Right now, in Sri Lanka, 80 percent of the children in orphanages have at least one living parent. These children have been given up, despite having a parent alive, in hopes that they may have a better life raised by someone else.
It’s a bleak reality that’s resulted in about 14,000 children in the island country living in orphanages with little hope of finding another family, having access to education, or a better future of any kind.
Dee Gibson, owner of the luxury villa Kalukanda House in Sri Lanka is using her position as a hotel owner to try and help make a difference on this heart-wrenching issue.
Kalukanda House is a member of Kind Traveler’s Every Stay Gives Back (ESGB) program and as part of ESGB the hotel is supporting the Sri Lankan charitable organization Their Future Today - a small, grassroots operation focused on ending the institutionalization and suffering of vulnerable poverty-stricken children.
“The charity has many facets - ultimately they intend to eradicate the need for orphanages,” Gibson told Kind Traveler. “The way to do this is by keeping existing, marginalized families together, who may be separated through poverty. And they are working to introduce the concept of foster care to Sri Lanka. This is an unfamiliar concept on the island.”
Their Future Today also has a variety of education projects in place to help individuals who grow up poverty-stricken in Sri Lanka and thus face a vicious cycle of a lack of education and economic challenges. Individuals existing on the fringes of society often lack confidence and self-respect, explains Gibson, which again is driven by poverty and a lack of opportunity to make progress.
Their Future Today is working to address all of these issues in a variety of ways and Gibson has supported the organization wholeheartedly since 2018.
Kind Traveler’s ESGB program, started in 2023, provided yet another way for Kalukanda House to amplify its support for Their Future Today.
The ESGB program is made up of hotels and resorts worldwide whose owners are supporting local communities by providing financial assistance to area charities that are doing critical work on the ground. Participating ESGB hotels and resorts have committed to contributing funds to a local charity for every single guest stay booked at their property, regardless of where the booking was initiated.
The ESGB program also provides a public-facing dashboard for each participating property, where travelers can see exactly how much support a hotel or resort has provided to its chosen charity.
Of course, the ESGB program isn’t the only reason to stay with Kalukanda House. In addition to the property’s dedication to giving back, the luxury villa and boutique hotel on Sri Lanka’s south coast is known for offering soul-nourishing accommodations and bespoke, authentic experiences.
Featured in Conde Nast Traveller’s 24 Best Places to Go in 2024, a stay at Gibson’s property combines travel, cultural exchange, and well-being all in one place.
The property also offers seasonal curated retreats and Gibson is currently organizing one such retreat herself for this June. The retreat program is known as HERA Project X and it was created by Gibson to shine a light on women who live “at the other end of the scale.”
HERA Project X was created by Gibson to do just that.
“The HERA Project X community is made up of creative women in Sri Lanka and from the diaspora - and growing,” she says. “The idea being that community events, retreats, mentoring, and so on can start to build.”
The initiative held its inaugural event in November 2023. The upcoming second installment in June will see creative women from around the world come to experience a Kalukanda House retreat that will feature a blend of wellness and self-care opportunities, creative cultural exchanges, and mental and artistic stimulation.
“This will be beneficial to the participants who join us from afar and the creatives in Sri Lanka,” says Gibson. “Think of a curated event spanning a few days where you get to spend time in a beautiful property on the other side of the world, rubbing shoulders with like-minded women and taking care of your mind, body and soul.”
The first HERA Project X last year resulted in strong, long-lasting friendships being built. Its participants also left with renewed creative inspiration. And Gibson says the gathering also served as a “balm for the soul.” She expects to see the same results after June’s retreat. There’s also another HERA retreat in the works for February 2025 (Bookings for that event are now open.)
Like the property’s participation in ESGB and its financial support for Their Future Today, the HERA Project X events are yet another example of how Gibson and Kalukanda House are actively helping to make the world a better place.
Author Bio: Mia Taylor is an award-winning journalist and editor. She has been writing and editing professionally for 20 years and holds an undergraduate degree in print journalism and a graduate degree in journalism and media studies. Her career includes working as a staff writer for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Fortune, Better Homes & Gardens, Real Simple, Parents, and Health.