The Rivers and Forests Alliance (RAFA) have an awesome auction coming up where you can bid on some incredible adventure trips in all sorts of places around the world.
- An Alaskan multi-day rafting trip
- Two different California rafting trips
- A historic Colombia rafting and cultural adventure
- A multi-day, multi-sport adventure in Huasteca Potosina, Mexico
- Costa Rica experiences in the cloud forest, at a beach paradise, by Tortuguero National Park, rafting, a canopy zipline tour, and staying in a treehous
RAFA was set up to further the conservation work of Rafa Gallo who was founder of RAFA and needs little introduction to those who have been with the IRF for many years. Rafa passed away from pancreatic cancer in March 2021.
During the 35 years he operated his award-winning Rios Tropicales adventure company in Costa Rica, Rafa Gallo combined conservation and ecotourism in an irrefutable partnership. Rafa believed the sport of whitewater rafting was a bridge builder for peace, responsible community development, and conservation. Hence, the first RAFA charity auction fundraiser supports these three core foundations of Rafa’s legacy.
The Rivers and Forests Alliance (RAFA) team is thrilled to announce their first charity auction fundraiser – RAFAuction – from March 21 to April 1, 2022. Funds being raised will go to the following three endeavours which were close to Rafa’s heart:
1. CONSERVATION:
Funding Pacuare Watershed conservation projects under the Rivers and Forests Alliance (RAFA), including supporting the inaugural RAFA Pacuare Conservation Festival set for April 22-24, 2022. [40%]
2. SPORT:
Funding Team RAFA, the competitive Costa Rica U-23 rafting team, to travel to Bosnia in May 2022 for the IRF World Rafting Championship 2022. [35%]
Rafa Gallo helped found the International Rafting Federation (IRF) in 1997 and served in a leadership role, including as president, vice president, and first honorary president, until his death in March 2021.
3. PEACE & RESPONSIBLE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT:
Funding Team Remando por la Paz (Paddling for Peace) – the Colombian former guerrilla fighters turned peace rafters – to travel to Costa Rica for a one-month hosted exchange to learn the business of rafting ecotourism. [25%]
Rafa led the way in bringing rafting training to these ex-FARC guerillas as a peace and development mission with the United Nations. He helped train the first team in 2018 and brought the Remando por la Paz team to the IRF World Rafting Championship 2019 in Australia, where he served as their coach. Read more about this remarkable project here. https://paddlinglife.com/whitewater-rafting/rafting-for-peace-farc-guerillas-in-colombia-trained-as-raft-guides/
HOW TO PARTICIPATE:
Click on this RAFA Auction link to the online charity auction and take a look at the incredible, thrilling adventure trips on offer in inspiring places like Alaska, Mexico, Colombia, California, and Costa Rica.
AUCTION: Bid on any auction items of your choice. You have excellent odds of winning one or more of these exhilarating adventures! You can bid more than once on the same trip if someone else is trying to outbid you.
DIRECT DONATIONS: If you’d like to make a direct donation of any amount, RAFA will match your gift with native hardwood trees planted at their RAFA Pacuare Conservation Festival (April 22-24) in Costa Rica. The cost per tree is approximately $5.00 and includes purchasing the tree, labor to plant the tree, and annual expenses caring for the tree for 3 years after planting.
Get bidding!
