Lemala Camps
P.O.Box 14529, Arusha. Tanzania.
Protect the Environment, Support the Communities
Our ability to support our local communities, wildlife and people drives every decision that we make. We are fully committed to the sustainability of the Lemala brand in the short, mid and long term. Our various philanthropic projects reflect a deep commitment from the entire Lemala team, everyone is involved and everyone is passionate about looking after the communities, wildlife and people that enable us to call this very special corner of the planet ~ home.
Our social responsibility is vitally important to who we are and we are proud to share with you just how Lemala has remained committed to upholding these values and responsibilities. Take a further look into how we’ve supported our local environment and communities through employment, local food sourcing and how we have minimized our carbon footprint. By staying with us you can rest assured that you’re supporting one of the top companies in Africa that practice and adhere to the strictest of guidelines in conservation, education, empowerment and protecting the environment.
Local Matters
We are involved in a wide range of projects that support our local communities these include:
- Sponsoring a women’s empowerment group in Mto wa Mbu that employs 32 stay-at-home moms to make our 100% biodegradable lunch boxes, used in all our properties.
- Hosting a young ladies and young men’s leadership academy (aged between 14 and 18), where speakers from different backgrounds talk about possible career opportunities.
- Donating to Pippi House, a woman’s shelter that provides an empowering, supportive environment for women seeking refuge from the streets.
- Employing nine young men from a homeless shelter in Arusha, giving them a new and secure start in life.
- Creating a hugely successful program to make and donate reusable sanitary pads to young village girls in rural areas who would otherwise be absent from school each month.
- Training our Maasai security guards to qualify as walking guides under the expert guidance of our in-house guide trainer.
- Providing internships to young women from disadvantaged backgrounds with a promise of a full-time employment opportunity.
- Donating recycled desks from plastic left behind by other less reputable operators inside our national parks and solar lights to local schools.
- Supporting an orphanage and a school for the disabled.
Local Produce
Wherever possible, our food and supplies are sourced locally to ensure the surrounding communities reap the benefits of tourism on a commercial level. We purchase our coffee from estates in Karatu, dairy products from farms on the slopes of Mt Kilimanjaro and fresh fruit and vegetables from Arusha’s central market. We source our fish produce from Joseph, who works with his fellow fishermen on Tanzania’s Indian Ocean beaches. All fish are caught according to individual quota regulations and purchases are shared between the group. Dry goods are purchased from Arusha. Only 22% of our dry goods are imported, these are always items that are not grown or made in Tanzania but are essential to maintain our high standards of hospitality.
Protecting the Environment
We are leaders in using renewable energy with state of the art power and water systems ensuring that we:
- Operate 100% off the grid with zero emissions and fuel usage, using solar energy in all locations.
- Lead the way, removing plastic bottles from inside the national parks and conservation areas and upcycling them into school desks and chairs. Money raised through the purchase of these plastic school desks and chairs will go towards building a new Primary School at Eluway.
- Completely eliminate single use plastic water bottles and provide clean drinking water throughout our properties by investing in reverse osmosis water treatment plants.
- We are the first company in Africa to give our guests 100% biodegradable and plastic-free lunch boxes.
- Recycle – what we take into the bush (if not biodegradable) we bring out.
- We have successfully eliminated plastic straws from every Lemala property.
- 30% of the steel used to build our Lemala Lodges is recycled steel from scrap metal.
