South Africa and Zimbabwe vacation, tailor made

Planet

In 2005, a serious drought caused all but a couple of the waterholes in Hwange National Park to dry up. In the absence of any permanent surface water throughout the park, these waterholes are vital to the survival of all animals in the park. That year, over 1000 elephant died along with many thousands of other species. Desperate scenes were witnessed as herds of buffalo and impala, traveling long distances, arrived at a waterhole only to find it dry. All they could do was rest awhile before turning away to search for water elsewhere, or lying down to die. Elephant bullied their way through to hold their trunks at the pumps, depriving smaller animals of any chance to drink. To mitigate this distressing situation in future years, the Friends of Hwange formed a trust to try and keep as many waterholes supplied with water all year round.

The Hwange lodges support this endeavour and the other work that Friends of Hwange undertakes.

Along the Park’s southern boundary, many mammals fall victim to snaring. The lodge has thus has joined Hwange in combatting the effects of poaching, conducting patrols and removing snares.

People

The lodges in Hwange and Matabo Hills support the Mother Africa Trust.

Mother Africa was founded in 2006 as a way to build a better future in Zimbabwe. The vision for the Trust is to create a way for people to “give back” to both the environment and to the people of Zimbabwe. Mother Africa seeks to make a positive difference in the areas of education and cultural and environmental research & conservation.

Mother Africa works with volunteers from around the world at the same time, actively sourcing equipment and materials for our conservation, research and education projects. Always ready to learn and improve, our team are widely experienced, passionate and committed to building Zimbabwe in a sustainable, ethical and compassionate manner.

They time in local schools in the area and the kids love learn how the “big” world live. Learning whilst on this adventure is part of giving back – this children are taken to different rock art sites to learn about their local ares.

The Mother Africa Trust attempts to put local children back at school while supplying families with monthly supplementary foods, with the aim of introducing sustainable projects in that area to allow the locals to help themselves.

The Mother Africa Trust supports local children living with disabilities.
and has helped build a new clinic in Ward 17 of Matobo district. It has also made an immense contribution towards the Matobo Rhino Fence project and continues to support this project.