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A Country With Heart. Zambia?

June 7, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Our mission and hope at A World Different is quite simple. To showcase any person or business in the travel industry – hotel, lodge, airline, you name it – that makes a difference to their little piece of the world. You might not even notice it while lying next to their pool, going on their safari drive, or enjoying their cocktail at sunset, but your good time is doing something ‘good’ for the world.

Kafue River

Certain countries and hotels are repeatedly brought to our attention for the way they train locals, pay for schools, invest in local artists, buy medicine, fund anti-poaching – if it’s not Costa Rica, it’s any number of lodges in Kenya or a resort in Indonesia. But one rather unusual candidate has started popping up in recent months – Zambia.

The Bushcamp Company's Chindeni Camp, South Luangwa

Until a decade ago, Zambia was relatively unknown to travelers looking at Africa as a first-time destination. Its economy small, it didn’t have the resources to fund the kind of international tourism campaigns of South Africa or Tanzania. So it has always come across as an also-ran, second or third choice. Its best national parks, South Luangwa and Lower Zambezi, have also never had the cachet of the Serengeti or the Masai Mara.

Sausage Tree Camp, Lower Zambezi

In a way, though, this off-the-radarness might have contributed to Zambia’s charm today. There are 19 national parks, none of them nearly as crammed with lodges as Kenya, Tanzania, and South Africa, with the competition good and yet friendly. The philosophy among operators seems to be less about being cut-throat than about working together towards a common goal. And the goal is to take care of the country without and within.

The SLCS on Patrol

First in a notable series of initiatives is Zambian Horizons, a group of lodges that, despite being competitors, pool their resources to publicize the country. At this year’s Indaba, the huge annual African travel-trade powwow in Durban, South Africa, these camps walked away with most Best Of awards. Working together has worked for them individually.

Inside the country the South Luangwa Conservation Society (SLCS) keeps tabs on conservation at every level. More than a dozen camps and lodges participate, including Flatdogs, Robin Pope Safaris, and Norman Carr Safaris. (See more). Each camp often does its own work too, generating small offshoot projects, and offering trips to local communities or craftspeople. Robin Pope Safaris is a case in point.

The Victoria Falls, Zambia

As in any country with parkland and a burgeoning population nearby clamoring for land, there is a knock-on effect. Animals get poached for commercial reasons, for sustenance, or for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Some get shot for damaging farmers’ crops.

The School Gets New Chairs

By the early ’90’s, the Zambian Wildlife Authority was struggling to tackle the problem of increased poaching. Local tour operators and lodges offered to help ZAWA by providing scouts, whose salaries needed to be paid and who required uniforms, vehicles, and training. For this they carried out fundraising drives. And so was born the Rapid Action Team – better known as Ratz.

Planting New Trees

Planting New Trees

Over time the lodge operators and the Ratz team realized there was a lot more they could do, especially in terms of the conflict between humans and wildlife, education, and wildlife rescue and rehabilitation. Ratz became the SLCS, and its programs have expanded and flourished. In 2009, it even started a mini-marathon, which drew scouts, police, farmers, schoolchildren, teachers, and members of the Zambian Air Force. At the last event there were more than 300 runners. This year, it launched an Eco Awards program that is focused solely on local works.

Project Luangwa, meanwhile, is a charitable organization supported by five safari operators in South Luangwa – besides Flatdogs and Robin Pope, there is Kafunta River Lodge, Shenton Safaris, and Crocodile Valley Camp. It aims to help local communities improve their long-term economic prospects while also avoiding a negative impact on the environment and wildlife. By developing and improving schools, creating a vocational training center, and supporting the micro-financing of small businesses, it tries to give families the chance of a lasting and sustainable income.

Working with Chilies

Among Project Luangwa’s innovative projects is one to keep elephants and other wildlife away from crops by using chilies. Yes, chilies. The peppers are used to make fences and are also added to bricks made of elephant dung that are burned at nighttime to keep animals away. Locals are offered chili seedlings to grow themselves. Project Luangwa also builds schools (check out its website to get an idea of its range of activities).

On the Zambezi River

In the Lower Zambezi national park, SLCS’s equivalent is Conservation Lower Zambezi. Members include Sausage Tree Camp and Chiawa. For the past 8 years it has been funded largely by the Danish Embassy, which has allowed it to buy a plane and establish a base camp outside the park boundaries. From its environmental education center, it runs a mobile education unit, media promotion, and safari guide training.

