Sustainability at Hunter Hotels
Written by Nadine Kilala
Nestled in the remote expanses of the southern tip of the African continent you’ll find the picturesque collection of Hunter Hotels. The magical aura of Tsala Treetop Lodge, Gorah Elephant Camp, and Hunter’s Country House is not only about the encapsulating beauty of the 3 properties and their surroundings but also their impeccable sense of community. Hunter Hotels provides authentic and unforgettable experiences for travellers while ensuring that local communities receive the fruits of local tourism development.
Using Education to Liberate
Hunter’s is a formidable advocate of early childhood and youth education. The management of Hunter Hotels believes that quality education has the power in breaking the cycle of rural poverty in South Africa. Their initiatives are positioned to shape the long-term stability and prosperity of local communities. Hunter Hotels is passionate about opening avenues for rural children and youth to have meaningful lives that are not limited in opportunities and access.
The programs at Hunter Hotels demonstrate that they are committed to tackling an array of pertinent social issues such as literacy rates, provision of nutritious food at schools, and equipping schools with good teaching material. These programs aim to positively contribute to a young learner’s ability to grow, learn, and rise above the challenges associated with rural poverty.
Passion Projects
The community passion projects in Hunter Hotels are spread between the 3 different properties. Hunter Hotels has a total of 4 ongoing projects that are creating ripples of development within respective rural communities.
Hunter’s Country House
Hunter’s Country House collaborates with Greenhill Education Centre to support children from disadvantaged backgrounds to prepare for their big jump to Grade 1. This program ensures that the children are equipped with the fundamental literacy, numerical, and, let’s not forget, social skills to thrive in their primary educational journeys. To support this initiative, you can directly donate to Hunter’s Hotels to change the life of a prospective Grade 1 learner!
Gorah Elephant Camp
Gorah Elephant Camp — which sits amidst the densest elephant population on Earth — is involved with assisting the Langbos Creche and Care Centre Addo in employing qualified teachers and providing educational materials for students. Travellers that visit the camp get a heart-warming opportunity to interact with the children – be it painting, drawing, singing, or getting dirty with the children in the playground.
Zinzi Restaurant
Hunter Hotels does not forget that nutritious food is part of the recipe for solid learners’ performance! Hunter Hotels’ very own Zinzi Restaurant contributes to providing healthy food parcels to the learners of Harkerville Primary school. In conjunction with this food program, the Zinzi Restaurant also arranges regular donations of fresh produce to the St Patrick’s Church soup kitchen and the Masiqhame Group for the elderly and disabled in Kranshoek – when it comes to food donations, nobody gets left behind.
Tsala Treetop Lodge
Last but not least is Tsala Tree Top Lodges’ literacy program. This program is committed to building the literacy rate of the learners in Phakamisani and Kwanokuthula primary schools. The program is centred on strengthening the reading, writing, and communication skills of Grade 4 learners in both Xhosa and English – Tsala Treetop Lodge is undoubtedly on the path towards building the next generation of polyglot guru’s!
The passion projects at Hunter Hotels are purposeful initiatives that are geared to create sustainable communities. The projects are very telling of Hunter Hotels drive to produce a positive impact in building empowered communities. Moreover, Hunter Hotels gives visitors a platform to learn, contribute, and engage with local communities. These initiatives at Hunter Hotels are life-changing for both the visitors and the communities – In the end, it is a moving win-win situation.
Are you looking to create an impact that transcends the norm on your visit? Why not choose Hunter Hotels to be a custodian of purposeful travel by booking your holiday at Viatu.
