Tel. +44 (0)1273 600030 (UK)
This trip makes a difference to the community of Matipwili who have little or no income other than that generated by subsistence farming. The trip offers direct employment to a number of villagers in a village where there is only one other employer. 100% of our employees are trained by us and are from the village.
Where possible all purchases for the trip are made in Matipwili. Sanctuary Tanzania pays a monthly concession fee to the village for the use of their land. In addition we pay a bed night levy of 10% for each visitor and a US $2 fee for each visitor taken to the village. Donations of over US $2,500 have been made to the building of a new health clinic in Mkwaja, the village closet to Sima Beach. Other donations have helped improve the water well in Mkwaja.
Guests have the option of making a donation to various social projects that are facilitated on an ongoing basis by the company. So far, over US $17,000 has been raised for the building of a secondary school in Matipwili which will ensure that students from Matipwili can stay at home for their education rather than travel and board away from home. In total guests are currently sponsoring the education of 41 secondary school students from Matipwili. They have also contributed funds to design and construct a water system for the secondary school.
Our camp is built almost entirely from local renewable materials. By walking in the area we are inhibiting poaching activities and assisting our conservation efforts.
As well as this we employ people rather than use machinery such as tractors. All our roads and even our airstrip is maintained by hand. We do not use electricity to heat water or to give light, we cook as much as possible using fallen timber as fuel, we grow nothing that is not indigenous but have a policy of planting trees grown from seeds harvested on site.
We encourage our staff to protect all animal, plant and insect life.We buy all our cold drinks in bottles rather than cans so that they can be returned and re used.We encourage our guests to re fill their drinking water bottles with rain water from our filter rather than use another plastic bottle.When building we use grass thatch cut on the property and try to utilise fallen timber within the structure.
We are currently starting a scheme to grow our own biofuel both for our use and for the villagers. We have distributed Jatropha seed to about 60 people for them to grow Jatropha trees on their land. When in production we will buy any oil they have for sale or they may use the oil for themselves. We will also teach them to make soap from the oil.
We invite every traveller who books a holiday via us to send in a review. Because we don't run the holidays they're completely independent and unedited... remember to read between the lines though, as two people on the same holiday can have different views!
