For many people these days, travel has become more than just a getaway.
Exploring the world is also about connecting with local culture and community, and finding ways to offset the carbon footprint or give back to people and our planet in meaningful, impactful ways.
When choosing your sustainable safari destination, we always recommend doing a deep dive into the initiatives in place.
Some game reserves and safari lodges have programmes in place, but unfortunately, much of it is often only lipservice.
Real investment can only be measured by looking at tangible benefits like upskilling, education, access to basic resources, and conservation without conflict between humans and animals.
This is exactly what African Monarch Lodges does through The Sijwa Project where giving back to the community, and ensuring the preservation of the remarkable natural and cultural assets of the Zambezi Region, has become a way of life. We also built a tourism industry that can thrive for years to come and provides economic opportunities for local people.
Our efforts rely on a relationship of mutual participation between our two lodges and the neighbouring communities. This means that a portion of your travel budget goes directly to helping our conservation and community project.
This is responsible tourism and something African Monarch Lodges is passionate about. As a guest, it’s rewarding to know you’re benefitting a community while enjoying a soulful, one-of-a-kind holiday.
African Monarch Lodge Sijwa Boutique
“This vision is bigger than us. We occupy a tiny space on this planet but we know […we] will make a real difference and demonstrate how people and wildlife can live together sustainably.”
Tinolla Rodgers, owner of African Monarch Lodges
Your visit makes a difference
Our joint venture partnership with two local conservancies – the Mayuni Conservancy and the Mashi Conservancy – includes an agreement that 12% of all revenue generated at African Monarch Lodges, before costs and statutory deductions, will go to the local communities.
An avid conservationist, Chief Mayuni released Sijwa, a traditional meeting place within the Mayuni Conservancy, and gave his blessing for the Sijwa Project, a joint venture between African Monarch Lodges and the Mayuni Conservancy at Sijwa on 17 November 2018.
We employ 88 members from the local communities bordering the Bwabwata National Park. 33 of our employees work at The Sijwa Project with each employee supporting up to 12 others in their village. The project made a massive difference to their lives as none of Sijwa’s employees had any trained skills or earned an income before. Simply booking a stay at African Monarch Lodges, visiting The Sijwa Project or buying any of the products makes an enormous difference.
Chief Mayuni
The Sijwa Project
The Sijwa Project was launched in 2018 with a vision of empowering the community and conserving the environment. The project re-purposes and re-invents all recyclable waste from African Monarch Lodges and the local community, turning it into arts and crafts. The project also boasts a permaculture centre, sewing and carpentry workshops, and much more.
A place where transformation happens, naturally
African Monarch Lodges offers a nourishing antidote to the everyday, a chance to rest, re-energise and reconnect to self and to nature. But our passion to care for guests extends to a much larger community, and the environment.
Through our community-based work at The Sijwa Project, African Monarch Lodges creates a unique experience for travellers who visit. In return, guests who stay in Nambwa Tented Lodge or Kazile Island Lodge contribute to the communities’ local economies, constant job creation, and even education.
From adapting the lodge design to support the migratory pathways of wildlife and establishing an anti-poaching unit, to repurposing recycled materials, using solar power and developing carpentry and other skills – our efforts to support and nurture run deep. It also applies to the way we look after each other at the lodges, the staff and guests.
We are a family, and we carry each other.
If you’d like to donate to the Sijwa Project, please see the list of projects that you can choose to support here.
For many people these days, travel has become more than just a getaway.
Exploring the world is also about connecting with local culture and community, and finding ways to offset the carbon footprint or give back to people and our planet in meaningful, impactful ways.
When choosing your sustainable safari destination, we always recommend doing a deep dive into the initiatives in place.
Some game reserves and safari lodges have programmes in place, but unfortunately, much of it is often only lipservice.
Real investment can only be measured by looking at tangible benefits like upskilling, education, access to basic resources, and conservation without conflict between humans and animals.
This is exactly what African Monarch Lodges does through The Sijwa Project where giving back to the community, and ensuring the preservation of the remarkable natural and cultural assets of the Zambezi Region, has become a way of life. We also built a tourism industry that can thrive for years to come and provides economic opportunities for local people.
Our efforts rely on a relationship of mutual participation between our two lodges and the neighbouring communities. This means that a portion of your travel budget goes directly to helping our conservation and community project.
This is responsible tourism and something African Monarch Lodges is passionate about. As a guest, it’s rewarding to know you’re benefitting a community while enjoying a soulful, one-of-a-kind holiday.
African Monarch Lodge Sijwa Boutique
“This vision is bigger than us. We occupy a tiny space on this planet but we know […we] will make a real difference and demonstrate how people and wildlife can live together sustainably.”
Tinolla Rodgers, owner of African Monarch Lodges
Your visit makes a difference
Our joint venture partnership with two local conservancies – the Mayuni Conservancy and the Mashi Conservancy – includes an agreement that 12% of all revenue generated at African Monarch Lodges, before costs and statutory deductions, will go to the local communities.
An avid conservationist, Chief Mayuni released Sijwa, a traditional meeting place within the Mayuni Conservancy, and gave his blessing for the Sijwa Project, a joint venture between African Monarch Lodges and the Mayuni Conservancy at Sijwa on 17 November 2018.
We employ 88 members from the local communities bordering the Bwabwata National Park. 33 of our employees work at The Sijwa Project with each employee supporting up to 12 others in their village. The project made a massive difference to their lives as none of Sijwa’s employees had any trained skills or earned an income before. Simply booking a stay at African Monarch Lodges, visiting The Sijwa Project or buying any of the products makes an enormous difference.
Chief Mayuni
The Sijwa Project
The Sijwa Project was launched in 2018 with a vision of empowering the community and conserving the environment. The project re-purposes and re-invents all recyclable waste from African Monarch Lodges and the local community, turning it into arts and crafts. The project also boasts a permaculture centre, sewing and carpentry workshops, and much more.
A place where transformation happens, naturally
African Monarch Lodges offers a nourishing antidote to the everyday, a chance to rest, re-energise and reconnect to self and to nature. But our passion to care for guests extends to a much larger community, and the environment.
Through our community-based work at The Sijwa Project, African Monarch Lodges creates a unique experience for travellers who visit. In return, guests who stay in Nambwa Tented Lodge or Kazile Island Lodge contribute to the communities’ local economies, constant job creation, and even education.
From adapting the lodge design to support the migratory pathways of wildlife and establishing an anti-poaching unit, to repurposing recycled materials, using solar power and developing carpentry and other skills – our efforts to support and nurture run deep. It also applies to the way we look after each other at the lodges, the staff and guests.
We are a family, and we carry each other.
If you’d like to donate to the Sijwa Project, please see the list of projects that you can choose to support here.
We’re not your average African safari experience. Discover what sets us apart, and why you should choose us for your next travel adventure....Read More...
