Hideaways has introduced a new transformative experience for guests at Elephant’s Eye, Hwange – the Community Upliftment Experience, which is an excellent opportunity for guests to learn more about rural Zimbabwe life and to meet and interact with local Zimbabweans. The new activity is designed in collaboration with the Grow Africa Foundation’s redefined vision and mission statement “to be a bridge between Challenges & Solutions, Good Will & Action”.
Complete with its charms, difficulties, and traditions, rural life in Zimbabwe is a world apart from first world living. Our Community Upliftment Experience offers Elephant’s Eye, Hwange guests the opportunity to learn about local traditions, experience the challenges these communities contend with on a daily basis and visit some of the economic and upliftment enterprises that locals have established to combat these challenges and improve their living conditions.
The tour takes about 3 hours and includes a visit to Dingani Primary School in Dete, which is the school the foundation supports through various initiatives such as Pack for a Purpose and Project Penya. The visit to the school is a truly touching experience as conditions are very different from what most guests are used to back home, however, the hope and dedication of the schoolchildren and teachers are an inspiration to us all.
As an eco-lodge, we recognise the importance of community integration when it comes to responsible tourism. Increasingly, travellers are actively seeking out ecotourism options as they become more conscious of the effects of travel and tourism on the environment. More and more travellers want to make responsible and sustainable choices. This means that tourism, conservation, and community upliftment are entering into a symbiotic relationship. With ecotourism, the communities who live in and around protected wilderness areas directly, or even indirectly, benefit long-term from travel to these beautiful places.
Guests will leave with a truer sense of the real Zimbabwe, what challenges they face and the opportunities for growth. A truly transformative experience!
