Social Responsibility Initiatives

Seasons in Africa

Our Philosophy

Our passion for untamed nature, environmental conservation and sustainable resources has prompted an investment into environmentally friendly building elements and materials in our latest building initiatives, recycling our resources and minimizing pollution, a commitment that will form part of all new Seasons in Africa management techniques and projects in the future.

We believe that people are just as important, and we are not just investing in environmental conservation. We continue to ensure that each of our hotels and lodges gives back to their local communities in a way that they are empowered to help themselves.

Every day a guest spends in our provinces, eight tourism jobs are created, which in turn, each one of those jobs feeds a family, and puts children through school.

We encourage you, our guests, to bring your binoculars, golf clubs, or even your briefcase for unforgettable adventures, and know whilst you are having fun, you are changing peoples' lives for the better.

Livingstone’s Adventures

Cruising for charity

The African Queen and The African Princess is no stranger to the mighty Zambian River and eagerly ups its anchor and motors the Zambezi River to raise funds for charitable organisations in Zambia. These entertaining cruises include a freshly prepared lunch and cash bar. The proceeds from the 120 tickets sold on these cruises, as well as the bar proceeds, are donated to the Maramba Old people’s Home, Lubasi Home and Danny’s Home Orphanages and the St. Josephs Hospice.

Christmas Lunch

The most exciting ward at the Livingstone General Hospital is the Maternity Ward. Especially on Christmas day when our chef from the African Queen arrives to spoil the new moms and moms-to-be with a delicious Christmas meal to enjoy.

The Cream of the Crop

With the many activities Livingstone’s Adventure has to offer guest, it also has a lot to offer the top student studying tourism at the Livingstone Institute of Business and Engineering Studies (LIBES). These students are acknowledged as the future, and to help them achieve their full potential, Livingstone’s Adventure sponsor their tuition for the duration of their studies and after graduation are offered the opportunity to join the experienced team.

Djuma

Dust to Dreams

Djuma Private Game Reserve is no stranger to the Manyeleti villages who, together with the Buffelshoek Trust, are continually uplifting their surrounding communities. Their initial investment focussed on school infrastructure due to the lack of classrooms and resources, with many classes being taught under trees and lessons often cancelled due to extreme weather conditions.

The Buffelshoek Trust, together with its partners, has spent in excess of R20 million on the following initiatives. Construction of three crèches; refurbished six primary and two secondary schools including building ablutions and administration blocks; provided electricity for these schools; building of forty-four classrooms; furnished three libraries; instituted agricultural projects adjacent to the schools; assisting in the supply nutritional meals to approximately three thousand scholars on a daily basis; building of seven computer centres and provides fresh water to two villages.

The work of the Trust has grown from strength to strength since Mr Nelson Mandela officially opened the first school established– Nwa Tumberi pre-school. The Buffelshoek Trust addresses an essential need of this poverty-stricken, rural community by providing education - a fundamental component of true empowerment. To further support the initiative, the Trust invests approximately one million rand per annum on teacher training.

Other initiatives such as a establishing a semi-private school, a tertiary education facility, an entrepreneurial support centre, and youth recreational facility, are being planned. Next on the investment list for this active Trust is a health care facility and school sports facilities.

The Buffelshoek Trust is committed to continual involvement in projects that will facilitate the community’s plans for a better future to turn dust to dreams.

Think Impact

The Student Movement for Real Change has recently re branded as Think Impact - a non profit organization registered in the United States that has been working in the local communities alongside the Buffelshoek Trust. Saul Garlick, leads a motivated organisation committed to effectively improve lives in the local communities. Each year American students (Global Ambassadors) from Think Impact come and stay in the communities for a few weeks at a time. They create workshops, build soccer fields, teach children, assist in agricultural programmes and return home to raise more funds.

Crèches

Djuma Private Game Reserve has a long standing commitment to the crèches in the local communities. Djuma Game Reserve supplies breakfast, mid morning snacks and lunch each day to 311 children at the Utha, Dixie, Thorndale and Makrepeni crèches. The initiative is driven by daily village trips which guests can participate in that take them into the local villages with their guide or tracker. The village trips offer an insight into life in the local communities - a portion of the fee charged to the guests is used to supplement the cost of the food for the crèches. Food supplies are ordered monthly and delivered to the crèches, Djuma ensures that the menus have high nutritional value and give a balanced diet to the children.

Knysna Hollow

The cradle for abused children

Sinethemba, a children’s shelter in the Nekkies Township in Knysna, is a day-care facility for children ranging in age from toddlers to teenagers from abused backgrounds. The children are transported to and from the shelter daily, as these leased premises prohibit sleep-over facilities. The children are taught basic skills including personal hygiene, needlework, woodwork, gardening etc. It is the foundation to introduce basic discipline, social integration, nutrition, and finally to integrate these children back into their families, school & society.

Knysna Hollow supports Sinethemba in every possible way, and to help educate and encourage sustainability principles to these children, has established a vegetable garden along with gardening tools and a water tank for rain-water to sustain the garden and its produce as well as fencing. The team provide ongoing assistance and support as well as landscaping and dry foodstuff donations to the shelter. Involvement from the suppliers to Knysna Hollow are encouraged to assist the shelter with donations and sponsorship, as the shelter relies on funding and assistance from the private sector to survive.

