Result of the Shortstory Competition

And the winner is... We at Charity Travel are happy with the funny, remarkable, touching, and insightful ultra short stories you submitted. It was thence not easy to determine a single winning story, but we have done exactly that. The most compelling story we found was written by:

Gesire Mbaka

Congratulations! For the attached prize of 30USD please send us your preferred way of receiving it. For those who haven't lifted the prize this time: we might organize another competition in the future. Meanwhile, help us spread the concept of traveling for the good and feel free to share it with people you know to be a little bit crazy too.

Stay tuned!

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And here are the stories:

When we arrived at Kolel village in Northern Kenya,we were welcomed by a ten year old boy wearing dirty shorts with no shirt; he had a running nose. His name was Biem. He smiled shyly and asked if we had a storybook in his native language. We only had English and Swahili books in our caravan library. With the help of our translator, I wrote him a story of a boy who rose above his circumstances and became the pride of his village. Biem became that boy.
Gesire Mbaka, Kenya

I looked out of the window of the bus. He was waving at me, though the bus hadn’t even closed the doors yet. Saying goodbye is as fundamental a part of travelling as is meeting new people, but the intensity is so different it seems unfair. Leaving is so painful, sweet and sour. Sour cause it stings, and sweet because it means there were good moments shared, memories of our youth to be treasured, though many will fade until we’re old enough to remember again.
Bruno Deceukelier, Zimbabwe

The end, the conclusion, the finish line, the big full stop. So many innovative ways to express things that are finished and completed, never to return. Words that at this time of year, have a particular resonance making their long-awaited transition to charity travel like your’s.who raise money and help those who needed which isn’t be easy.You are really one of a kind kamiel...Keep on going and follow your heart...
Tahsin Onur, Netherlands

It is the most unforgettable charity adventure in my life - after our group of volunteers were smuggled into Palestine (yes, "smuggled" - in order to avoid from the Israeli soldiers), at last we arrived the Askar refugee camp after mid-night. In the subsequent 3 weeks, we, a group of Christian, Jewish and Muslim volunteers, working and united with together, to spread the message of peace and love through "primitive" drama, "natural" music and "amateur" sports!
Chon Hiu Pun, Hong Kong

After all night travel in a truck to moyale, our truck stuck in mud for hours in Samburu and I ended canceling my trip and stayed with a Maasai family for a week showed them how to maintain hygiene with the little water available and they trained me how to use the gun while herding cattle.
James Kabubi Kimani, Kenya

We were rafting up the Lugogo River when we saw it: a sinister and amorphous plastic bag floating slowly toward us. Understanding the potential destruction to this rainforest wetlands, we went ashore at the village upstream and for the next few months stayed to teach the villagers how to compost their waste and compact their plastic bags into bricks to build waterproof housing. Now the Umgombo swamp is a UNESCO protected wetland and the villagers of Mbumafiki have the shiniest huts around.
Malia Douglas, India

A young, idealistic man ventures towards the soup kitchen in his local town, ambitiously hoping to help the homeless and hungry of the world – or of Swindon at least. He stands in the queue patiently, alongside the others like him, starting witty conservations with the opening line: “So do you live around here?”
However, he realises that he has been waiting in the wrong queue when a friendly faced, plump old lady asks him: “One scoop or two?”
Richard Prior, Argentina