Our Commitment to Community
We are passionate about the nations we operate in and want to have a positive impact on the people and the communities we encounter. We immerse ourselves in the cultures we visit, support local initiatives and have launched our own pioneering projects to support communities, through sport and tourism.
Supporting women in challenging destinations
We work closely to support female guides in traditionally conservative nations, where societal gender roles mean opportunities for women are less common.
Working with Afghanistan’s first female tour guide, Fatima Haidari, who used to guide for us in the city of Herat. Fatima had to flee the country when the Taliban retook control of the nation and she now offers virtual tours with Untamed Borders. A portion of the proceeds from these sessions go towards funding secret education programmes for women still in the nation.
We’ve supported women guides in many other nations too and worked closely with a programme in Tajikistan, which was training up the nation’s first female trekking guides, called Women Rockin’ Pamirs. Some of the trainees joined the guiding team on our Pamir Mountain Lakes trekking tours.
We also work closely with an organisation called Free To Run, which supports and empowers women in conflict zones through offering sports programmes. We have teamed up with the organisation in Afghanistan and Iraqi Kurdistan, and James Willcox is on the board of the organisation. We provide donations to support their important work across the globe.
Community events & support projects
Organising the first and only ever mixed-gender sporting events in Afghanistan and Somaliland – the Marathon of Afghanistan and the Somaliland Marathon.
We also worked hard to develop skiing in Afghanistan and assisted with the formation of the Bamian Alpine Ski Club, which provides ski training for Afghan children in Bamian Province. Equipment is also donated and sessions are held to improve safety in the region, including infrastructure improvements linked to avalanche safety. We also support the Afghan Peaks Ski Race, which provides an opportunity for Afghan skiers to compete alongside international visitors – an important cultural exchange.
We’ve also played a very important role in skiing in Iraq, co-organising the annual Iraq Ski Rally It’s the highlight of the Kurdish skiing calendar, drawing people from across the region, along with international tourists. The race and our support work in the area has helped to develop skiing as a sport in the country.
We have donated funds to schemes in Pakistan and Afghanistan, which help communities to mitigate flood risk, through tree planting and improved drainage networks. Both countries are susceptible to heavy seasonal rain, caused by large swings in temperature – this can lead to flash flooding, devasting villages and crops, particularly in rural areas (read more here and here).
These tree planting schemes help soak up water during times of high rain and protect villages, meanwhile the improved drainage networks divert water back to large watercourses and away from inhabited areas. Many of the projects in Afghanistan are organised in collaboration with Afghan Aid, which completes extensive work across the nation to help alleviate poverty and support Afghan communities.
We’ve also supported refugee schooling programmes in Peshawar Pakistan and we’ve assisted Afghan guides to leave the country when the Taliban retook control of the nation.
We also aim to support local services as often as possible on our trips, making sure money goes into local businesses, rather than international chains. We also have an extensive team of local guides, use local drivers, eat in many family run businesses and always aim to leave a positive impression on the communities we spend time with.
