Community Initiatives FTTSA / NDA Development Project - A couple of weeks ago we met with the beneficiaries of the “Strengthening Community Tourism for Sustainable Local Economic Development” project. This 24-month project was designed to strengthen six community tourism initiatives in the Western and Eastern Cape Provinces, funded by the National Development Agency (NDA) of South Africa, and supported and facilitated by Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa (FTTSA) and Abang Africa.
“sisonke singenza amalukho - together we can make a difference”
We took a drive out the other day along the stunning coastal road from Muizenberg to Monwabisi Park in Khayelitsha, to visit the remarkable and unique Makazi’s Guesthouse. This little hidden gem is located in one of Cape Town’s sprawling informal settlements, and just a few hundred metres from the False Bay coast (in fact, you can see the ocean from the second story bedroom windows). Makazi’s forms part of the Indlovu Project, a community development initiative of the Shaster Foundation. The project was started in 2005 by Di Womersley and Buyiswa Tonono in order to offer care and empowerment opportunities to the residents of Monwabisi Park, and in the long run establish a sustainable eco-village in the township. The community centre consists of a clinic, a youth centre, an education centre, a skills development workshop, a large community hall that also doubles as a cinema, a small shop and a creche. In order to make the project self-sustainable, a volunteer organisation and Makazi’s Guesthouse was established to bring not only income, but also skilled volunteers into the community.
“You cannot call a quick drive through the township a cultural experience – you have to participate and not just be a spectator”
So say Knysna Tourism in their promotional material for the ‘living local’ programme in this area of the Garden Route. Liesel and I decided to find out for ourselves and drove the long distance from Cape Town to meet the people of Knysna and find out what their community tourism experiences are all about.
I recently had the privilege to join a press trip to the remote Wild Coast to visit some of the FTTSA accredited community tourism projects in the area. One of the establishments we visited was Bulungula Lodge, situated on a remote stretch of the Eastern Cape coast, overlooking a deserted beach and surrounded by rolling hills and coastal forest. Read more
News about the projects we are currently working on and other interesting news about the South African tourism industry, sites we have visited and events we have attended.
