We recently took a visit out to Seven Fountains. A few kilometres down the road, Seven Fountains is a small community in the Eastern Cape where Lalibela bases our community outreach.
Conservation for us, is not just preserving the wildlife, but also uplifting and giving back to our local communities. A while ago we launched our Pack with a Purpose page on our site, listing the current needs of our local community, inviting guests to contribute where they could.
We caught up with Charmain, our community outreach manager, to see how the initiative was going. We were overwhelmed with the generosity of our guests. Charmain took us to the stock room, showing us boxes and boxes of donations from guests – school uniforms, school stationery, toys and shoes.
In fact, you were all so wonderfully generous that Charmain was able to package your donations into little Grade 1 starter packs for all the school children who are starting school next year. She then hosted a kindergarten (preschool) graduation ceremony where each child was presented with their starter pack – a pencil case filled with stationery and toiletries for their first school year. A graduation ceremony was also held for the Grade 7 students going into high school, they were presented with certificates and book prizes. Charmain also plans on giving each of them a starter pack for high school.
We can’t express how grateful we are for this incredible support. Not only are you helping protect our wonderful wildlife by staying with us, you are also changing children’s lives.
