etr educational travel

For the third year running, our dedicated friends from a Seoul-based school joined us in April for our Hands for Homes project in Vietnam.

Their continued commitment to supporting families in need is nothing short of inspiring. Year after year, they show up with compassion, energy, and a genuine desire to make a difference.

etr’s Hands for Homes in Vietnam, is etr’s iconic service programme on which students, alongside local residents, construct a traditional White Thai home for a family in need in a rural area west of Hanoi. While the three day service component is the nucleus of the programme, the itinerary also includes an exploration of the capital city Hanoi as well as the opportunity to explore Ha Long Bay or the inland karst region near Ninh Binh.

etr has been operating its Hands for Homes programmes since 2009 and it would be great to have you join us!

Today we share images from a recent etr’s Grow It Forward programme in Cape Town. It is great to see once again the energy and enthusiasm of our groups. Imagine, produce harvested in the morning is put in the hands of local food insecure residents that afternoon.

Groups on our Grow It Forward programme go beyond supporting farm productivity to deliver meaningful, hands-on contributions within local communities. Recent cohorts have built scarecrows, repaired fences and irrigation systems, constructed jungle gyms, and even designed a mobile “library” cabinet to provide books for young learners who visit the farm during the programme.

While service remains at the heart of the experience, the six-night itinerary also offers a rich balance of adventure and cultural immersion, including sea kayaking, African drumming, surf lessons, an ascent of Table Mountain, a visit to Robben Island, and an unforgettable overnight stay at a private game reserve. Come along!

This week, we were thrilled to welcome another student group from South Korea to Vietnam. Their unwavering energy and enthusiasm shone through in the construction of a traditional stilt home for a local family. Bravo!

Amazing photo just in from participants on an etr student service adventure in South Africa—what an incredible way to kick off the day!

Another successful home build by our visiting students from Cairo. The etr staff commended the students on their dedication and team work and the handover to the local recipients was very emotional indeed. Congratulations to our CAC team!

Throwback Thursday: Going through the photo archives, we hark back to October 2004 when three of the most adventurous teachers we know and their ever so enthusiastic 14 students ventured with us to Peru where we crisscrossed the country from the Madre de Dios River to Cusco to, as seen here, Machu Picchu!

¡Qué gran viaje!

Earlier this week, our visiting students trekking in Nepal passed though hamlets where they joined in celebrations of the Hindu holiday of Holi, also known as the Festival of Colors. The festival signifies the end of winter and the start of spring as well as the triumph of good over evil and, getting into the spirit of the festival, the student's faces became smeared with bright colors. And they loved it.
To learn more about our learning adventures in Nepal, drop us a line!

Today our visiting students are literally digging in as they start their Cape Town service project at a community based agricultural initiative which provides organic produce to over 20 food kitchens throughout the region. Stay tuned!

Last week another industrious group of visiting students constructed a traditional house in northern Vietnam. The location of the site presented an added challenge, but the students just stepped up their game to ensure an on time completion. Their energy and enthusiasm carried on after the construction while they engaged in Vietnamese cooking, dancing, and exploring the capital Hanoi as well as Ha Long Bay. Bravo!

etr's signature house build service program is a game changer not only for our industrious students constructing a traditional stilt house, but for the recipient families. This photo is from 2011 when students from a Hong Kong school applied their energy and enthusiasm to new found building skills and completed the home in record time. After the completion of the project, the students explored Hanoi and enjoyed well earned R+R with an overnight cruise on iconic Ha Long Bay.

To learn more about this popular service program, just drop us a line.