Casai is Donating $10 of Every June Booking to LGBTQ Organizations
At Casai, we are always looking towards the future, but the future means more to us than tech and hospitality. For us, the future means creating safe spaces that bring people together, no matter where they’re from, their sexual orientation or gender identity. We celebrate equality and want to help build a world where everyone is accepted in every bar, restaurant or cafe they step into.
In honor of Pride month, we will be donating USD$10 of every reservation made in June to two organizations: Refugio Casa Frida and Casa 1. During the month of Pride, the LGBTQ+ community has the opportunity to be listened to and share their messages about equal rights and other important issues through colorful marches and peaceful protests. This is extremely important for us at Casai and we believe it is important to raise awareness of injustices and inequality, not just once a year.
As part of the values that drive Casai, we actively encourage our team members to “leave the world a better place than they found it” and call out any injustice they may witness or experience. Our vision at Casai is to change the way the world travels, and creating safe spaces around the globe is a large part of that.
This is why it is important for us to support organizations that do the same by raising awareness and directly supporting the community. Here is some information about the two organizations that Casai will be donating USD $10 from every booking made in June to.
All proceeds in Mexico will be donated to Refugio Casa Frida in Mexico City
Launching just over a year ago on May 13, 2020, Refugio Casa Frida created a safe space in order to provide shelter for young gays, lesibians, trans and trans nonbinary people. As well as drug users, sex workers, people who are HIV+ and those who live in dangerous situations and are most vulnerable.
Lucia Riojas and Raúl Caporal are the Co-directors of the Refugio. Their mission is to provide accommodation, security, and psychological care for the LGTBQ+ community who have been kicked out of their homes because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
In their first year, the project has had an impact on more than 125 lives, discharging 117 people from their care. In their annual report, it shows that 31% have regained their financial independence and 14% have been able to reintegrate with their families again. This is not just a temporary shelter but a place where vulnerable people from the LGBTQ+ community can come for psychological support and receive social care. They are supported by professional social workers who promote social inclusion, empowerment, self-love, and community integration.
Other initiatives have contributed to the shelter, such as:
- Kellogg’s KPride & Allies group
- It Gets Better México
- AHF México
- All Out
- International Community Foundation
- GLIFAA
- Comebien.mx
- Other companies that are part of the Pride Connection Mexico.
Refugio Casa Frida fundraised an impressive MX$1,292,273.40 (USD$64,186.81) over a year to be able to build this safe space whilst also raising awareness about the importance of recognizing the dangers of homolesbobitransphobia.
The organization is very transparent about where the donations go to in their annual report:
Operative – 28%
- Rent
- Furniture
- Mobility
- Maintenance
Administration – 40%
- Services
- Salaries and fees
Basics – 32%
- Seed Money
- Equipment
- Medicines
- Food
By donating to Refugio Casa Frida, you are helping cover their expenses of running the shelter and any emergency costs. Whilst also supporting those from the LGBTQ+ community who are most vulnerable and who live under a constant threat of violence in their own homes just because of who they are and how they express themselves.
All proceeds in Brazil will be donated to Casa 1 in São Paulo
Casa 1 is a center for LGBTQ+ youths who have been expelled from their homes by their families. The organization also has a cultural center and a social clinic in the heart of São Paulo. Since they were founded in 2017, they have housed around 380 young people who have been displaced because of their sexual expression. They also help over 10,000 people each year and have continued to do this despite the pandemic. People come from the whole region of São Paulo for help.
Casa 1 has a staff of 30 people, the majority from the LGBT community and they heavily depend on donations and crowdfunding. Any surplus donations they receive are given to the LGBT population in the city of São Paulo, vulnerable local families, homeless people and other organizations they support.
The spaces at Casa 1
Casa 1 has three spaces in the center of São Paulo. One is a house for 20 LGBT youths who have been expelled from their homes and can stay over the course of four months. The main objective of the project is to be a temporary home for these youths. They undertake multidisciplinary tasks so that they can build up confidence and the skills to become independent and reintegrate into the community after their stay. The house also features a public community library and provides a space for people living on the streets where they have access to clothes, water, masks and showers.
The other two spaces are located at Galpão Casa 1. Here they offer socio-educational programs, such as English, Spanish classes, sewing, modeling, singing, yoga and many others. Also the Social Clinic offers free psychotherapy treatments to LGBTQ+ young people aged between 15 and 19 years old.
In total, approximately 3,500 people are helped by Casa 1 on a monthly basis. Since the beginning of the pandemic, they have distributed around 40 tonnes of Mother Earth products, 5,000 food parcels and 10,000 masks.
For those who donate to Casa 1 an amount between 10 and 140 Reais a month (USD$1.90 and USD$26) are regularly thanked on social media and in their email newsletters. Those who contribute more than 150 Reais (USD$28) will receive each month a piece of art created by an LGBTQ+ visual artist who is a partner of Casa 1.
Let’s lead the future of travel together by making the world a safe and accepting place. Book your Casai apartment in the month of June and contribute directly to these local organizations that are actively helping support those in need in the LGBTQ+ community.