That many travelers to Zambia don’t know about these projects says a lot about the lodges and operators that fund and run them. They could shout their achievements from the rooftops, but they rather focus on giving their guests a great safari, a great time, and a great lodge. Doing good things for the locals they do behind the scenes. For them it’s all in a day’s work.

- Caren Banks

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Filed Under: Africa, Anti-Poaching, Carbon Footprint, Community, Conservation, Education, Environment, Features, T-Z, Zambia Tagged With: chili, conservation lower zambezi, danish, microfinance, project luangwa, slcs

Adrère Amellal, Egypt

May 13, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Who They Are

Siwa Oasis, located about 70 kilometers east of the Libyan border, has been inhabited since 10,000 BC but was re-created just a few years ago by Environmental Quality International, an environmental consulting company.  EQI’s president, Mounir Neamtalla, first visited in 1996 and was so inspired by the beauty and spirituality of this remote corner of Egypt he expanded EQI’s advisory services to include direct investments in sustainable development – and so Siwa was reborn.

Steeped in history, it is renowned for being the site of the Oracle of Amon, whom Alexander the Great consulted. Visiting Siwa today you will find it very much the same as Alexander did, featuring majestic rock formations, luxuriant groves and dazzling salt lakes throughout the oasis.

Pool at Adrère Amellal

The Siwa Sustainable Development Initiative includes three different accommodations, ranging in price from $45 to $330 per night. The most luxurious, Adrère Amellal, is 20 minutes outside of Siwa and has 40 en-suite rooms overlooking Lake Siwa and is nestled at the foot of the White Mountain cliffs.  Built with indigenous material using traditional Siwan building techniques, the lodge has a minimal impact on the environment.  There is no electricity, rooms are lit with beeswax candles. the stars light up the nights, and the swimming pool is fed by local springs.

Shali Lodge, set in the middle of a lush palm grove in the heart of Siwa, is built of rock salt in the traditional architectural style. It has 20 charming suites that are simply but luxuriously furnished, all overlooking an internal courtyard.

At Albabenshal

Albabenshal is located, quite spectacularly, outside the jagged ruins of Old Shali, a 13th-century citadel in the center of Siwa.  A restoration of what were once rundown Siwan dwellings, Albabenshal has 13 rooms on three levels, linked through a system of alleyways and terraces overlooking the town center.

What They Are Doing

The Siwa Sustainable Development Initiative has brought significant benefits to the local community, while protecting Siwa’s delicate ecology and revitalizing its unique cultural heritage.  It has renewed Siwans’ pride in their cultural heritage, creating a wave of building in the Siwan traditional architectural style and has resulted in a decree by the governor of Matruh that all new constructions be built in the traditional style.

Siwan Woman Doing Embroidery

Most importantly, the initiative has created environmentally and culturally sustainable employment and income-generating opportunities that draw on local materials and expertise. At least 600 Siwans are employed in areas such as the supply of raw materials, production of furniture and handicrafts, transport of goods and workers, and as tour operators.

Creations of Siwa

In partnership with the International Finance Corporation, EQI is working to develop Siwa into a center of excellence for the production of organically grown produce and agro-culinary products, while improving the standard of living of Siwan farmers. The project, which hopes to benefit up to 450 farmers and 50 off-farm workers,  aims to add value to Siwan agricultural produce by promoting the adoption of organic farming and farm management systems that are compatible with international certifications. There are crop-prefinancing and cattle-financing schemes, a renewable energy initiative, and a packaging warehouse.

In August 2001, EQI launched a cottage industry aimed at revitalizing Siwa’s traditional handicrafts and promoting a culture of artisanship among women in the oasis. An initial grant from the British embassy went towards upgrading the embroidery skills of 50 Siwan women to ensure workmanship of the highest standard. The project allows women to work from home or in an all-women setting, in keeping with Siwan tradition. Within a year, the number of women participating in the project had reached 300. Siwa Creations has worked with several haute couture companies in Italy, including Ermanno Scervino and Nia Ferrante.

(Hotel View and Creations photos by Khaled Nagy.)

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Filed Under: Adrère Amellal, Africa, Carbon Footprint, Community, Conservation, Education, Egypt, Environment, Women Tagged With: architecture, artisans, embroidery, handicrafts, organic, siwa, women

Flatdogs Camp

March 21, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Who They Are

Flatdogs is, in this day of high-end safari lodges, a good and affordable alternative. Owner managed, the camp overlooks the Luangwa River in the South Luangwa National Park.

