Botswana Delta and Kalahari Luxury safari for families

Planet

CARBON REDUCTION

Feline Fields Lodge is completely off-grid and uses state-of-the-art solar technology.

Human powered activities are available throughout the itinerary including both walking and mokoro safaris at Feline Fields Vintage Camp. At Feline Fields Lodge there are a range of activities that do not contribute carbon to the atmosphere including desert biking, horse riding, walking, tennis and even golf practice.

ENVIRONMENT AND WILDLIFE

Giraffe reintroduction: The main threats to giraffe in Botswana include poaching, habitat loss and fragmentation as a result of expansion of agricultural activity, climate change, and a general lack of education in wildlife conservation.

Data from around Feline Fields Lodge showed that they disappeared due to excessive hunting and that the area's ecosystem would now allow them to thrive again. The overall aim and objective of the project is to stablish a breeding nucleus of giraffes in the region of the Kalahari where the species used to live. By achieving this it is hoped ecological integrity and diversity will improve in the area.

The next step is to welcome a group of four giraffes. The acclimatisation of the giraffes to their new territory will be done in progressive steps. At first, they will be acclimatised in an enclosure, and then released around the Feline Fields Lodge area with regular monitoring and careful care to ensure that the species survives and thrives once again on their ancestral lands.

Donation to the Feline Fields Trust will help them monitor their safety and reintroduce more giraffes in the future and 100% of donations goes to on-the-ground conservation work.

In an area such as Khwai which is also accessible to self-drivers and mobile safaris the expert nature guides from Feline Fields Vintage Camp uphold strict practises with regards to viewing animals and how this should be best carried out.

People

LOCAL ECONOMY

The playgroups project was one of the first programmes introduced when Feline Fields began.

Born from a lack of early childhood care facilities in remote areas of Botswana, the playgroups fill a critical need because quality early development is essential to laying the foundation for success in later life.

We started by creating two local playroups, one in Tsao and one in Nokaneng, so that the youngest children in the region, aged between three and five, have access to a pre- school structure that allows them to develop and socialise during the day. They have now added a third playgroup in Kaure, not far from Feline Fields Lodge.

To accomplish this, they completely renovated buildings, turning them into classrooms and playrooms through donations from the Feline Fields Trust and the dedicated work of volunteers. We outfitted playgroups with indoor and outdoor equipment, built playgrounds with swings, provided school furniture, educational toys, creative arts, and fantasy kits to make each playgroup a place where children make great strides to reach their full potential.

Each playgroup welcomes up to 50 children per day, under the supervision of three teachers we recruited and trained, representing each of the tribes in the surrounding villages. The women received teacher training in Ghanzi, funded by the generosity of our donors and the involvement of the Botswana government in the project.

With the guidance of the teachers, the children are helped to develop fully in physical, cognitive, psychological and social areas. Today, they continue to fund and maintain the playgroups with the help of our Trust Coordinator, and the Village Development Committees, to raise awareness in the villages about the importance of the playgroups for the children and the community.

EMPLOYMENT, INCLUSIVITY AND DIVERSITY

In 2013, The Feline Fields Trust organised donations for the purchase of a school bus to transport between 50 and 70 young children from Sexaxa village in Ngamiland to and from Matlapaneng Primary School near Maun, approximately 10 km away. Through much-valued donations to the trust we also cover the operating and maintenance costs of the school bus, as well as the salary of the driver, Mma Mapodise.