Our purpose
Supporting community development through human connection
The VSocial Foundation has always believed in supporting local communities. Ever since the NGO was founded in 2001, the VSocial Foundation has been helping communities in tourist destinations improve their quality of life. But what first began as simple donations – donating funds and schoolbooks etc to local schools, – developed in 2017 into something more sustainable – community-based tourism.
Through community-based tourism, the VSocial Foundation aims to help vulnerable and disadvantaged communities in tourist destinations gain access to a tourist economy that all too often passes them by. We believe that through tourism, communities can determine their own futures – and that by bringing global visitors to local communities, tourism can promote authentic encounters and meaningful exchange. While tourists can discover the unique value of a community's environment and traditional practices, the community can tell its own story, fostering pride in the community's history and traditions, deepening community ties and creating leaders of the future.
And this is why we do what we do:
We support communities to become autonomous and improve quality of life by strengthening the connections between people and their lands.
The VSocial Foundation currently supports over 20 projects in South and Central America, and we will soon be expanding our footprint to Europe, Asia and Africa, so that we can create impact with other communities all over the globe. To find out more about our global projects, take a look here. Or to find out how community-based tourism can benefit travelers and communities alike, take a look at this video from the Brazilian Community in São Lourenço da Mata:
By the community
Owned or managed by the community
For the community
With the aim of benefiting the whole community
And beyond
Causing a ripple effect to other people and communities.