Why one Kiwi couple has chosen the Amazon over Auckland

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Work less, donate more: Why one Kiwi couple has chosen the Amazon over Auckland

It started with a question - How much do we actually need to live while we travel?

In November 2015, Ben McMahon and Emma Harfield left New Zealand with a one way ticket to South America with just one aim, to spend their time travelling and volunteering.

A year after their adventure began, they had their answer - $17,000 NZD would mean they could continue with the charity work they loved while being able to support their nomadic lifestyle indefinitely.

Using the knowledge they had from previous corporate jobs, they created an online business to work with clients in New Zealand and all around the world while they travel.

Emma, 38, said: “We’re consultants that care. We work with businesses on all aspects of their online strategy, which uses our skills in marketing, sales and development from New Zealand.

“Any money we make above our needs we donate, and the same goes for our time.”

Using sites like workaway.info and volunteerlatinamerica.com, they have developed and helped projects within communities throughout Latin America.

Working on farms in Argentina, walking a Puma at a wildlife rescue centre in Bolivia, teaching English in Colombia, and setting up a chocolate company in Peru are just some of the diverse projects they have been involved in.

One project, La Isla de Los Monos (Monkey Island) in Peru, holds a special place in the couple’s hearts following the time they spent there in 2016.

Living off-grid in the jungle presented its own challenges, such as trying to develop the island’s online presence, marketing campaigns and education centre content while only being able to use a generator-powered computer for one to two hours a day.

The rest of their time was spent caring for baby monkeys; all orphaned victims of the animal trade.

Ben, 31, said: “We don’t just want to stay in a hotel and take selfies in the places we’re visiting.

“It’s about living locally, meeting people, experiencing the local culture, and using the skills we have to help.”

They are still actively involved with the charity and in July will be returning for six months to concentrate on more projects in the local community, including helping with a monkey-proof solar power solution to reduce the cost and environmental impact of diesel power generation.

Ben added: “La Isla de Los Monos is such an amazing cause doing incredible work, both rescuing primates and also educating visitors and the local communities, that we wanted to give them the tools to succeed.

“Everything is about empowerment and developing projects using the tenants of social enterprise.”

Ben and Emma will return to New Zealand later this year to see friends and family but they won’t be staying for long.

Emma said: “The hardest thing has been missing our amazing friends and family.

“We had great jobs, good money, good things, but no space for anything else.

“We have been able to find a better and happier balance living outside of New Zealand with less money, which means we have been able to concentrate more on charity work and sharing our most precious resource - time.”

ends

Notes to editors:

We set up BE Business, an online consulting, business development, and web development company, which enables us to use our corporate skills to embrace a nomadic lifestyle full of amazing experiences. For more information, go to www.bebusiness.nz

We can also be found here:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bebusinessnz/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bebusinessnz/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/be-business-nz

Viral facebook personality DK The Human has shared our story. The video “The giving nomads” has been viewed more than 15,000 times - https://www.facebook.com/dkthehuman/videos/960216330796815/

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