The Treehouse Master Bedroom

With its choice of chalets, safari tents, and the exclusive Jackal-berry Treehouse, Flatdogs is ideal for many a traveler, from honeymooner to family (it is one of the few children-friendly camps) to diehard return visitor. Guests can drive themselves to the camp or fly into Mfuwe airport and start their safari from there. Many safari camps and lodges have a set menu (albeit with one or two choices per course), but Flatdogs has an a la carte menu that allows guests to choose their meals daily.

The Treehouse

The quality of the safari guiding is well known in the region. The guides, eight of them at present, who all come from the area, are a fund of information not only on indigenous culture but also on the history of the area and local conservation practices.

What They Are Doing

Chiyembekezo is a school that was set up entirely by local people for orphaned and vulnerable children. Kelvin, the founder, was concerned about the number of children he found walking the streets, fishing with their fathers, and generally not attending school. With their own money, he and a couple of other local businessmen hired a teacher (a fantastically committed woman named Dailes, who they paid when they could) and started a school in a small house. From there it has grown, and when it was providing education to fifty children five mornings a week Kelvin asked Flatdogs advice about raising funds.

Impressed with his commitment and initiative, the camp happily offered to help. Through combined fund=raising efforts, the teacher’s salary is paid, uniforms for the children are bought, and educational resources provided. The school uses St Agnes’ Anglican Church for classes, and Flatdogs recently helped install electricity and repainted the interior of the building. Future plans include the construction of a small secure storeroom, the upgrading of the playground, and sending Dailes for further training.

Flatdogs has also assisted Mfuwe Secondary School by building two classroom blocks, and it is raising funds for items such as new desks. At present Flatdogs repairs all broken desks from schools in the area.

Fresh from the Garden

Produce at Flatdogs is locally grown, and the camp has helped finance the installation of a water pump to help a local named Rodgers with his irrigation. In its own garden, the camp grows herbs and vegetables and will be helping Mfuwe Secondary School do the same to encourage kids to learn about conservation-savvy farming practices and about the variety of fruit and vegetables suitable for the local soil.

Wake Up!

Flatdogs makes a careful point of not buying only locally. “Buy too much of a scarce commodity,” it says, “and prices rise beyond the reach of local people. So we try to balance our needs, the demands of the business, and the prosperity of local people.” When Flatdogs requires lots of a product in short supply, it encourages Rodgers to grow plenty of it. So every tomato in camp will be local, but none of the fish will be, because it is a valuable protein source for locals and, says Flatdogs, “we want to keep prices down.”

At Chiyembekezo School

Flatdogs is involved in various women’s projects promoting women’s rights and independence by encouraging continued education and careers. It works with Project Luangwa through Eunice Nakachinda, who runs small projects in local villages, particularly with the aim of getting girls into school. Most girls are keen to learn, but they are often required to stay at home to help the family, so her project is one of educating the villagers on the value of education for all children.

Rodgers at Work

The camp also takes about 100 local children on safari each year to teach them the benefits of animals and to show them how peaceful they are in their own environments, to dispel the fear they have of animals who wander into villages at night. Each of Flatdog’s eight guides takes a vehicle full of kids out in the low season. The children are usually in their last two years of school, and most of them belong to the conservation clubs at their school. “We target these children because a couple of other local tourism operators offer something similar but for younger age groups.”

Besides solar heating for water, Flatdogs has some innovative recycling programs. Paper and cardboard go to schools to turn into bricks for cooking. Cans go to Mango Tree Crafts (based at Tribal Textiles), who use them to make a variety of quirky products. Glass and plastic go to Lusaka.

Click here for a Tribal Textiles video

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Filed Under: Carbon Footprint, Community, Conservation, Education, Environment, Features, Flatdogs Camp, T-Z, Uncategorized, Women, Zambia Tagged With: children, garden, luangwa, women

Causing an Uproar

February 21, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

The subject of Dereck and Beverly Joubert’s full-length documentary, The Last Lions, is simply – and sadly – just that. It’s about the last lions of Africa. Which is exactly what they will be unless people take action. Fifty years ago there were 450,000 lions; now there are an estimated 20,000 left. All that in a mere half century. This has been caused by the encroachment of civilization, poaching, and sport hunting.

Watch the Trailer and $10 Goes to Save Lions

It’s a fact learned by few people who go on safari. They don’t realize that the animals they are watching, enjoying, enthralled by, might not be there for their own children to one day see. And that’s what the Jouberts, who have been filming predators in southern Africa for twenty years, mostly for National Geographic, are trying to do with The Last Lions. They want to make people aware of the beauty and irreplaceable richness that will die when the predator cats do.

