Did you know that when you travel and stay at an African lodge, you are directly contributing to the support of both wildlife and local communities?
Conservation and park fees pay for the efforts behind conserving our wildlife as well as all anti-poaching efforts. Without guests, no revenue for these initiatives can be generated. The lack of travellers to our shores puts our wildlife at great risk of decimation by poaching – either for money or for subsistence.
Tourism also supports local communities with many individuals employed by the camps and lodges. In addition, many properties support local empowerment programmes in the neighboring villages thereby supporting and uplifting communities. This is a key incentive for guests who have an interest in ensuring that their travels sustain the future of the destinations they travel to.
All of the lodges we partner with offer an opportunity for guests to contribute towards wildlife and community. In cities, most hotels and smaller establishments have similar programmes in place to support their local communities.
Kariega Game Reserve
The Kariega Foundation is fuelled by a community and conservation levy paid by adult guests visiting Kariega Game Reserve, making all safari guests and the Kariega Game Reserve owners, management and staff their valued partners and supporters.
Through its efforts, the Kariega Foundation is able to actively participate in Community Upliftment, including a food relief project, enterprise development, education and youth development projects. Wildlife Conservation is supported through its current projects which are a Save the Rhino fund, Endemic and Scare Species Research, an African Barred Owlet project and an Alien and Indigenous Plant Management project.
A stay at South Africa’s Eastern Cape, Kariega Game Reserve means you are directly contributing to the future of our wildlife and people.
If you’ve never watched the incredible story of Thandi (a rhino who survived a serious poaching incident), grab your tissues now. It is Thandi’s story which inspired Kariega’s Save the Rhino initiative in March 2012.
The Dulini Collection
Through its non-profit esiDulini Community Trust, the Dulini Collection strives to make a difference in the lives of its surrounding communities. Through its projects, their aim is to make a meaningful difference through educational outreach that realises individual potential and community growth. Their current projects Project Dignity, Dumphries Digital Learning Centre and Hlayisekani Nursing Home.
Project Dignity is designed to empower pubescent school girls from impoverished, rural backgrounds, to complete their education by equipping them with basic sanitary wear. For less than $20, you can give a girl the dignity to stay in school when puberty sets in.
If you’d like to learn more about these or any other property who actively makes a difference in either conservation or community or both, contact us now.
Email: info@thompsonsafrica.co.za
Tel: +27 31 275 3500
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