Giving Away - UK's SEO Travel Funds School Rebuilding in Nepal

SEO Travel, a Leeds-based digital marketing firm in the UK, has funded the rebuilding of a school in the remote Nepalese village of Bupsa. This allows 135 local children continued access to education after their school was damaged in Nepal's 2021 earthquake.

In 2021, SEO Travel pledged to donate 100% of its profits to charity to give £1 million by 2031. At the end of 2022, half of SEO Travel's charitable contributions went to Moving Mountains Trust, an international development charity active in Nepal.

Moving Mountains focuses on long-term community empowerment including early childhood through adult education. SEO Travel's donation rebuilt and repainted the damaged yellow school so children and teachers feel safe returning.

This spring marks two years since SEO Travel launched its 100% giving model. So far, the company has donated £74,590, funding projects like the Nepalese school. Company founder Tom McLoughlin acknowledges the £1 million target seemed audacious initially, but remains confident of surpassing the goal.

This giving model can be put on the same line as the Giving Pledge, which is the effort started back in 2010 by Bill Gates and Warren Buffett to get super-rich people to give away a bunch of their money to charity. The idea is to have billionaires and millionaires pledge to donate at least half of their massive fortunes either before they die or through their wills after they're gone. By signing up, they're promising to take the cash they've made over a lifetime and use it to support causes that aim to improve the world in some way. Since it launched, the Giving Pledge has managed to sign up over 240 super-wealthy people from around 30 different countries. Some big names you'd recognize who are on board include Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, Larry Ellison, and Richard Branson.

McLoughlin believes the giving model makes sound business sense as consumers increasingly support socially conscious companies. By aligning business strategy with creating positive global impact, SEO Travel aims to sustainably grow while transforming lives.

The rebuilt Nepal school now provides sustainable education access to 135 enrolled students and 9 teachers in the remote community. SEO Travel's donation is enabling an entire generation of children to attain schooling that may have otherwise been lost.