‘Every cause produces more than one effect’ [Herbert Spencer]
The community who live on our property borders are an integral part of our story and we constantly strive for a positive impact with our visitors. Equally important is the interaction between our properties, staff and the community. Our Impact Division guides and keeps track of how properties are giving back and adding value to local communities.
Sport goes beyond physical development and incorporates valuable life lessons.
Understanding the importance of sportsmanship, The Zambezi Queen Collection team works closely with the nearby community conservancies who host league soccer and netball tournaments.
They help them get the grounds ready for these games and have donated uniforms to the teams who are made up of various community members, including older school children, police officers and teachers.
Tournaments attract spectators – family, friends and neighbours – making these sports’ days important for community cohesion.
The staff at Mantis EPIC Hotel & Suites facilitate tennis coaching for children from the local village. Besides the exercise, these youngsters are improving their tennis skills and the love for the game.
Reading and writing are essential skills for any young child. Literacy – being able to read and write with understanding – is critical for communication and personal development. It is the foundation of education and helps break the cycle of poverty.
At Mantis No5 Boutique Art Hotel, a dedicated staff learning area, equipped with pre-loved books and infographic material, has been created. This is aimed at encouraging self-paced learning to increase vocabulary and literacy while instilling the joy of reading.
Recently, local school children joined the drive to improve their vocabulary and reading skills under the guidance of passionate hotel staff.
In Rwanda, Thursday is reading day when the staff from Mantis EPIC Hotel & Suites visit the local school to read aloud with some of the children, to help improve their vocabulary, literacy and encourage a culture and love of reading and storytelling.
600 Young school children at the local government school, situated 15 minutes from the Mantis EPIC Hotel & Suites, were never sure of their next meal. This prompted the kitchen and beverage trainees to prepare and deliver delicious, nutritious meals to the school and feed the 600 learners once a month.
In addition, they have provided funding to complete the building of a kitchen on the school’s premises.
This allows the school to cook and provide daily meals for the learners, moving in the direction of self-sufficiency. They are also providing ongoing assistance with cultivating vegetables on the school grounds.
Sustainability in all its forms has become essential to maintain an ecological balance, especially when we consider the increased carbon footprint to transport food to our properties. Working towards minimising this impact, several properties now have on-site kitchen gardens where organic, fresh vegetables and herbs are grown.
Mantis No5 Boutique Art Hotel has repurposed an unused parking space into a vegetable and herb garden, providing organic produce while saving money and reducing the carbon footprint.
Thobela Nontshinga, formerly employed at Mantis Founders Lodge, realised her passion for cultivating plants and started her own vegetable farm in neighbouring Paterson. She now consults to the Lodge and supplies seedlings for the organic vegetable garden. The garden supplies the kitchen with fresh produce and has created employment opportunities for local residents.
Mantis Akagera Game Lodge, Kivu Marina Bay Hotel and EPIC Hotel all have organic kitchen gardens to supply their restaurants with delicious ‘farm to table’ produce.
The Mantis EPIC Hotel and Suites supports tour guides from the local village of Nyagatare in Rwanda. These guides undergo comprehensive training to become certified through Citybuddiz, a responsible training provider which aims to empower young people. This has created diverse and actively immersive activities for tourists. Our guests can book a variety of professionally guided nature experiences, conducted by these community-based tour guides, on foot or by bicycle.
Read more about the positive impact tourism is having on our communities on our website. We are also deeply immersed in projects that protect endangered species, our wildlife and our natural world
