“We believe in spreading the benefits of tourism, having an envirnomentally friendly mindset & working towards conservation.”
Spreading the benefits of tourism
At Mamaland Safaris as a local tour operator we see it as important that our profits stays here in our beautiful Uganda to benefit more people and contribute to development. We see giving back to the community as an important part in our efforts. Uganda is rich in nature, friendly people and fascinating animals but we are classified as one of the poorest countries in the world. With this in mind there are many people in need and a little support can go a long way & Mamaland Safaris impact matter. At Mamaland Safaris we see a brighter future ahead for our beloved mamaland.
The ways we try to spread the benefits of tourism is through reinvesting in Woodland Lodges (our chain of safari lodges in Uganda), supporting communities around our lodges and our long term commitment to a little school in Kampala’s slum. We do this in different ways but the aim is always to spread the positive effects of tourism so more Ugandans can benefit.
WOODLAND LODGES IMPACT
The tourism infrastructure in Uganda is still building up and through our chain of lodges, Woodland Lodges, we contribute towards increasing the available number of rooms in Uganda. This is an important aspect for the growing tourism business in Uganda, since more rooms are needed to allow for a bigger number of tourists. The tourism industry brings work opportunities to many and tourism contributes with funds to preserve conservation areas to ensure lions, gorillas and elephants have a place to live in the future too.
With Woodland Lodges we create work opportunities both in the construction phase and then later on when the lodges are up and running both for staff and suppliers in the area since we try to buy things locally when possible. We are also committed to supporting the communities around the lodges when possible.
SUPPORT TO TIMTOM INFANT SCHOOL
This school is located in the Katwe slum in Kampala and the children enrolled live under ruff circumstances. Tony, the owner of Mamaland Safaris, has known the lady running the school for many years and tried to help when possible. We have given support for construction and brought our visitors on safari to the school when they wish. Visits like these have contributed to support for the school when first a couple from Belgium decided to sponsor a permanent roof for the building and later a lady from Sweden started giving regular support to the school which has so far contributed to among other things improved desks and chairs for the class rooms and the chance to rent an extra building to be able to take in more children. We hope to be able to continue supporting the school in their efforts to educate the children in Katwe.
an environmentally friendly mindset
We try to be conscious of the environmental impact our business has by promoting use of cloth napkins instead of paper serviettes at our lodges, collecting plastic bottles for proper disposal & reducing the number of plastic bottles used by offering drinking water from big refillable bottles in our vehicles during safaris.
Working towards conservation
We love Uganda’s scenic nature, interesting animals & lovely birds and wish it all to be here for future generations to enjoy. Conservation is a big word and can feel daunting but we have choose to look at it in a people perspective. If the communities living next to the parks see the benefits of the animals & nature they will assist in protecting the national parks, which is the key to stopping poaching & illegal use of the national parks natural recourses. In the spirit of “all efforts count” we have chosen to get involved in the area close to our Topi Lodge which is by the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth NP, famous for its rare tree-climbing lions.
SUPPORT TO ISHASHA REFORMED POACHERS ASSOCIATION
When we in 2018 purchased land on the boarder to the Ishahsa sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park to start the construction of Woodland Lodge’s Topi Lodge we soon learnt more about the issues with poaching in the area. The village located a short distance from our lodge was at that point a center for poachers. Around the same time the Ugandan government introduced even stricter laws for poaching with very serious consequences for anyone found to be a poacher.
Our interest resulted in the creation of Ishasha reformed poachers association and we hosted a big ceremony where the poachers handed over their snares and other weapons to Uganda Wildlife Authority. The work now continues with support to the reformed poachers to find new ways of making a living. We have for example had a workshop in making simple shoes & donated piglets to the members of the group. To bring a wider community perspective to the project we have an action plan for future steps like visits to schools for increased awareness about the benefits of wildlife.
WANT TO CONTRIBUTE?
Bring along left over clothes or toys that can be given to families in need or school supplies like pens and writing pads for the school. If you include a day in Kampala during your safari a visit to TimTom infant school can be arranged (if school is in session). You get to learn about the school, how they work under challenging conditions and meet the lovely children.
