Kevin Mahoney, owner of the Manyara Valley Culture Camp and experienced Africa traveller, has long since dreamt of being able to help. He believes that Africa must inevitably follow, and attempt to join, the modern world of Global Business. However, to believe that such a target is the only answer is short-sighted. Global Business tends to promote growth in the large cities which, in turn, drags more and more unsuspecting young people into those cities looking for their answer to poverty. The vast majority of these young people end up unemployed, living in extreme poverty and prone to sickness and crime without a hope of change.
It would also be wrong to allow global entrepreneurs the freedom to build massive, ugly and environmentally unfriendly industries in the rural areas of Africa. The destruction and pollution of beautiful scenery, wildlife, natural habitat and of some of the most colourful cultures in the world, would be the eventual consequence.
We should help rural Africans become more self sufficient and industrious without scarring their land and without destroying their major assets: wonderful scenery, wildlife, and cultures. That is Africa and so it should remain even after we have helped the African's lead a healthier, more prosperous and simpler life. This can be achieved with micro businesses, a better infrastructure (including health welfare and schooling), and less risk of suffering climatic disasters by harnessing the very elements that can cause such problems using (for example) solar energy and rain harvesting. We can help improve the lives of Africans and still retain Africa as it is, a continent of magic and wonder!
If you believe in this too and would like to consider sponsoring our projects then please click on one of the links at the bottom of this page, but read on for details of Kevin's dream project.
In 2003 Kevin travelled with his son and friends to a very remote area in southern Tanzania and stopped in a village (see photos below)... "The chief elder of the village came to greet us and told us that he had seen white people drive through his village but never had any stoppped before. We were the first to visit that village! As special guests we were taken all around the village and the surrounding fields and forest to see how those people lived. Before leaving we were invited into the village chairman's hut. His council was there and they each told us of the problems in the village. Three major problems exist : they have no shops and, therefore, no chemist or medicines, they have no school; and the women must spend much of the day going down the mountain, several hundred meters to the river below, carrying empty pots on the way, which are full of water and on their heads on the way back, up the mountain.
There are many communities in Tanzania that face such problems. The Manyara Valley Culture Camp intends to help many of these villages. At the end of each main holiday season the camp will allocate all profits (after all overheads are paid) to such projects. Hopefully we can also help the village mentioned above. We will discuss the communities problems with village officials and decide on one project to solve one problem perhaps, in the case above, we might purchase water tanks and pipes to build a water harvesting site which would provide the village with water throughout the dry seasons. Or it may be better to install a pump down at the river to pump water up. Or the elders of the village may believe that education or medicine take priority. In all of these cases we will take advice from experts to ensure that we implement the best suited solution to fit the environment and the peoples needs. We will also work with NGOs (Non Government Organisations) and will finance their experts to implement our projects!
Those are our genuine intentions and to achieve that we will offer the best value for money, the best quality and service, during our customer's holidays!