How Rustic Pathways Made an Impact in 2018
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How Rustic Pathways Made an Impact in 2018

The 2018 Impact Report highlights the growth students experienced as a result of participating in Rustic Pathways programs and the contributions they made in local communities around the world.

In 2018, 97.6 percent of Rustic students demonstrated growth in at least one Student Learning Outcome. And those students completed 187,192 hours of community service on sustainable projects created in collaboration with local partners.

In addition, the Impact Report also highlights contributions members of the Rustic community made last year to support education construction projects in Fiji and Cambodia.

Two families from Colorado worked with the Rustic Pathways Foundation to donate funds used to rebuild a school in Fiji, which is still recovering from the damage sustained during Cyclone Winston in 2016.

More than 500 members of the Rustic community made donations as part of the Foundation’s first Giving Week, which generated $66,203 in funds to rebuild a floating school the community of Prek Toal, Cambodia (pictured above). Construction of the school has already begun and is expected to be complete later this year.

Rustic Pathways students contributed to community service projects created in collaboration with local leaders in five areas: Community Health and Social Services, Economic Development, Education, Environment and Animal Welfare, and Infrastructure.

Read more about these projects in our 2018 Impact Report. You can also read about our impact in 2017201620152014, and 2013.


Want to make an impact during an immersive student travel program this year? Click below to request a free catalog with everything you need to know about Rustic Pathways spring break and summer travel programs for high school students.

About the Author

Andrea Bouch

Executive Director, Rustic Pathways Foundation

Andrea has spent her career exploring social impact and sustainable development while working in microfinance, impact investing, philanthropy, education, and tech. Andrea traveled with Rustic Pathways as a high school student in 1997 and has since visited 50+ countries. She holds an MBA in nonprofit management and international development from the University of Geneva, Switzerland, where she was also an adjunct professor in social entrepreneurship, and a BA from UC San Diego. A California native, she has lived in Chile, Guatemala, and Switzerland and considers travel a central component of her happiness.