Ciudad Perdida Family.

Invest in the future. Preserve the Past.

Happy Giving Tuesday!

Today is Giving Tuesday and we wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for your support and to ask you to join us in celebration of this national day of generosity.

GHF continues to work around the world to protect and preserve amazing heritage treasures. Each of our sites tell a unique story of our ancestors and each brings us new discoveries about who we are as a human family.These places are precious and irreplaceable which is why some suggest a “glass dome” approach to preservation—turning these sites into museums, usually at the exclusion of the people who live around them. But GHF takes a different view.

We see our sites as powerful economic engines with the ability to lift communities out of poverty. We see how integrating the community into our work changes lives and makes our work more sustainable.

For example, GHF is working deep in the jungles of Colombia at a site called Ciudad Perdida (the Lost City), the remnants of an ancient civilization 650 years older than Machu Picchu. GHF has helped protect and preserve this significant site against a myriad of threats, including neglect and looting.

Part of our work was the creation of a sustainable tourism plan that has allowed the number of visitors to increase by 157% over the past seven years. These visitors are bringing nearly $3 million per year to an isolated indigenous community and created nearly 200 jobs in a region with few opportunities beyond subsistence agriculture.

The community now owns and operates four ecolodgesalong the trail to the site and they get a portion of the gate fees paid by each visitor. GHF recently completed construction on a new medical clinic for the community, which will be run by the Colombian ministry of health. Next, we will be installing cable bridges to allow locals and visitors to safely cross rain swollen rivers.

Walter Hinojosa is one of our long serving tour guides. Walter has spent over 25 years walking the trail to and from Ciudad Perdida. Walter first joined the project as part of the conservation and restoration crew. He was later a made a park ranger in charge of the site. He now works as supervisor of the project team where he shares his tremendous personal knowledge of the site.

Walter says, “my attachment to Ciudad Perdida is so strong, the site is almost like my mother.”

Ciudad Perdida is a perfect example of how GHF invests in the future by preserving the past. GHF will continue to seek out projects where we can leverage long-term social and economic benefit in addition to the conservation work we are known for.

All of this was possible because of people like you. We would be truly honored if you would support GHF this year.

Click here to make your gift online.

Wishing you a joyful holiday season and a healthy and prosperous 2015.

We are pleased to tell you that our major supporter has renewed their commitment to give $1 for every $3 we raise by the end of the year. Thank you for your generosity.