Sharing and conserving Africa, together is the cornerstone of our business. This philosophy constantly keeps us grounded in remembering that we can only grow and go further as a business when we are growing, working, developing, and building together. We are constantly striving to create a culture of inclusivity, diversity, and transformation in our business and to be an example in the tourism industry by promoting the development, progression, and inclusion of women in various roles, functions, and positions in our business and camps.
With an ABC family of over 500 staff members across our camps and offices in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana, and South Africa, 42.2% of this workforce is made up of women, spanning various roles from finance, camp managers, general regional managers, human resources, safari guides, foundation ambassadors, sales consultations, and product managers. This number is on the increase as we are constantly striving to retain, develop, and promote great talent in our business.
From our female guides program that aims to develop 25 female guides by 2025 and our women’s empowerment projects in the local communities in Botswana and Zimbabwe that are investing in women-run community projects that generate economic activities for families through fashion, basket weaving, and jewelry, we are actively supporting what we believe to be a vital part of developing healthy and thriving communities and societies by investing in programs that give women a voice, skills development, ownership, and independence.
Females in Safari Event at Thorntree River Lodge
On the 24nd of October we hosted our first Females in Safari event at our Thorntree River Lodge in Zambia in partnership with our trading partner Elevate Destinations. Elevate Destinations focuses on driving benefit to destinations by encouraging visitors to connect and invest in the places where they travel. We hosted a career day for high school girls from the Believe Girls Club in Zambia. Believe Girls Foundation is an empowerment foundation that builds communities by empowering the young girl child with skills to enter adulthood confidently through access to higher education and by creating a forum where girls have an active role in their well-being. The Believe Girls Club spent the day with us in our camp learning about the various career opportunities available in the safari industry and learning from the amazing women that run our camps what it takes to be a dynamic women in the male dominated safari industry.
Our panel of female speakers for the day included our camp manager and assistant camp manager, hostess, head of house keeping and foundation ambassador, chef, beauty therapist, trainee female guides and our foundation and communications officer. The panel sharing about their various career experiences, highlights, professional advice and of course the significance of being a female in safari. As part of this event, we also gave back to our local foundation project in the Maunga Village by donating care packs for new moms.
“Know yourself, that is your power”-Hellen Thorntree Assistant Manager