The Jouberts follow one lioness, who, with her three cubs, flees a pride of females and settles on Duba island in Botswana. The rest of the movie is about her battle to keep her family alive, to feed them, and to fend off attacks by other cats and a massive herd of buffalo. It’s a story of Africa’s wildlife, heartbreaking at times, but it reminds you what’s at stake. Lions in all their glory.

Financed by National Geographic, which has launched Cause an Uproar in order to spread information about the plight of lions.  Also, The Big Cat Initiative, which was started by the Jouberts and National Geographic, is working in Botswana, Cameroon, Kenya, and other countries, to try and halt the decrease in the number of cats. As Dereck Joubert says, “We are fighting for one cat at a time.”

But the Jouberts also do their own share.

As stakeholders in the Great Plains Conservation, which owns properties in Botswana, Tanzania, and Kenya – such as Duba Plains, where the movie was filmed, and Ol Donyo Lodge – the company puts money back into conservation and cat programs and anti-poaching. To support their company and its properties is to support wildlife.

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Filed Under: A-F, Africa, Anti-Poaching, Botswana, Conservation, Environment, Kenya, Tanzania Tagged With: big cat initiative, great plains conservation, jouberts, lions, movie, predators

Q & A with Africa’s Eden

July 29, 2010 By admin 1 Comment

Gabon’s tourism – most of it sustainable tourism – will quite possibly vanish by the end of August. The sudden withdrawal of Africa’s Eden, the main creator of tourism to the country, spells disaster for many people’s dreams, the country’s name, and a section of the economy. The marketing director for Africa’s Eden, Jacqueline Van den Broek, answers questions about what went wrong.

A World Different How long have you been in Gabon?

Van den Broek Africa’s Eden grew from a pilot project named Operation Loango, initiated in 2001, with the aim to conserve the pristine nature of Gabon through small-scale tourism. Loango National Park was one of the 13 new parks created in 2002, and it did well thanks to thanks to the efforts of SCD (Société de Conservation et Développement) and its parent company, Africa’s Eden.

AWD What kind of money and infrastructure did you put in there”

Van den Broek Fifteen million Euros for aviation, tourism, education infrastructure (we built school in the village, educated eco guides), and three million Euros went directly to conservation projects.

AWD Why did you choose Gabon as a venture?

Van den Broek Rombout Swanborn, Africa’s Edens’ owner, grew up there, saw the beauty and fragility of the ecosystem, and wanted to protect it via an entrepreneurial and sustainable way.

AWD Can you say a little about the owner of Africa’s Eden?

Van den Broek Rombout Swanborn spent part of his childhood in the Gamba region of Gabon. When he returned to Gabon after many years, he realized that west central Africa is one of the few places on earth that has remained relatively untouched by humankind, and that it deserves to be conserved for current and future generations. Africa’s Eden’s approach aims to establish and sustain west central Africa as a unique global destination for tourism, in order to conserve and protect its natural and cultural heritage.

AWD What has gone wrong now in Gabon?

Van den Broek The move is a result of the failure of negotiations following a dispute between the Gabonese civil aviation authorities (ANAC) and Africa’s Eden’s sister company, SCD Aviation, which ran a regional airline charter company to transport tourists from the capital Libreville to the park. Even active support of key members of Gabonese government could not prevent the severe consequence of a malfunctioning civil aviation authority that failed to create the conditions necessary for regular and safe aviation transportation: SCD Aviation was consistently refused the renewal of its Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC), even though all requirements were met.

Another consequence of this problematic situation is the fact that the European Union blacklisted all Gabonese airlines in 2008 when a large number of deficiencies were reported with regards to the capability of ANAC “to perform their air safety oversight responsibilities. More than 93 percent of the ICAO standards were not implemented.” This was the lowest percentage of all audited countries, and makes ANAC in Gabon one of the poorest performing civil aviation authorities in the world.

AWD You have the support of some of the government, though?

Van den Broek Correct. But ANAC is a fairly independent operating agency which apparently is hard to control from government side. This remains, however, also one of our own questions.

AWD Gabon got a lot of publicity in America and elsewhere the last few years as a travel destination. Do you think that was largely (if not solely) due to Africa’s Eden?

Van den Broek Africa’s Eden has always actively sought publicity and welcomed journalist and film crews from all over the world. Publications in National Geographic and documentaries on BBC and Animal Planet contributed to create awareness. Apart from that we went to all the large travel trade shows to promote Gabon.

AWD Do you think this is going to change things for the country?

Van den Broek Yes, they will lose their spot on the tourism map, I’m afraid. Without a decent tourism infrastructure in the national parks, tourism development as a serious economic sector will not happen.

