Travel Experts Advisors Support Kenyan Orphans Through the AmericaShare Program

RALEIGH, N.C., Dec. 18, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Beyond being one of the top Virtuoso travel companies, Travel Experts is one of the top AmericaShare sponsors. The program, run by Micato Safaris, matches needy children living in Nairobi's Mukuru slum with sponsors committed to help a specific child or children with school fees and other needs. Travel Experts advisors have been sponsoring children in the program since 2006 and currently sponsor 11 children.

"There are shattering and miserable human conditions found in every corner of the earth but to think that our contribution can change, not just a person, but a family, a community, a country, is so uplifting," said Laura Madrid, a Travel Experts advisor who has been sponsoring a child for three years. "This is not charity, this is providing hope to a child who would not otherwise have access to a safe and nurturing environment in which they can be educated."

"Through AmericaShare we are helping our children over the long term, sometimes through high school. It really changes lives and helps us make a small, but incredibly meaningful, imprint on the world," said Susan Ferrell, president of Travel Experts.  In addition to receiving letters and information directly from their adopted children, thanks to Micato Safaris' specialty in travel to Africa, several Travel Experts have met their sponsored children, further cementing the commitment to that child.

"We are grateful for the support of the many generous Travel Experts associates who donate to AmericaShare's School Sponsorship Programme," states Lorna Macleod, Executive Director of Micato-AmericaShare. "Their partnership with us creates a profound impact on the lives of an increasing number of orphaned and vulnerable children who would otherwise do without an education."

Established in 1986, AmericaShare enrolls the child in a boarding school, and provides clothing, books and school supplies. In addition, contributions also provide clean water, shelter and food for the children. The program has changed the lives of the children, but also those who have participated.

"The most rewarding thing is knowing that I am changing a life with a tiny contribution. It is life changing for us because we are blessed by our child's progress and happiness," said Trish Mercer, one of Travel Experts' independent travel professionals and a sponsor of a girl named Irene for the past four years. "The cost of a sponsorship is so minimal in relation to what happens with that money."

"It's very hard to think about the poverty in the world and you ask yourself, how can I help, how can I make a difference," said Judy Nidetz, another Travel Experts advisor who has been participating for about a year-and-a-half. "It's very gratifying to know that I can, and have, changed the life of one child who never would have had a chance without my contribution."

About Travel Experts:

Travel Experts, Inc. was established in 1989 as a pioneering host agency, designed to support and promote the businesses of independent travel consultants around the country. Travel Experts is also a proud member of Virtuoso, giving their travel consultants access to exclusive, added-value arrangements with top travel providers. For more information, call 800-274-2544 or contact Travel Experts via email at [email protected].  Further details about Travel Experts are also available on the web at http://www.travel-xperts.com/.

About Micato Safaris 

Micato Safaris is a luxury safari operator—offering adventures in East Africa, Southern Africa and India—that's been setting the industry standard for luxury and service for more than three decades. Travellers have recognized Micato's unsurpassed service by naming the company the #1 World's Best Safari outfitter an unprecedented nine times in Travel + Leisure's prestigious annual survey. Micato's other accolades include five Conde Nast Traveler World Savers Awards, most recently for Education in 2013. For more than a quarter century, Micato's nonprofit arm, AmericaShare, has been supporting orphaned and vulnerable children and adults affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Micato furthered its philanthropic outreach in 2010 when the company introduced its revolutionary One for One Commitment, which places one impoverished child in school for every safari sold.

SOURCE Travel Experts