Asilia Africa has been a pioneering brand for 20 years when it comes to using the mechanism of tourism to make a genuine difference to people and ecosystems in East Africa.
In 2024, we have continued to work towards our vision of helping communities and ecosystems thrive together. By addressing the challenges faced by those who live in these wilderness landscapes, such as human-wildlife conflict, and creating economic benefits tied to ecosystem health, we aim to improve biodiversity whilst combatting rural poverty.
The goal being to build a future where both people and wildlife can thrive alongside protected landscapes.
Asilia is a part of Nawiri Group, a portfolio of leading responsible travel companies, that supports a range of impact organisations and initiatives in some of the greatest, globally important natural wilderness areas on the African continent.
This year, we assisted the group in contributing US$7.8 million to nature protection through park fees, conservation levies, and taxes, directly supporting crucial conservation programs and vital ecosystems. Without these contributions, key conservation programs in these areas would be severely underfunded.
Additionally, we deployed US$2 million of funds raised through grants and donations from our travellers into impact projects that support education and poverty reduction, including scholarships, teacher training, and school support for over 11,000 children.
PI Partners
We have provided funding to numerous organisations across Sub-Saharan Africa. Identifying projects that help drive collective progress on big challenges, we have made contributions of between US$5,000 and US$25,000 to each of the projects that support our vision of people and wildlife thriving together in healthy, sustainable ecosystems.
In Tanzania, we’ve backed initiatives like the Southern Tanzania Elephant Program, which promotes human-elephant coexistence and the protection of important migratory corridors, and the Serengeti Cheetah Project, focusing on predator monitoring and reducing conflicts. Partnerships with organisations like the Frankfurt Zoological Society, help address livestock encroachment in critical areas.
In Kenya, our efforts include supporting community education on conservation through the Kenya Wildlife Trust, backing development projects with The Maa Trust in the Greater Mara Area, and aiding conservancies through the Maasai Mara Wildlife Conservancies Association. Educational initiatives, like the Wildlife Tourism College of Maasai Mara and the Rhino Ark projects, focus on education and habitat conservation in some of Kenya’s key ecosystems.
Giving Back
This festive season, we decided to break our traditional approach of providing gifts to our guests, opting instead to further our Positive Impact reach for the year. In Tanzania, we will donate US$7,000 to Kafika House, while in Kenya we will donate US$3,000 to the Talek Maternity, Newborn and Child Health Centre for the purchasing of Mama Kits.
Kafika House
Based in Arusha, Kafika House is an entirely donor-funded organisation, providing a loving home for children receiving pre- and post- operative care and rehabilitation for a surgically correctable disability. Removing finances as a barrier to treatment, Kafika House only asks parents to pay what they can, with the rest being covered by the house and the generosity of its supporters. One such recipient of this care, is Wande. An energetic five-year-old from a remote town in western Tanzania, Wande was born with unilateral clubfoot, severely affecting her left foot and making each step a challenge. Thanks to the Kafika House outreach program, Wande and her family learned that her condition could be corrected. Today, with the help of skilled caregivers, she is on her way to being able to walk, run, and dance like any other child.
Mama Kits
The Talek Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) Centre officially opened its doors on the 1st of March 2024. Aiming to significantly improve the quality of healthcare available to women and children within the surrounding Maasai communities, the centre has already had a profound impact purely through its accessible location. In addition to being able to perform life-saving procedures, the centre has also created “Mama Kits”, a comprehensive post-natal care bundle containing all the essentials for both mother and baby. Each kit costs US$80 to produce and contains a variety of carefully selected items from water filters and mosquito nets to reusable sanitary pads and nappies.
We’re proud to be associated with these partners and are confident that our donations this festive season will have a meaningful and far-reaching impact. If you too would like to make a positive impact, please visit www.asiliagiving.org, the philanthropic arm of Asilia Africa, where you can learn more about the projects we support and how your donation can help bring about positive change.
Consider giving the gift of a donation this festive season.