AWD Is this a typical case of African corruption or how do you see it?

Van den Broek I am not the person to make these kind of qualifications, we can only see the result of this conflict by no longer having international tourists visiting Gabon. Other countries like Malawi, Cameroon, Sao Tome and Principe won’t stand still. In other words, if you don’t develop other countries will.

AWD Africa’s Eden is strongly in favor of sustainable tourism, isn’t it? Was this having a positive effect in Gabon?

Vandenbroek Very much so. One only has to consider the conservation projects conducted. Apart from that we created many jobs and education and provided a stable economic base for people in Gabon.

AWD How many people came to Gabon as a result of Africa’s Eden having camps and lodges there?

Vandenbroek Africa’s Eden realized 8000 bed nights a year

AWD What is your next move?

Vandenbroek As long as there is no reaction or action from ANAC or government, the lodge will remain closed.

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Filed Under: Carbon Footprint, Conservation, Environment, Gabon Tagged With: aviation, bbc, loango, national geographic, swanborn

Going, Going … Gabon!

July 29, 2010 By admin 1 Comment

Gorilla, Goodbye?

The small Central African country of Gabon has been getting a lot of great publicity over the last few years. A tourism jewel, magazines and newspapers called it. This was mostly due to the efforts of – and 15 million Euros paid by – one man, Rombout Swanborn, the low-key Dutch businessman and conservationist. Investing in aviation access, tourism infrastructure, and nature conservation in Gabon, he had lodges and eco-camps built, staff trained, and he made way for research and monitoring groups to study the area, especially the rich Loango National Park.

But no more.

Swanborn’s company Africa’s Eden, has announced it will pull out of Gabon on September 1, 2010. Behind it the company will leave a country to which it, as the main tourism operator, has helped introduce thousands of tourists. Through Africa’s Eden they saw Gabon’s magic rich forests, lowland gorillas, and rare beaches.

The sudden move - a serious blow to sustainable tourism in the region – comes as a result of “the failure of negotiations following a dispute between the Gabonese civil aviation authorities (ANAC) and Africa’s Eden’s sister company SCD Aviation, which ran a regional airline charter company to transport tourists from the capital Libreville to the park.”

In a strongly worded statement, Africa’s Eden called ANAC a “malfunctioning civil aviation authority that failed to create the conditions necessary for regular and safe aviation transportation.” As a result of this, the EU blacklisted all Gabonese airlines in 2008 and it got “the lowest percentage of all audited countries (which) makes ANAC in Gabon one of the poorest performing civil aviation authorities in the world.”

Swanborn said numerous efforts had been made to come to an agreement, but they had failed. The inability of his company’s planes to function properly in Gabon had crippled the company and led to severe financial losses.

“We are highly disappointed,” he said, “as a solution would have benefited all parties involved. In the end, the Gabonese people. ”

Africa’s Eden is no longer promoting Gabon as a tourism destination. At least 125 people will lose their jobs when the company leaves. And conservation research, which has so far been helped to the tune of 3 million Euros in the study of whales, manatees, lowland gorillas, and chimpanzees, will lose a crucial benefactor.

(See A World Different’s Q&A with Africa’s Eden’s Jacqueline van den Broek.)

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Filed Under: A-F, Anti-Poaching, Carbon Footprint, Conservation, Environment, Features, Gabon, News, Uncategorized Tagged With: africa's eden, gorillas, manatees, whales

Le Quartier Francais, Franschhoek, South Africa

July 24, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

Le Quartier Courtyard

Who They Are

Le Quartier Français is an exclusive boutique hotel situated in the stunning yet quaint town of Franschhoek, just 50 minutes from Cape Town, in a spectacular valley that is a must for any food or wine lover. Always on hand and keeping an eye on keeping the hotel’s sterling name is the larger-than-life owner, Susan Huxter.

A Feast of Colors

A Grande Room

Tucked away in secluded gardens, you wouldn’t think that LQF’s gorgeously decorated rooms and suites, with their mountain views, are still so central. It is so quiet that you could be in the countryside, yet you are close enough to stroll to the myriad shops and eateries springing up in this increasingly popular hideout. Huxter has also created a fantastic shop selling local things that will leave you with your arms loaded, as well as a private 30-seater moviehouse.

