Making a Difference: Our Charity Partners, Practical Action
In 2022, we proudly partnered with Practical Action, an international development group dedicated to building sustainable lives and livelihoods for those on the frontlines of poverty and climate change.
Founded in 1966, Practical Action has evolved to embody pragmatic, holistic, and systemic approaches to tackling poverty. Their founding beliefs still drive them today, making a difference by advocating for effective solutions and partnering with institutions to scale up change globally.
Together with communities and global partners like Riviera Travel, they develop real-world solutions, turning surviving into thriving and overcoming injustice for women and other vulnerable groups. Like us, they envision societies and economies that benefit everyone, living within the planet’s means, and believe that innovation and cooperation can conquer any challenge.
Their work is super impactful developing sustainable solutions for agriculture, water, waste management, climate resilience, and clean energy and sharing successful strategies to accelerate big change
How is Riviera making a difference?
We donate £1 for every guest that travels with us and offer our customers the opportunity to round up their booking to give an additional donation if they wish. Together, we donated £104,906 in 2024.
In May 2024, we raised an extra £2,312 for the project through our ‘Riviera Races to Kisumu’ challenge, where we walked, ran, cycled and swam a total of 12,680 miles to cover the distance to Kisumu and back!
And, in July, Belle, Rob and Will from Riviera flew out to Kenya to see how our fundraising is making a difference.
The Riviera trio spent the first day at Practical Action’s main office in Nairobi with the passionate and knowledgeable team, discussing their work so far, getting fascinating insights into the project and coming up with more ideas for the future.
Our inspired trio then travelled over 200 miles to Kisumu to join the Practical Action team based there. Rubbish and sewage, including plastic waste, are emptied into the river Auji every day, damaging natural ecosystems, posing serious health risks to the locals, and affecting the local economy, especially fish farming. The waste in the Auji eventually flows into Lake Victoria, the second-largest freshwater lake in the world, which impacts not only Kenya, but also Tanzania and Uganda, making it a regional issue with wide-reaching consequences.
A critical part of our project is engaging the community, demonstrating the importance of keeping the environment clean, and showing how this can be achieved. Belle, Rob and Will got their hands dirty, working with Practical Action, the local community and government employees to clear a section of the river Auji.
While there, Belle, Rob and Will also seized the opportunity to explore some of this beautiful country with a visit to the Giraffe Sanctuary — a highlight of our Kenya tours — where they learned about the history of the giraffe and its different breeds, as well as how the sanctuary actively works to prevent their extinction through breeding programmes.
A highlight of the trip was their visit to Kit Mikayi, an astonishing natural rock formation that holds significant spiritual and cultural importance for the local community. They climbed up for incredible views and explored crevices to see hidden shrines. Ceremonial bamboo trees were planted on the banks of the Auji — three of the trees symbolise the growth of our partnership with Practical Action over the coming years.
On the final day of the trip, our team explored various parts of the river Auji along its flow to Lake Victoria, and learned about the natural filtration system through the reeds that grow in the area. For our team, the entire experience was a powerful one they will never forget.
To find out more about Practical Action and our partnership, or
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