TORONTO — Intrepid Travel has increased the target for its Nepal Appeal to more than $200,000 after being overwhelmed by donations to its not-for-profit, The Intrepid Foundation.

The adventure travel company offered to match traveller donations dollar-for-dollar to assist with emergency relief in Nepal, and originally set a target of $40,000 for the appeal, which launched on Sunday.

The Intrepid Foundation has been overwhelmed by the response from travellers, with more than $50,000 received within 24 hours of the launch, resulting in a combined total of $70,000 raised for the campaign.

Intrepid has now announced that it will now match traveller donations up to a target of $200,000 – with The Intrepid Foundation contributing up to $100,000 to the appeal.

The appeal is raising funds for Plan International, a long-term partner of The Intrepid Foundation. The children’s charity has been working in Nepal for more than 30 years to help impoverished children to access health, education and protection.

Plan has sent emergency teams to respond to the needs of children and families affected by the earthquake in the Kathmandu Valley, with the immediate priority of supporting children’s core needs of shelter, water, health care and essential child protection mechanisms.

All donations will go directly to Plan International with any administration costs entirely funded by Intrepid.

“The situation in Nepal is heartbreaking. This is a part of the world that is close to the hearts of many of us, and we knew that, like us, travellers will want to help,” says James Thornton, Managing Director of Intrepid Travel. “We want to raise a lot of money for local families in Kathmandu, and so by matching donations dollar-for-dollar we are encouraging people to give generously.”

For more information, visit theintrepidfoundation.org/projects/emergency-earthquake-appeal/.