Responsible Travel - Social Responsibility

We have learnt a number of valuable lessons over the past 5 years. These form the basis for our approach to project development, in conjunction with our charity partner The Happy Africa Foundation...

Social Responsibility in Africa

Getting started on a new project - Do your homework:
Sustainable community development projects need to be carefully researched before a project is simply started in a community/conservation area.

Measured aims and objectives are needed for each project:
This allows volunteers to see the bigger picture and share in the holistic vision of the project. To assist in this, we have what we call the “Project Manual” for each project that volunteers are working with. The manual details the research that went into the project, the history behind it, and what the ultimate goals are.

Check yourselves as you go along:
Clear Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (PME) strategies are needed This keeps the projects flexible, dynamic and fluid, adapting to the needs to the community, changing society and cultural demands. When we carry this out, we aim to consult all the stakeholders in the communities we work with, the volunteers, and the project managers themselves.

Ultimately, we like to let our communities and volunteers speak on our behalf when it comes to social responsibility:

"The whole experience was absolutely incredible. It was uplifting, rewarding, challenging, grounding, heart-breaking and soul-destroying in equal measure. To see the absolute joy on the faces of the children when we arrived to spend time with them, or their excitement at being given the opportunity to do something creative, was incredible. This is why I WILL do it again and why I would encourage anyone who is thinking about doing this sort of thing to stop thinking about it, and go and do it."
~ Stuart Neath, UK. Volunteer to our Mozambique project.

"As a department, we truly appreciate your dedication and hope you recognise, as we do, the valuable role you play in building brighter futures for Zambia's next generation. Thank you for your continuing support. It is through the positive efforts of organisations like yours that we can change a lifetime for a child in need..."
~ Zambian Ministry of Sport, Youth and Child Development, 2008

In 2009 alone our volunteers will have contributed approximately 90,000 hours of volunteering in the numerous sustainable projects that we facilitate in Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, South Africa, Zambia and Zambia with new developments on the horizon for 2010 in Ghana and Swaziland.