About JWOC – Background
Journeys Within Our Community (JWOC) is a non-profit organization incorporated in California, United States and operates as a public charity in Southeast Asia. JWOC supports and manages a variety of projects promoting improved living conditions for people in Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar. We work to promote economic and educational opportunities as well as improve health conditions.
The idea behind JWOC began when Brandon and Andrea Ross, owners of Journeys Within Tour Company and Journeys Within Bed & Breakfast, came to Cambodia and wanted to give back to the community in which they lived and worked. By receiving donations and support from their guests they were able to start the initial projects which quickly broadened and Journeys Within Our Community was born.
With generous aid from the Founder's Society these efforts led to the incorporation of Journeys Within Our Community and on March 6, 2005, JWOC was officially recognized as a tax exempt organization under 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Service Tax Code.
In the following years, as Journeys Within Tour Company grew, so too did JWOC. After Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar in 2007 JWOC led an emergency relief effort, raising over $30,000 to help the destroyed areas in the Delta Region and support an orphanage damaged and then overburdened because of the destruction. In June 2008 Journeys Within opened an office in Luang Prabang, Laos and hired a community director to work on local projects that fit into the JWOC mission.
In the last five years because of support and donations from around the world JWOC has thrived. There are over 70 students in Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar going to university thanks to the JWOC Scholarship Program. There are now three JWOC Free Schools in Cambodia and Laos that operate six days a week. There are over 300 wells offering clean water to villagers in the Siem Reap area and in Laos local villagers local children now have the resources they need thanks to the JWOC Village School Sponsorship. JWOC has also given out over 200 micro loans to families living below the poverty line.
JWOC was founded under the ideal of See a Problem, Solve a Problem, and with the dedicated support of our guests and donors JWOC has done just this and changed lives.
