South Africa community volunteering

Planet

Carbon Reduction

The village town of Grabouw is set in the heart of the Cape Floral Kingdom, with the Kogelberg and Groenland Mountains creating an amphitheatre that embraces the experience in nature for which your travel-heart is longing. The area is known to be the world’s diverse biosphere, and you will get to experience the fynbos without the physical exertion. Once a factory, the hotel has been restored into a model for sustainability. Both vegan and vegetarian meals on our menu. All our food and drinks, especially the wines, locally as far as possible while food waste is collected by a local pig farmer on a regular basis

Environmental & Wildlife

The hotel uses energy efficient light bulbs and have lights and essentials such as wifi, solar powered with battery backup. Constantly adding new features to make for a more enjoyable stay, especially for outdoor enthusiasts. With careful consideration of their impact on the environment, local routes plotted on GPX which can be downloaded onto devices for easy navigation. The establishment actively protect and improve our forestry and fynbos areas where guests can cycle and hike. As partners with a local NPO, they run a recycling project, deserving beneficiaries can earn bikes in exchange for various commitments such as cleaning rivers, recycling waste and improving their school grades.

People

Local economy

The vision of the hotel is to use their skills and influence to give back to the community. In partnership with local NPO, they have initiated a number of catalyst projects designed to change lives, to offer opportunities and to bring hope to this struggling community. All the staff live locally and many are from disadvantaged areas. Both permanent and casual staff are paid at least minimum wage, or more. The hotel has a wellness centre fitness and exercise classes are open to local residents and the wider community.

Employment, Inclusivity and diversity
Guided hikes, mountain bike rides and trail runs many days of the week that is open to the wider community. The hotel also employs a couple of unemployed men from this poor community to clean up the street every Monday, and for occasional additional work. The hotel have a cycling academy where under-privileged kids are given an opportunity to mountain bike and to learn basic bike mechanics. A few of them work as guides and wash bicycles for remuneration.

Safe cycling routes are being developed for people to ride to work and many bicycles have been handed out, and promised for future handouts. Beneficiaries of recycled bikes are encouraged to improve their cycling skills while regular training clinics and bike maintenance courses are given in collaboration with our partners: The Bike Empowerment Network (BEN), Pedal Power Association (PPA) and Qhubeka. Youngsters from disadvantaged backgrounds are taking part in the regular cycling events hosted in the Elgin Valley and become part of the local cycling community.

As active members of the community, and fully aware of the challenges of the town, like so many in South Africa, the hotel plays a significant part uniting the local community through sport as well as providing much needed jobs as it contributes to building the local tourism industry.