise $100,000 USD to build a completely new, raised concrete school on land to replace the current sinking structure.
Education for All | BSDA Partnership Program
The BSDA is a local Cambodian organization with a broad range of initiatives, including education and vocational training for orphans and vulnerable children, as well as support for drug users and those infected with HIV/AIDS. It has worked in various sectors of Kampong Cham since its founding. Rustic Pathways has always maintained a close relationship with BSDA, and hopes to help it to reach its 3.5 year goal of getting 550 out-of-school children into primary school by providing scholarships and a drop-in center, as well as by raising awareness about the value of education.
BSDA’s efforts to provide education to 550 out-of-school children is part of a much broader movement of 16 NGOs who intend to transform the educational prospects of vulnerable children all over Cambodia. The organization determined that it would need $185,000 and 3.5 years to reach its individual benchmark. It has made substantial progress, and now needs less than $40,000 to reach its goal of getting 550 children into primary school.
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Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
To support communities in their efforts to implement locally-driven, sustainable solutions to their development challenges.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
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RUSTIC PATHWAYS FOUNDATION
Board of directorsas of 06/11/2021
Mr. Jessemin Sheyda Losick
Sustainable Travel International
Jamie Kobylinski
Rustic Pathways
Chris Stakich
Rustic Pathways
Marcus Haymon
Color of Change
Hillary Proctor
Making Cents International
Laura Budzyna
International Development Innovation Network, MIT D-Lab
Robb Gibson
Cisco Systems
Jessemin Sheyda-Losick
Airbnb