When I first heard about Passports with Purpose, I knew it was something I had to get involved in. Each year, travel bloggers pick a worthy cause and procure a prize for a raffle. Bloggers spread the word about the raffle, their readers donate $10 for each ticket, some win awesome prizes and everyone makes a difference in the world. Pretty great, right?

This year, Passports with Purpose is building a school in Cambodia with the nonprofit organization American Assistance for Cambodia (AAfC). The AAfC is dedicated to improving opportunities for the youth and rural poor in Cambodia. As of right now, Passports with Purpose is only $400 away from their goal of $13,000 to build a school in rural Cambodia. With extra money, we can help improve the school with things like English and computer teachers, computers powered through solar panels, Internet access through a satellite dish or GPRS system, a well or water filter, a school nurse, a vegetable garden and a bookcase of books.

Why a school? Why Cambodia? Here’s what Delicious Baby’s Debbie Dubrow, a founding member of Passports with Purpose, had to say:

“One of the things I was struck by on my own visit to Cambodia was the strong spirit of hope, and the desire to rebuild both at a personal level and a national level, the intellectual society and successful economy that had been destroyed by the Khmer Rouge in the late ’70s. English language and computer schools seemed to be down every alleyway in Phnom Penh. Parents scrimped to sign young children up for lessons in English and computers and to learn the cultural arts that were all but lost during the Khmer Rouge Regime.

In rural areas, the sense of hope and the desire to rebuild might be just as strong, but the options are more limited. This year Passports with Purpose will establish a school in a rural area whose children have been deprived from any educational facilities. A school provides a much needed alternative to poverty or sex trafficking.”

I’m sold. Are you? Hop on over to the Passports with Purpose website and check out all the fantastic prizes, which include cameras, hotel stays, travel gear and much more! For each $10 donation that you make to AAfC, you will will be entered in the giveaway(s) of your choice. The fundraiser closes on December 21 and all proceeds go directly to AAfC.

WanderTot’s giveaway is $100 gift certificate to PosterBrain, where you can get premium-quality photo enlargements of your travels, your family or whatever you want! These enlargements are printed on 200-year archival photographic paper with a satin finish. Their prices are fantastic too, so with $100 gift certificate, you could get four 24″ x 36″ prints. You can upload any photo to PosterBrain’s easy-to-use site: jpg, gif, png, tif, bmp, as long as it’s at least 1 megapixel. PosterBrain will print it and ship it within 24 hours. Thanks PosterBrain for joining me in supporting such a great cause!