Just a Drop founder Fiona Jeffery marks World Travel Industry Day and says the charity’s work has never been more critical
Today is #WorldTravelIndustryDay and a celebration of an industry built on good friends, good times good experiences and good deeds.
Twenty-two years ago this November, I founded Just a Drop so that the burgeoning travel industry could give back to communities across the world and ensure that everyone could access safe, clean water.
Since then, as a sector we have faced many challenges; storms and natural disasters, ash cloud, the SARS outbreak and the threat from terrorism, but none have impacted our industry in such a way as COVID-19. It is unprecedented, but I genuinely believe that by following the government’s advice and doing the right thing as this crisis unfolds, the industry will persevere and rebuild.
On behalf of Just a Drop, I want to say a heartfelt thank you to all of our supporters across the travel industry for your continued support. Never has it been more critical. Much of our work focuses on good hygiene and sanitation practices, and handwashing with soap is the first line of defence against the spread of infectious diseases like Covid-19.
We have been promoting the practice of proper handwashing with soap at Just a Drop since 1998, by providing hygiene training and access to safe water and soap to prevent the spread of diseases and protect communities.
And it is through the travel industry’s support that much of this has been achieved – your customer and corporate donations, raffles, football matches, pub quizzes, marathon-running, bake sales and every individual fundraising effort have ensured that Just a Drop has armed millions of people with the defences that they need to protect themselves from coronavirus.
As I write this, our work continues unabated in the field and we intend to continue to build on this to the best of my team’s and our local partners’ abilities.
We believe that everyone has the right to safe water and handwashing facilities and, now more than ever, it is important that we continue to support communities across the world including those in particularly vulnerable developing destinations across Africa, Asia and Latin America.
As part of #WorldTravelIndustryDay I’m sharing a few images of the Just a Drop team working across the world to improve and transform people’s lives, thanks in no small part to the support of the wonderful travel industry, who continue to play a critical role in this work.
We thank and value all our supporters as we continue our work in these difficult circumstances. If we can do anything for you in these challenging times please don’t hesitate to get in touch as it’s important we all work together and support one another. We have lots of positive stories and case studies, so if you or your customers need something to smile about – just let us know.
Keep safe, keep handwashing and keep smiling for the better times ahead.