The Four Quarters by Night

Lesotho Highlands Trout, Squid Ink, and Avocado

Known for its gastronomic experience – at restaurants ICI and the Tasting Room – LQF starts your day with a breakfast that is incomparable … and from there on it only gets better. Whether it is bistro lunches or homemade truffles or sensational sold-out dinners, they all come from the kitchen of award-winning chef Margot Janse and her team. Make sure to ask LQF about their range of cooking and eating adventures.

What They Are Doing

Three years ago 68-year-old Mrs. Ndaba (LQF prefers to not give out her first name) began a nursery school in her little pink shack in the informal local settlement Langrug, and she soon had 67 toddlers – aged two to six – to support and teach, but with no funding. Hearing about this in 2009, LQF, with the aid of a dietitian, began a program to make muffins crammed full of all the daily nutritional requirements growing children need. These are delivered every Friday, and any interested guests and visitors can not only join in the delivery but help bake the muffins. (Watch a video of Mrs. Ndaba’s Fridays, below, with a funky soundtrack.)

But that’s only where the story starts. On the very first day of the Friday program, one guest was so inspired that he offered to fund meals at the school for every Monday for a year. He became known as Mister Monday. Before long, every day of the week had been sponsored, even by people who had not stayed at LQF.

The Cottage Entrance

A significant portion of the produce used in the restaurants is sourced locally and come from very small producers who knock on the back door with their produce of the day, and LQF’s restaurants support Streetsmart, which adds money on to each diner’s bill to finance programs that help street children. The hotel also contributes to the Kusasa Project, which is aimed at improving the lives of underprivileged children. LQF also supplies food to the local soup kitchen, and it donates its old linens to the local hospice.

iCi, the Restaurant

LQF has a three-year in-house training program focused on local kids who have completed high school. Of the 15 who have completed the course, a number have worked at Wheatleigh and Blantyre, both luxury hotels in Lenox, Massachusetts, as well as at Singita.

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Filed Under: Community, Education, Features, Health, Le Quartier Francais, South Africa Tagged With: gastronomy, huxter, ndaba

Campi ya Kanzi, Kenya

July 21, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

Who They Are

Campi Ya Kanzi is a lodge in the Chyulu Hills section of the great Kilimanjaro Ecosystem, a 280,000-acre reserve where Ernest Hemingway wrote The Green Hills of Africa.

Up to sixteen guests can be accommodated in six cottages and two suites, all set on wooden platforms and underthatch, with large en-suite bathrooms (with solar-heated water). The African decor has Italian accents, reflecting the background of owners Luca Belpietro and Antonella Bonomi. There is also Kanzi House – with its own swimming pool and Jacuzzi – that can accommodate up to ten people.

What They Are Doing

In 2000, Luca and Antonella formed the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust. Its mission is to support the preservation of biodiversity within the Maasai tribal lands of East Africa by promoting conservation, education, and health services within the Maasai community. A $100 conservation fee per guest per day is paid to the trust. (Watch Luca talk about the trust in the video below.)

Campi employs 152 Kenyans, and the trust is involved in education, health, and conservation.

Forty teachers are employed in 14 local primary schools. A gifted-pupils private school is run for the best pupils. A total of 22 secondary-level scholarships are offered to the best pupils. The trust runs a public school it built and which is attended by 722 pupils.

The trust employs a doctor and four nurses to look after three dispensaries.  One of them has been provided with solar electricity and a bore hole.

The trust has set aside a private conservation area of 5,000 acres on this traditional Maasai pastoral land to ensure the preservation of one of the earth’s most diverse ecosystems and the fascinating traditions of the Maasai people.

The trust employs 60 anti-poaching scouts and eight other scouts to monitor the lion population.

Its Wildlife Protection and Compensation Program strives to protect lions in southern Kenya from the threat of extinction. Losses caused by predators are compensated by the trust to the Maasai landlords, only if the predators themselves were not hunted, thereby assuring a measure of protection to the lions roaming the reserve. It runs the Simba Project, a  scheme whereby landlords are compensated for livestock killed by predators.

Animal Spotting

As a result, the lion population has increased by more than three hundred percent in two years. The presence of lions encourages tourism, and as the Maasai learn to coexist with the lions, they see them as an extension of their lifestyle rather than as a threat.

The actor Edward Norton is the U.S. president of the Trust, which is also supported by the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Fund (a 501(c)(3) organization). The fund is about to invest some $250,000 in health facilities. In 2006, Cartier, together with Norton, promoted its Love Charity Bracelet program to generously provide the trust with a substantial contribution.

In Their Own Words

“We began Campi ya Kanzi in 1996 not with personal financial gain in mind, but with the objective of using profits from sustainable tourism to protect and preserve the local ecosystem and to sustain the traditional culture of the Maasai people.”

