IN CONTRAST TO THE TREND TOWARDS URBANIZATION AND CONSUMERISM, MANY PEOPLE ARE SEEKING AN OPPORTUNITY TO GET CLOSE TO NATURE, AND ZURI ZANZIBAR IS PART OF THIS MOVEMENT.
ZURI ZANZIBAR COMMUNITY INITIATIVES FOCUS ON EDUCATION, ENVIRONMENT AND WASTE MANAGEMENT, FOR PROMOTING PROSPEROUS FUTURE IN KENDWA.
Zuri Zanzibar is implementing several long-term initiatives together with communities, other companies and organizations for cleaner environment and ocean, and for promoting employment, education, and awareness in Zanzibar.
Learn more about our initiatives in
ZURI MINDFUL EXPERIENCE BROCHURE
PACK TO GIVE
Our neighbourhood communities are not wealthy and the living conditions of many of them are very basic. Income levels are low and many families lack many basic essentials. Instead of giving money to individuals, or sweets to children, we want to encourage our guests to bring specific in-kind donations to support the people in a positive way, without promoting begging or skipping school in the hope of receiving gifts from tourists.
If you have space in your luggage, here is a list of some of the beneficial items:
• Educational toys and games for children of any age
• Books in English, English dictionaries, English-language practice books, stationery, and pens
• Clothing and shoes, sportswear, backpacks in good condition
• Eye-glasses, first-aid kits, toothbrushes and toothpastes, inhalers for asthma, medical books
• Simple blood-sugar monitoring devices with additional strips and needles
• Re-useable sanitary pads and diapers (new, not single disposable ones), old sheets and towels
• Flea treatment for cats and dogs, small 1ml syringes, and small needles (23g) for the animal sanctuary
• Handicraft tools and materials such as fabrics and crochet hooks
Please inform our reception if you bring a donation, and they will direct you to the CSR Manager.
VOCATIONAL TRAINING
In Kendwa village, the education level is low, which means that jobs in the tourism sector tend to be filled by skilled people from elsewhere.
At Zuri Zanzibar, we have aimed to be inclusive right from the beginning, starting a tourism training in Kendwa project, together with the Jambiani Tourism Training Institute (JTTI) in 2015 in order to ensure that we will have skilled young people joining our team.
Today we have students working at Zuri for their third year after completing their two-year education for a certificate in tourism and hospitality. Both the students and their trainers received a monthly stipend to allow them to focus on the training. We believe youth employment and creating a decent livelihood is vital to the well-being of the community.
PRODUCT CREATION PARTNERSHIPS
Hotels provide a good opportunity for high quality local products to be showcased and provided to the guests, but very often you find that the needed quality or product design is not available. In these ‘product creation’ partnerships we have worked together with social enterprises from Zanzibar and developed products for our hotel and guests’ use. Buying locally promotes employment and provides business opportunities that benefit the local communities the most.
CHAKO makes re-cycled products out of waste material that mostly comes from the tourism industry. They invite local artisans and craft workers, most of them women, to their workshop, where they learn re-cycling, co-creative design thinking, and artisan craft . Workers are encouraged to independently create products, and this stimulates social and economic empowerment and promotes sustainability.
MWANI ZANZIBAR. is a socially responsible business on the east coast of Zanzibar that provides female seaweed farmers with the opportunity to improve their personal standards of living and develop economic activities that benefit the entire community. We share a mutual vision: the aim to deliver exceptional quality to the guests and the wish to share their appreciation of Zanzibar through positive business practices. Guests can enjoy organic bathroom amenities made by Mwani Zanzibar and also purchase them at Zuri's sustainable gift shop.
ZANREC - KEEP KENDWA CLEAN
Waste management infrastructure is still lacking in Zanzibar and too much of the waste ends up in the environment. This causes harm for both the people and the animals. Waste management and the need to keep the environment clean is one of Zuri Zanzibar’s most important community programmes. Our main goal is to reduce the amount of waste produced and to manage it responsibly.
In 2016, we started the ‘Keep Kendwa Clean!’ project together with Zanrec, a waste management company. For the last years, our funding has allowed Zanrec to operate the project and provide a healthier environment for the community. We have placed waste collection points around the local village, including the newest ‘Beach Clean Up Station’ inaugurated in July 2021, and located directly next to Zuri Zanzibar. The newest addition is supported by Zanrec and the Ozeankind project.
Education and the raising of awareness is a big part of this project. Trainings and discussions are organized in Kendwa village and in the primary school of Kilindi. We are committed to protecting the natural environment for future generations, and we plan to expand this project. Some small local businesses and communities have already joined the waste management initiative and we hope to include more.
COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTIONS
Many of the families in Kendwa make their income from traditional fishing practices, and the education level is very low. Subsequently the standard income level is also low and most homes have no electricity or running water. We want to be part of, and make a contribution to, the Kendwa community.
Education of the children is at the heart of every community. By supporting the Kilindi primary and secondary school, we are investing into the future of the community. Thanks to your donations, both financial and monetary, we have successfully opened an English and IT Club regularly ran by one of our experienced team members, and performed yoga classes by the Wellbeing team. To motivate the children, we have rewarded the best students with a Mnemba snorkeling trip.
We have joined the community effort of building wells in the village and have provided an electricity connection to the primary school. Before the wells were built in the village, the women and girls had to get water from farther afield, which took a lot of their time and kept them from studying or earning extra income to support their families.