Township music and dance on the garden route

Township music and dancing in beautiful country gardens is a treat that guests at Knysna Hollow get to experience first-hand. This winning partnership between Sayaya, Emzini Tours and Knysna Hollow provides performers with the venue to display their talents and an opportunity to earn additional income through donations from guests who enjoy the performance whilst Knysna Hollow assists this initiative to empower them to make a better life for themselves whilst keeping the Xhosa culture and traditions alive.

Elephant Whispers Volunteer Program

Elephant Influence

Elephant Whispers Volunteer program (EWVP) is not just about caring for the six gentle African Elephant but also focuses on cattle management, wildlife conservation, the community and their people. The Alexandra Lower Primary School, just outside Hazyview (built by the Methodist Church in 1946) is responsible for educating over five hundred children from Grade R to Grade 4. The majority of these children are from very poor backgrounds and the school’s meager resources are put into a daily feeding scheme for these children. On a recent visit to the school, the volunteers at EWVP found the school grounds and buildings in dire need of maintenance, especially in the pre-school. The team at EWVP and their volunteers immediately jumped in and spent a few hard days at work at the school upgrading the interior of the pre-school class. The playground has since been upgraded, English and Maths has also been added to the curriculum. A sustainable vegetable garden has been created along with an irrigation system, to generate fresh produce for the children. A traditional herbal garden has been established to supply local Sangoma’s with medicinal herbs to prevent the herbs to be taken from the wild.

The volunteers are also involved in ongoing initiatives such as assisting the Hosana Aids Orphanage by preparing lunches for the orphans, conducting anti-poaching patrols in the Hazyview Kiepersol Conservancy to eradicate snares in the area, as well as assisting with owl research and husbandry.

#1 Melrose

Cookies create jobs

The Khayelitsha Cookie Company (KCC) plays an important part in our society by creating unique ways to improve the lives of our unemployed people. The ladies of the KCC were formerly unemployed and survived on a small grant from the state. Since joining KCC they have been trained in baking, packing, labelling and customer service. #1 Melrose Boulevard is committed to supporting this sustainable job creation and stocks their tasty cookies for their guests to enjoy.

Leopard Hills

A happy place to build on a bright future

The beginnings to education was a dream come true for the Dumphries Community, after a joint project between Leopard Hills and Pride and Purpose was completed. The newly built Jeremiah Crèche stands out next to the dust road with its gleaming jungle gym dotted with smiling children as you drive by. The fully equipped day care facility, will provide the start to education and nutrition for the underprivileged children of this community, and generations to come.

In addition, through very generous sponsorship, Leopard Hills has also donated 28 Computers to the Welani High School which have been installed in the Library facility. These project reflect the importance of ongoing relationships between the Lodges, and the Communities on the fringes of the Sabi Sand.

Deyani and the Sound of Music

The majority of the Leopard Hills staff reside in a nearby community, Dumphries B. The lovely pre-school Deyani, is run by seven ladies who unselfishly volunteer their services to the community to ensure the children and the facilities are looked after. Generous Leopard Hills guest donations assisted in purchasing a CD player, Television and DVD player as well as educational CD’s and DVD’s for Deyani to add even more fun to their days at school.

Madikwe Hills

Bush School

The area surrounding the Madikwe Hills game reserve is not a privileged one, especially the Molatedi Village. When the staff at Madikwe Hills looked for practical ways to help the village it was discovered that the Mfoloe Crèche was in a terrible condition as it was completely reliant on the parents income to keep it going. The disheartened team at Madikwe Hills immediately went to work, and after collecting two years of generous guest donations, plans were drawn up to build and furnish a brand new crèche. The win-win project created jobs and the little inquisitive minds now have an all-weather place for learning. Donors are encouraged to visit the crèche and meet the children, the Madikwe Hills team update guests with regular reports and pictures posted on their website. And as long as guests continue to visit this peaceful reserve, there’s a good chance that the lives of the Molatedi community will continue to improve. To get involved in any of the ongoing initiatives at the rapidly growing school please speak to the staff at Madikwe Hills.

Desroches Island

Environmentally passionate

Environmental responsibility is our passionate mission on Desroches Island, and together with The Island Conservation Society, actively work to deal with the many challenging environmental and marine threats to the island, not to mention the task to eradicate the rats which are an enormous threat to the bird population on the island.

The Desroches Foundation and Fund manages, maintains and protects the natural state of the island. A number of projects are already underway with funds raised by the Fund, such as the prevention of beach erosion, establishing a native broad leaf forest along with a nursery to germinate seeds using coconut palms as organic grow bags and tracking the Green and Hawksbill Turtle. A census to track the Giant tortoises on the island, observe their movements, growth and breeding patterns are ongoing.

Recycling workshops have been introduced to the hotel staff to improve waste control management on the island.

Sustainable building practices include the manufacture of wooden furniture and structures derived from the Casurina trees on the island. All timberwork on the island is undertaken by a group of talented Indian craftsmen.

Hippo Hollow

Shangaan River Club

Hippo Hollow has joined forces with the local community in a joint project to help fund and school the local aids orphanage. Hippo Hollow provides the venue for this initiative to entertain guests whilst earning an income. Guests get to learn of the rich heritage and customs of the Shangaan people and sample their traditional cuisine. The local aids orphans perform cultural songs and dances and narrated folk stories are told by the Chief. Funds raised by these performances are used to support the children of this orphanage.