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Filed Under: Africa, Campi Ya Kanzi, Community, Conservation, Education, Environment, Features, Health, Kenya Tagged With: campi ya kanzi, cartier, chyulu, edward norton, lions, maasai, simba project

Singita Pamushana, Zimbabwe

July 20, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

Amongst the Mopane Trees

Who They Are

Singita Pamushana is situated in one of the last remaining pristine game reserves in the southeast corner of Zimbabwe, the Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve. The reserve boasts some of the greatest varieties of mammal and bird species on the African continent, due to the 38 different habitat and ecological zones found on the property.

Overlooking Malilangwe Dam

Nestling beneath the trees, the lodge incorporates the natural environment, and the forest-like architecture

View from the Main Suite

enhances views of the pool, the lush gardens, and the lake below. Pamushana Lodge comprises six luxury suites and one villa, each offering incredible views of the Malilangwe Dam. The lodge design is elegant, contemporary, and bold to match the sheer majestic scale of the landscape. Lodge facilities include indoor and open-air dining rooms, three lounges, and an impressively stocked wine cellar, as well as a bush spa and two communal heated swimming pools with a Jacuzzi. Activities at Malilangwe are tailored to suit clients interests, and include game drives, exciting spotlit night game drives, walking trips, visiting Bushman caves and paintings, canoeing and fishing in the well-stocked lake. There is also a tennis court.

The Painted Dogs of Pamushana

What They Are Doing

Singita Pamushana is the tourism arm of the Malilangwe Trust, a not-for-profit organization that was established to manage an extraordinary wilderness area abutting the Gonarezhou National Park in south eastern Zimbabwe.

Singita manages the lodge on behalf of the trust and all proceeds are used for conservation and community outreach and development programs. Since its inception, the trust has been committed to environmental conservation, with a special focus on rhino, hartebeest, sable, wild dog and the habitat. The conservation team is, as in other Singita properties, involved in the ongoing monitoring, protection, and development of the biological diversity of the reserve. A captive breeding program is currently being designed to ensure the safe breeding of disease-tolerant, endangered species for reintroduction into the reserve and other conservation areas. To date, it has reintroduced diverse wildlife, including the black and white rhino.

A Cornucopia of Africa, Singita's Trandemark

The trust is also involved in supporting projects allied to its conservation efforts. Such support includes introducing donor funding for the Frankfurt Zoological Society’s partnership with Zimbabwe’s Parks and Wildlife Management to rehabilitate  neighboring Gonarezhou National Park; facilitating rhino anti-poaching initiatives; and the injection of funding to enable the widespread provision of rabies vaccines to the government veterinary department. Another extraordinary responsibility of Malilangwe is the protection and preservation of over 100 San historical rock art painting sites which are found on the reserve.

The Lodge

Singita Pamushana operates – the same as its sister property in Tanzania, Singita Grumeti – on a very unique basis. The lodge was established for the sole purpose of generating income to assist in funding the conservation and community outreach programs coordinated by the Malilangwe Trust. The Neighbor Outreach Program is the vehicle through which Singita Pamushana and the trust focus on community development.

A cornerstone project to respond to a critical situation facing local schools is the provision of a fortified meal of a corn-soy blend, in porridge form, to some 20,000 children per school day, most of whom are under the age of five.

Children in Line for Breakfast

The NOP is also focused on food security, a critical issue at this time in Zimbabwe’s history, and facilitates the establishment of irrigation projects to enable vulnerable communities to grow their own food and supply drinking water. In addition, the NOP is actively involved in the provision of community infrastructure, including the building and equipping of clinics and school blocks.

In Their Own Words

“With a vision to securing and preserving an increasing number of pristine locations, Singita has a firm commitment to maintaining the sustainability of each property by continuing to build upon our three pillars of wildlife conservation, eco-friendly tourism, and community support. Singita is the Shangaan word for ‘a place of miracles.’ and it is intended that this applies to all who are in contact with it – whether guest, staff, local communities, or the wildlife and natural habitat of the Singita reserves and their lodges.”

http://www.artinfo.com/
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Filed Under: Africa, Community, Conservation, Education, Environment, Features, Health, Singita Pamushana, Zimbabwe Tagged With: frankfurt zoological society, gonarezhou, malilangwe, pamushana, singita

Guludo Beach Lodge, Mozambique

July 12, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

A Dhow on Rolas Island

Who They Are

Far in the northern extremes of Mozambique, beyond Pemba in the Querimbas Archipelago, lies the beach oasis of Guludo Beach Lodge. Set up by Amy and Neal Carter-James, a young English couple who passionately believed that quality tourism could benefit poor, rural communities, Guludo goes much further in achieving sustainable tourism than countless resorts around the world that are many times bigger.

