Limpopo Province accommodation, South Africa
How this holiday makes a difference
Environment
Energy is saved via use of energy saving globes and bulbs throughout the lodge. Solar panels are being incorporated to replace electrical geysers. Water is pumped via our own borehole and grey water recycled. Due to water restrictions, we only water the immediate area around the Lodge, and leave a lot of the indigenous bush intact –i.e. we do not have extensive bush clearing, with the exception of the clearing of invader plants. The water that comes from the showers in guests rooms and washing up areas are fed into a French drain system and the end result is the same water being used to water the lawns and gardens. We have eradicated invader species such as the Australian Blue gum or eucalyptus tree. The Department of Water Affairs have a project whereby alien vegetation – i.e lantana are systematically removed and sprayed to stop further spread. The Department of Forestry are the ones responsible for eradicating the Bluegums. We made contact with them, and they came in and have started removing stands of the bluegums prevalent on our property.
Glass and tins are recycled via Elim woman's project. All our rubbish is sorted into various depots – all glass bottles go into one place, plastic another, tins and cans another, paper and other waste burnt, and kitchen waste goes onto our compost heap. Elim – our local community – have a recycling depot, and there is group of ladies who make their living from collecting any waste that can be recycled. They come once of twice a month to collect cans/glass bottles etc. We are in a conservancy and thereby adhere to all the regulations governing this.
Community
The lodge was one of the forerunners to the initiative of Fair Trade and Tourism South Africa. The pilot project took place in Elim and focuses on the lodge as well as the Ribolla Arts route, of which the lodge was a founding member. The Ribolla Arts Route is a route which was established in conjunction with Open Africa (an NGO), and our local CTA – Ribolla Tourism. This route showcases the best of local art and culture – both Venda & Shangaan. These include wood carvers, the Mashamba Potters, textile weavers, drum makers, beaders etc etc. One can do this route on your own or via one of the local accredited guides at Ribolla.
Faranani schools Trust is a local trust whose purpose it is to empower as many rural woman and children of the Region with quality and practical training in early childhood development (ECD). This Northern part of the Limpopo where they operate is a region that poses a variety of challenges with many of the villages being remote and the people quite poor. The Vhutshilo school is also in a remote part of Venda and was started about 5 years ago by a passionate woman – Sue Anne Cook. This school operates as a haven for HIV/AIDS orphans in terms of not only providing schooling in the morning, but has fast become a popular port of call for Tshikombani villagers in need of practical help on any number of HIV or grant related topics. Eric Girardin was part of this project from the beginning providing his time in his capacity as an architect and project manager in getting the buildings up and running. He is still involved, and is currently drawing up plans and drawings for the 2nd phase of this development which will be a halfway house for aids orphans coming out of hospital, and before they are returned to their extended families. We support these projects in terms of encouraging our guests to support one or more of these projects. Each room has the project info in the rooms as well as details of how their small contribution can assist – eg 30 Euro a month would support a child’s needs at the Vhutshilo school for the entire month, including schooling, feeding, books & clothing.
The Girardin family have been active in the region for over 100 years – with the owners great grandfather starting the Elim Hospital, and continues with the involvement of Eric Girardin (now in his 70’s) still assisting with the building and drawing up of plans for local schools and communities. Eric’s son Michel and his wife Clare have taken up the cause of the promotion of local art and craftwork and have assisted in the development and growth of a number of routes in the area. The use of only local art and craftwork is evident in the many unique pieces seen throughout the Lodge, and the focus on community based tourism has resulted in them being awarded the “TODO’ award in Germany 2006, along with their partner Kuvona Cultural Tours and the Ribolla Tourism Association. This long standing involvement in their local community (both Michel and Eric speak fluent Shangaan & Venda) resulted in the lodge being one of the first three properties worldwide being accredited with the FTTSA trademark.
We are one of the founding members of the Ribolla Arts Route and support two local projects – Faranani schools trust and the Vutshilo Aids Orphans project.
Local communities are supported through:
- Use of only local communities for employment at the lodge
- Ongoing training of our employees
- Use of local guides, with all monies going straight to guides, we take no commission
- Working on the advancement and development of the Ribolla arts route. We are on the committee of the Open African Route forum which meets to discuss the various aspects of the route and the development thereof. We also promote the route via our own marketing channels – i.e. the artists and routes are extensively listed on our website, we got Transnet (our local transport parastatal) to fund R
60 000’s worth of marketing materials for the Ribolla Art Route, and we take these materials along to all trade fairs that we participate in – both local and international.
- Mentorship programme of various artists via the securing of funding and support programmes. The Department of Arts and Culture established a fund in 2006 to fund and support 80 emerging young artists. We helped to assist in identifying some of the young artists in our area who could benefit. Currently three of the young wood carvers who have done extensive work at the lodge – have been included in this programme. This includes David Murathi, Thomas Baloyi and Justice Mugwenya.
- All our fruit comes from the Elim Fruit market, a local woman's project
- All décor and furnishings used in the Lodge and in the room décor are sourced locally. This includes cupboards made by the Rivoni society for the blind, screeded floors by local woman, local sculptures and artworks by various artists, textiles and linens by local community projects etc.
- All maintenance, plumbing and building is done by local contractors.
1of4
