Mr. Kushil Gunasekera speaks at the WITIA 9th Anniversary in Australia

During his visit to Australia in March, 2015, FoG Founder/ Chief Trustee Kushil Gunasekera had the opportunity to be felicitated as the first ever honorary member of WITIA (Women In Tourism International Alliance) on the same day that they celebrated their 9th Anniversary.

The FoG first connected with the WITIA group in September 2014 when they visited the MCC Centre of Excellence in Seenigama. Having met Kushil and heard more about his efforts to uplift the community, especially his experiences during the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami and the efforts that went into rebuilding the village even better following the absolute devastation, the WITIA members were extremely moved.

Upon touring the project premises and experiencing firsthand the magnanimity of the work carried out across such a wide cross section of beneficiaries from the oldest members of the village to the very youngest, they were determined to do what they could to help this noble cause.

They went to include details about the Foundation of Goodness in WITIA NETWORKS! which is then distributed to their 3000 strong database of travel professionals, and invited Kushil to speak at their 9th Anniversary.

Kushil was delighted to meet this enthusiastic collective from the tourism sector, and he felt this opportunity was ideal to discuss with them his concept of community aid tourism which has been long embraced by the Foundation of Goodness, which introduces a new and interesting way to travel as it breaks away from conventional tourism and gives the visitor a chance to truly immerse themselves in a new culture and make a difference. The experience will not only change the traveler, it will also impact the host community, and even long after leaving, their efforts will remain.

The opportunity to be introduced to the WITIA community has been a great privilege for the Foundation of Goodness and we would like to express our heartfelt thanks to WITIA President Mrs. Judy Berry and Administrative Secretary Mrs. Beryl Ley for their efforts in organizing this event and so graciously including us.

16th June 2015