Are you looking for a MEANINGFUL way to spend time in Africa?  Would you like to do MORE than just be a sightseeing visitor?  Is there some way to get INVOLVED in the local communities in Africa, even just for a day or two or three? 

YES! THERE IS!

Many of our clients over the years have expressed the need and desire to do more than just TRAVEL through Africa. Given the staggering social and economic needs that are evident in most African countries - there must be a way to help out, take part, DO SOMETHING - that will make a small difference during your trip to Africa; a difference that will make your journey more meaningful, more memorable.

BUT FOR MANY PEOPLE, TIME IS AN ISSUE.  Most people don’t have weeks or months to volunteer their time and energy in one place.
That’s why we at Jenman Safaris have put together a series of day-excursions, to add to our regular safaris, and give our visitors a chance to have A UNIQUE AFRICAN EXPERIENCE!  We have partnered with three very special programs, to enhance our tours and build on existing social projects that need a helping hand. Click here for more tour information.

1. VOLUNTOURISM day one – CAPE TOWN: Join us at a primary school in a disadvantaged area in the Western Cape, where we promote an ongoing literacy and counseling program.  Many of the children here are extremely poor, and have suffered the effects of neglect and poverty.  The program we support promotes social change in the lives of these kids, by offering them basic one-on-one literacy and counseling support.  Here we spend our time in the literacy centre, reading to groups or single children, and assisting them in learning to read themselves.  You will have a guided tour of the school, get a feel for the unique atmosphere of this school in a poorer suburb of Cape Town, and you will get to know some of the wonderful volunteers as well as the children who benefit from all the hard work this project has to offer. For every single person who takes part in this project, Jenman Safaris donates a portion of funds to our partner project, which will go directly towards the school.  All additional funding at the school goes towards meals for hungry kids, many of whom get their only meal of the day at school.  
2. VOLUNTOURISM day two – Swakopmund: Join us at our partner project in Swakopmund, where we assist in teaching fire awareness and safety in the local township.  Fire prevention has become a huge priority in this township, as fires have caused enormous damage and many tragic deaths.  The number of fires in the townships is staggering, and often there is no water, and no community emergency services available to assist.  Spend the day with our guide, providing fire extinguishers to families in their homes, and take part in demonstrations to teach people how to use them properly.  This excursion also includes lunch at a local shebeen. For every single person who takes part in this project, one family will be provided with a fire extinguisher for their home, and Jenman Safaris will donate funds to our partner project in Swakopmund to go directly to the cost of fire extinguishers.  Our ultimate goal is to provide every home in the township with at least one fire extinguisher.
3. VOLUNTOURISM day three – Victoria Falls: Join us with our partner project in Victoria Falls, which promotes Wildlife Conservation and anti-poaching efforts in the Zambezi National Park.   Spend the first part of the day with our guide, learning the history, challenges, and successes that have been achieved in the anti-poaching operations.  Then take a field trip into the Zambezi National Park to record game sightings, identify spoor, patrol and sweep for wire snares, and visit new areas to investigate for any signs of poaching.  Every time we run this tour, our partner project is able to patrol more areas within this expansive park.  As a result, we provide a useful presence at ground level to deter various forms of poaching, and our conservation efforts become more effective.  Jenman Safaris donates a portion of funds per participant to assist our partner project in these conservation efforts. (http://www.vfapu.org/)
   

The cost: Jenman Safaris has made a decision towards “Responsible Tourism” – which is that we DO NOT MAKE A PROFIT during the running of these day trips.  After basic expenses are covered - vehicle maintenance, petrol, guide, food (where necessary) - the remainder of money paid goes into the projects.  We guarantee a minimum donation each time we visit one of our partner projects, and any excesses will be donated thereafter.   Our VOLUNTOURISM package is R1500 per person. (over the cost of our normal package)

We at Jenman have become committed to social change in Africa, however small these changes may be.  A JOURNEY OF A THOUSAND MILES BEGINS WITH ONE STEP.

Come to Africa with Jenman Safaris, and become a ‘VOLUNTOURIST!”

Email us on info(at)remove-this.jenmansafaris.com for more information! Click here to see our departure dates and to read more.

A sustainable & educational food-growth project empowered by Jenman African Safaris

“Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day, teach that man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime”

Running safaris and day-to-day operations in a sustainable and responsible way has always been of great importance to Jenman Safaris. In our experience over the years we have encountered so much beauty on the African continent, and yet there is also enormous poverty all over Africa. In my recent trip to Zimbabwe, the level of poverty that I saw hit home, and made me realize that some very important work needs to be done to address this issue. We at Jenman Safaris believe that we have the ability to make a difference.

In the past, we have seen many charities with good intentions that don’t reach the people in need, or those who only make a short-term difference. Many tour operators who are based overseas want to get involved in sustainable education and interaction, but are not able, thus making sponsorship and charity-aid the only options. Being here, on the African ground, we believe that Jenman African Safaris can get involved in a different way, and to see change happen at a grass-roots level.

Based on the famous quote above, we are aiming to support vegetable and fruit gardens around Cape Town – teaching school-kids how to operate a sustainable and self-sufficient vegetable garden providing education, tools and seeds. At a later stage we are planning to expand this project to other towns in Southern Africa. We have named this project Grow Africa – a sustainable & educational food-growth project empowered by Jenman African Safaris – hoping to make a difference!

-    Garth Jenman, Managing Director