At about this time two years ago I was busy wandering around Southeast Asia. After several weeks in Vietnam, I made my way into Cambodia, and immediately fell in love. The perseverance of a people that had gone through a horrific history is enough to bring tears to your eyes, and despite decades of hardship, there is a genuine love and happiness that every Cambodian exudes. I was in awe.

Travel opens our eyes, and often it opens our eyes to those who are in need; Cambodia happens to be one of those places. Last year some amazing travel bloggers came up with the idea of Passports With Purpose, a fundraising campaign that would harness the power of travel bloggers and raise some money for a good cause during the holiday season. The campaign was so successful that it’s taking place again, this year raising funds to build a school in this most eye-opening of countries that I have traveled to: Cambodia.

The 2009 Passports With Purpose fundraising efforts is supporting American Assistance for Cambodia, an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving opportunities for the youth and rural poor in Cambodia. If PWP raises $13,000, a new school gets to be built in Cambodia… obviously, I couldn’t resist in taking part. Which is why we got Under Solen involved as well… we’re all excited about working on the project. And you should too!

How to partake:

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. Check out all of the prizes up for grabs here.

What you can win:

You can’t take on epic adventures without good shelter, so what better prize to inspire some amazing travels than a Sierra Designs XT 4 Ultralight Tent? Thanks to Under Solen for hooking it up!

So for donating some dollars to an excellent cause you can be entered to win this amazing tent which retails for $449. There are tons of other cool prizes as well, so check them all out and donate a few bucks to AAfC. It might just be the best use of your money this holiday season.

Now get to donating… And if you want to keep up with the action, head over to the Under Solen blog where we’ll be tracking everything that’s going on with PWP!