World Responsible Tourism Day 14 November

2500 CC AFRICANS ACROSS AFRICA AND INDIA PLEDGE THEIR SUPPORT OF WORLD RESPONSIBLE TOURISM DAY

As one of the world's leading ecotourism operators deeply committed to responsible tourism, Conservation Corporation Africa (CC Africa) has pledged its wholehearted support of WTM's World Responsible Tourism Day on 14 November 2007 - a wonderful opportunity for all travel partners to come together and make a difference towards restoring our planet, preserving our fragile landscapes, protecting our magnificent wildlife and ensuring that fair benefits flow to all stakeholders with particular focus on rural communities.

In response to World Responsible Tourism Day, all CC Africa teams from more than 40 safari camps and lodges in Africa and India were challenged to come up with a unique idea to celebrate their conservation and community victories, and to raise awareness amongst staff, guests and communities of the importance of sustainable ecotourism.

Efforts and activities will be driven on the day by head rangers and lodge managers in conjunction with Africa Foundation, CC Africa's social development partner. From installing water tanks and planting vegetable gardens, to cleaning waterways and painting schools, CC Africa is spreading awareness and looking forward to doing their part for responsible tourism. Here is an overview of some of CC Africa's projects taking place on World Responsible Tourism Day: CC Africa Lodge/Reserve World Responsible Tourism Initiative

Ngala Private Game Reserve (South Africa)
Erecting outside playground equipment (generous guest donation) and painting the exterior of Welverdiend pre-school
Giving a career guidance talk and conservation lesson to the children to emphasise the importance of protecting the natural environment Kirkman's Kamp (South Africa)
Planting a vegetable garden for the community, ensuring they have a consistent and sustainable food source
Giving a positive health talk to inspire people to take responsibility for their own health

Exeter Private Game Reserve (South Africa) 
Staff, guests and communities will be celebrating their latest victories, including a new kitchen built for the Happy Homes pre-school, a permaculture project initiated at Mketse Primary School, teaching the communities to create and sustain food gardens, as well as the building of two new classrooms

Bongani Mountain Lodge (South Africa)
Handing over computers (generous guest donation) to Luphisi School and donating linen to HIV/AIDS care givers at the Luphisi Clinic, providing them with much needed supplies

Madikwe Safari Lodge (South Africa)
With the support of more than 200 rangers from other lodges in Madikwe Game Reserve, a massive clean up of all the main roads will take place- probably the biggest clean up operation in the park since it opened. They will also extend the clean up to the main access road to the park to get support from the local community

Phinda Private Game Reserve (South Africa)

Phinda Forest Lodge:
Building a worm farm to provide a continuous source of nutritious vegetables for the children of the Advent Christian School, and building them a see-saw, as the children are currently playing on a termite mound

Phinda Mountain Lodge:

Setting up a temporary market for 5 - 10 Zulu crafts women from Zamanpilo or Mduku neighbouring communities so that they can sell their wares to Phinda's guests and staff members. The women will be brought to the lodge for the day, given a hearty lunch and opportunity to enjoy a game drive

Nxabega Okavango Safari Camp (Botswana)

Setting up an 'adopt a fan palm' campaign to raise funds for research on how to protect the Real Fan Palm which is currently under threat from animals and humans. A natural mechanism will also be installed to deter wild animals from browsing on these small fan palms, therefore allowing them to grow to maturity

Sandibe Safari Lodge (Botswana)

Assisting the Botswana Department of Water Affairs to clear blocked waterways of the Okavango Delta by the use of weevils. Staff will also be sent on a training course on the monitoring and control of plant species though the use of weevils, and guests will also be encouraged to ‘Adopt a Weevil’ to help support this programme 

Sossusvlei Private Game Reserve (Namibia)

Staff are attending a course at NADEET (The Namibia Desert Environmental Education Trust), covering issues such as sustainable living in arid environments, solar cooking, water conservation, alternative energy, biodiversity, and desert ecology. As most staff members come from the surrounding communities, they will share this conservation education with others to help raise the profile of the importance of ecotourism

CC Africa Expeditions (Namibia)

Raising awareness of "bushbloks" which are a locally manufactured fuel source made from processed invasive plant species - an excellent alternative to firewood cut from local indigenous trees

Matetsi Private Game Reserve- (Victoria Falls)

Cleaning up litter along the Kazungula Road -a 14km stretch of highway that runs through the Reserve. Matetsi will invite children and teachers from the nearby school to help promote the importance of caring for the land

Nairobi Office- (Kenya)

Installation of a water tank and plumbing to provide Nairobi's Kawangware Street Children’s Programme with access to clean water

Lake Manyara Tree Lodge (Tanzania)

Working closely with the Moyoka Community Parks Authority to provide water conservation lessons to the community, educating people on how to protect their most precious resource to ensure healthy immune systems

Grumeti River Camp (Tanzania)

Rebuilding a classroom at Lukungu Primary School which was recently burnt down and is the main primary school for the children of this community

Klein's Camp (Tanzania)

Holding a full-day workshop for women in the Maasai community to educate them how to benefit from local tourism; they will be taken on game drives, treated to lunch and surprises and empowered to start conserving their land

Ngorongoro Crater Lodge (Tanzania)

Responsible tourism workshops will be set up in collaboration with the Ngorongoro Crater Conservation Area Authority to educate and empower the Maasai people

CC Africa's Arusha office (Tanzania)

Donating E-Pap (highly nutritious carbohydrate) and other supplies to the children of the Living Waters Orphanage

CC Africa's Bateleur House (Johannesburg, South Africa)

A positive health soccer day was held at George Lea Park for 100 homeless people from the Randburg Soup Kitchen and 30 HIV orphans from the Ikakeng Ministry in Soweto, and the Braamfontein Spruit River outside the office was cleared of litter