A Tented Banda by Night

Designed to blend in with the landscape without impacting it, the four types of accommodations all open up right onto the beach. The Adobe Bandas have king-size beds under a high thatched roof, and in the Tented Bandas your lodgings are beautifully furnished bespoke tents under thatch that let you feel a part of nature without losing the comfort. Also, there is the two-bedroom Family Banda and the more private Zala Suite.

The Simplicity of an Adobe Banda

If lazing on the white-sand beach gets boring, or you need a break from scuba-diving the coral reefs,  there are tours to the fascinating and historic Ibo Island and Rolas Island, as well as whale watching and, with the Querimbas National Park right behind you, a hideout to look for elephants.

Under their company Bespoke Experience the Carter-James plan to open other similar properties.

What They Are Doing

The Carter-James’s plans began to take root in 2002, when, at a meeting in Guludo village, community members said they would like to help them realize their dream of creating a lodge that helped the locals uplift themselves. Guludo was built following guidelines on how to make as little impact and be as unobtrusive as possible, and to respect local customs and culture. The lodge keeps in mind the principles of fair trade (such as employing 50 people from Guludo village and acquiring all its produce from within a five kilometer radius).

An Adobe Banda on the Beach

All furniture and furnishings were produced by local artisans on site, and even uniforms were made by a local tailor with locally bought fabric. Guests are encouraged to buy locally. Several groups have been set up in the area to provide products and crafts, including two weaving palm, one weaving bamboo, and one doing ceramics. These groups sell directly to guests and to the lodge, and a craft store is being created. It is hoped this will create work. The lodge also encourages local services, such as taking guests to a lookout to see elephants and promoting local dance groups.

Better Eating, Thanks to Nema

Five percent of Guludo’s income goes to a specially created foundation, Nema, which carries out an array of community and conservation projects. Numerous local issues were identified before Guludo opened – high infant mortality, lack of education, and lack of jobs.

Prior to Nema, less than one percent of children went on to study at secondary school and less than 20 percent completed all 7 years at primary school because of the costs and the need for children to help gather food. Nema is building two new primary schools and hopes to build a secondary school next year. A feeding scheme now provides a total of one nutritious meal to 550 children every school day. This year Nema has given out 79 scholarships, although funds are sorely needed to keep this number up (see how you can help). School attendance, as a result of these efforts, has increased by 350 percent.

The Fascinating Ibo Island

In the Guludo area the average life expectancy is 38, and 30 percent of children do not reach the age of five, many dying as a result of  malaria. In 2007 and 2008 over 4,400 insecticide-treated nets were distributed to each woman in six villages who were either pregnant or had children under five, resulting in over 10,000 people sleeping under nets. In 2010, Nema hopes to reach every woman with a child under five in all 12 neighboring villages.

Women Especially are Targeted for Help in Guludo Village

Every day 102 children in Mozambique are infected with HIV and less than three percent will receive treatment. The majority of new infections are in young people, with girls between 15 to 19 three times more at risk than boys the same age. A new local drama group has been trained to perform sketches illustrating the dangers of HIV, and its reception has been incredible, with whole villages turning out to watch the performances. Nema will also start to run HIV workshops, distribute condoms, and will show HIV awareness films. In 2010 it also plans to start a school soccer project to raise awareness among the youth.

Right Behind the Beach ... the Bush

In 2007, around Guludo, less than 50 percent of the population had access to safe water and the majority of pumps were in disrepair. In 2007/2008 Nema completed 28 new or rehabilitated water points and pumps in 12 villages, resulting in the provision of clean water to over 12,000 people.

A Humpback off Guludo

Guludo has also developed a seafood buyers guide to help people decide what non-endangered fish to buy. Guests have helped sponsor humpback whale research, and the lodge helps locals develop kitchen gardens and plans to start working with farmers to be more conscientious of protecting the forest and bush around them.

In Their Own Words

“Inspired by the people living in the Guludo area, Guludo Beach Lodge is just the beginning. Like many entrepreneurs, ideas  always abound and you never quite know what’s just around the corner in their quest of using business to relieve poverty.”

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Filed Under: Carbon Footprint, Community, Conservation, Education, Environment, Features, Guludo Beach Lodge, Health, Mozambique, Women Tagged With: carter-james, crafts, nema, water, whale
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