“Travel With Purpose: A Field Guide to Voluntourism”

As seen in “Travel With Purpose: A Field Guide to Voluntourism” (Rowman & Littlefield 2019), Author Jeff Blumenfeld travelwithpurposebook.com

Excerpt from Travel With Purpose

In 2014, (Joe) Watson, at left, was introduced to Dooley Intermed International, a multi-national nonprofit established in 1961 to continue the humanitarian work of Dr. Thomas A. Dooley III, the so-called “jungle doctor,” a charismatic medical missionary from a comfortable St. Louis suburb who in the 1950s captivated the American public with his aid to the people of Asia. During the Eisenhower years, Dooley’s remote medicine missions – 17 in all – were established in impoverished areas of 14 Asian countries using millions of dollars donated by those he had inspired, according to the Dooley Intermed website.

In short order, Watson became a significant supporter of Dooley’s Eco Home for Orphaned Children outside Kathmandu, a home for 28 children who live at the facility while they attend an on-site school.

“I love people, I love children, so support of an orphanage made the most sense to me,” he says as a mule train, the long-haul truckers of the Himalayas, pass us with bags of rice lashed to their sides, bells around their necks softly pealing.

Watson learned of the need for a reliable supply of fresh milk from the Eco Home manager who explained how the children often became ill due to a lack of fresh protein. After much research, Watson realized that water buffaloes are preferable to dairy cows and set about to donate two.

Jeff Blumenfeld