Zainab Ansell, a local from Moshi/Tanzania, has been active in her community for her entire life and is passionate about the future of Tanzania, the environment and the youth, women and guides and porters of Kilimanjaro. Zara Tours practices sustainable tourism and a portion of the company’s proceeds goes to these causes. Zainab works to make the area benefit, rather than suffer from the increase in tourism. The
company supports local schools, local charities, Amani Children’s
Home, Mount Kilimanjaro Porters Society, local women’s rights groups,
employment programs, environmental programs, cultural programs, the
African Studies Institute at the University of Georgia, Sustainable Travel International (STI) and Wildlife Now.
The
Mount Kilimanjaro Porter Society was founded by Zara Tours in 2004
with the goal to improve the working condition of all porters on Mount
Kilimanjaro and other hiking areas in Tanzania. Today, most porters at
Mount Kilimanjaro (and all porters of Zara) are members of the Society
and can benefit from various resources such as language classes,
classes in environmentally sustainable tourism, healthcare and
first-aid classes, training in providing customer services, classes to
know their rights, legal advice, assistance in micro-finances to
improve their family’s living conditions and guarantee a proper
education of their children, year-round employment possibilities, and
access to an affordable equipment and clothing store.
Pictures: Zainab giving English language certificates to porters, and Zainab providing first aid training to Kilimanjaro porters
We are actively involved in conservation and development issues of the Kilimanjaro National Park and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, and we contribute to and involve local communities into our tourism products.
We currently support the following local schools and charitable organisations:
- Shalom Orphanage Centre Karatu
- Amani Home for Street Children
- Huruma Women Group
- Mount Kilimanjaro Porter Society
- St. Eugene’s Hostel
- Montessori Usambara School
- Mandela Primary School Moshi
- Kilimanjaro English Nursery School
We regularly support charity Kilimanjaro climbs and other fundraising charity events in Tanzania. Some activities are mentioned in our blog.
Pictures: Kilimanjaro charity climb with former Tanzanian president Ali Hassan Mwinyi; our conservation biologist Ahmed Attas performing field work, children supported by the Huruma Women Project
You as a traveller can support sustainable tourism:
- by assisting local economies through the purchase of local products instead of imported ones
- by donating money or goods to the charitable organisations that we
support. You can even visit the organisations to make sure that your
donations really reach those projects
- by volunteering at charitable organisations
- by respecting local cultures and traditions. Our guides will inform you.
Please ask before taking photos of people or private houses.
- by not buying souvenirs made from endangered indigenous wood such as ebony, bamba kofi or mangrove wood, and souvenirs which encourage the destruction of our flora and fauna such as pieces of corals, large sea shells, turtle shells or other primed or living animals
- by not removing any natural objects such as plants or sea shells
- by not harassing wildlife or marine life
- by not leaving litter. Please take all litter back from the mountains or safaris unless responsibly disposed of by your trip guides
- Water is precious - please use it sparingly.
- At our hotels, leaving towels on the towel rail means you want to use them again. Putting them on the floor means you want them to be replaced. This saves detergents.
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