![thumbnail image](https://user-images.strikinglycdn.com/res/hrscywv4p/image/upload/c_limit,fl_lossy,h_630,w_1200,f_auto,q_auto/435522/2016_Cyriel_Kortleven_grabbing_hand_ox9kpm.jpg)
Giving back to the world
Explore some charity projects that I support
It started with compensating for my flights.
Since a few years, I feel that I'm making more conscious decisions to donate a certain % of my revenue to charities. My first steps in this domain were triggered by compensating for my flights all over the world. As a global speaker, I have already travelled to 36 countries in the world to deliver speeches and I'm certainly aware that flying has a very bad impact on the environment. Since then I'm making more conscious decisions to travel in a more ecological way but in some cases it's very difficult to avoid the plane. I strive to travel by train if possible. And if I make further trips, I try to combine it with some holiday or being a digital nomad and spend a bit more time in that country to get inspired by its culture. And I compensate the flights (most of the time I double or triple the proposed compensation fee suggested by the compensation flights tools).
And it became a more conscious decision thanks to Together We Can Change The World.
Together We Can Change The World is a charity started by Scott Friedman & Jana Stanfield who strive to improve the well being of children and women in South East Asia. They organise twice a year a tour for professional speakers to join them to countries like Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Laos, the Philippines, and Thailand. Next to visiting the charities & interacting with the kids, parents, teachers, ... - TWCCTW organises 1 or 2 bigger events for local business people where the speakers can deliver a talk. Everybody who joins the tour donates an amount of money to participate and you pay for your flights and most of the lodging.
In that way we can maximise the amount of money going to the charities. TWCCTW operates in 7 countries (Philippines, Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia, Laos and Myanmar) and they have a very good, transparent relationship with local charities where the money is going to. I've already been on two tours and hope to be able to join them every 2 years on such a trip. More info about my latest trip with TWCCTW. I've become conscious that every small contribution makes a big difference in somebody's life ...
... And I've decided to donate a certain percentage of my revenues to several charities to give something back to the world. I'm also a street volunteer in the city of Antwerp where I live and try to clean up some streets at least once a month.
The bigger projects that I support
You can click on the image to get a bit more info about those charities.
Together We Can Change The World is a charity started by Scott Friedman & Jana Stanfield who strive to improve the well being of children and women in South East Asia.
Refugee Film School provides refugee students with video editing, training, and support. I met a few of the students and they are doing now some projects for me to support me with social media.
An amazing project from friend Arnoud Raskin by bringing non-formal education to the streets. Discover how street youth and business communities can reinforce each other.
The largest cleanup in history where they develop and scale technologies to rid the oceans from plastic. Check out one of their videos to see how this works. Brilliant project.
We do this by crowdfunding loans and unlocking capital for the underserved, improving the quality and cost of financial services, and addressing the underlying barriers to financial access around the world.
My 2 nieces Janne & Mira and nephew Vic also get a small amount of money and they can choose to which charity they want to donate it.
'Only by giving are you able to receive more than you already have.'
Jom Rohn