About Woza Nawe Cultural Tours
Our Responsible Cultural Tourism Declaration
We are working hard on improving our services to reach the best responsible tourism standards and principles. In conducting our operations, we strive to minimize our impact on the environment, spread benefits through out the local economy and to promote the community well being.
Woza Nawe Tours | Background Information ...
oza Nawe Responsible Cultural Tours is situated in the hills
of
Swaziland on the Community Farm of kaPhunga, about 55
kms from the nearest town,
Manzini.
The 4000 acres of farmland belong to the local community
and provide
food for local consumption with the surplus
being sold at the national markets.
The project has been running for ten years and over this
time, many positive changes have taken place. The local
people are always very happy to
welcome visitors into
their village, and the visitors are always pleasantly sur-
prised by the warm hospitality they receive.
The local
people are not solely concerned about the money that
they earn by the tours, but show a genuine interest in
teaching outsiders about
their true heritage and swazi culture. Visitors are able to walk around without being hassled, secure in the knowledge that they are
welcome at kaPhunga.
Donations ...
isitors are not expected to give donations to the community, however if they feel that they would like to contribute then its strongly advised that they do it through the guide.
Woza Nawe Tours | Responsible Tourism ...
oza Nawe Tours are committed to:
Procurement:
- - Ensuring local suppliers are used wherever possible.
- - Encouraging the local people to make crafts and sell them to our visitors.
- - Using natural materials and also encouraging the use of traditional skills.
Health Management and Awareness:
- - Making school kids and staff aware of ways to prevent
HIV/AIDS
Education and Training:
- - Initiating early childhood education for the community.
- - Helping the local craftsmen and ladies to improve their
art and find them opportunities to sell. - - Developing the local craftsmen and ladies business
skills.
Environmental Impact:
- - We make sure we do not leave any rubbish lying around. Instead we take it to town for recycling.
- - We use water very carefully.
- - We are looking to start a community nature reserve to help in the conservation of the wild life.
Social Impact:
- - We encourage our guests to learn a bit of the local language aswell as to interact with the local people.
- - We also teach guests not to donate items without using the right channels because it encourages the local people to beg.
- - Teaching the local people about the benefits of having tourism around them.
- - We have helped by giving donations to the local schools, and frequent visits to the schools help to improve the English of the kids by constant interaction with our guests.
- - We have built a preschool in our community for easy access of early childhood education.
Economic Impact:
- - We always make sure that the people of the community are given first priority when it comes to employment and training.
- - We encourage our guests to spend money in the village by purchasing small items and crafts that are being sold. We have not yet completed the project enabling the local people to make and sell their goods and they currently only make larger items which could be difficult for travellers to transport.
Visitors get the opportunity to teach a class for half an hour.
The Local Community
There are a number of ways in which the local community benefits financially from this project, such as ...
1. Employment For Community Members
- - There is a guardian for the property.
- - A local guide assigned to do hiking trips and mountain biking.
- - Teachers of the Preschool have a permanent income as a result of the tours.
2. We work to encourage the formation of complementary businesses such as:
- - Locally brewed beer
- - Performing traditional dancing
produced by a group at the school - - Selling local craftwork produced by the community
In Addition ...
- - The kids at the local school have an opportunity to meet their guests.
- - They learn about where the guests have come from and practice some English. (Visitors have an opportunity to teach at the school for 30 mins)
- - Tourists may donate anything at will such as; pens, clothing, books, money etc. (Donations must be arranged via the guide).
- - The families that we visit receive payment in a number of ways (e.g. transport, favors, goods, market produce or money).
- - We work to maintain the natural beauty of the Kaphunga area and are committed to environmental sustainability - all housing is made from traditional materials, water is used sparingly and toilet facilities comply with environmental standards.
Young school girls at the local kaPhunga village school.
