Here is our travel policy focused on conserving the environment in Uganda and Kenya to offset carbon emissions caused by tourism and air travel
When you join our projects in Uganda, Kenya Africa, you make a great contribution to conservation efforts and contribute to the protection of wildlife and ecosystems in Uganda and Kenya where we work. Tourism in East Africa needs to be sustainable, but sustainable tourism is not just about being green – it’s about ensuring a long term based on partnership to offset carbon emissions caused by tourism and air travel and community benefit.
Most of the people and the environment where we work are vulnerable and sensitive. Our care for these places is a major goal behind the placements for visitors there. Msafiri’s responsible travel policy is set out to ensure that our community tourism impact on the environment and culture and customs in Africa is always positive and never damaging.
Msafiri social policy: We put a major focus on social responsibility in places where we work, we do this through teaching, health care, animal rescue, or helping at one of the many orphanages and Schools we work with. We aim to push a community based tourism that brings benefit to local communities in Uganda, especially the vulnerable and the poor and to help sustain a healthy environment where both people and nature can thrive.
How we make our social policy work:
- We take our visitors to areas where the local communities feel comfortable with their presence.
- We ask all our visitors to treat the local people with respect, observing their cultures and traditions and avoiding patronising mentalities.
- Ensuring our staff is all-local and therefore able to help our visitors understand local customs, social practices and traditions.
- We Support community development projects either directly, or indirectly.
- Msafiri tours encourages all visitors to bring some things with them which can then be given to the local schools, hospitals, orphanages or to local homes and families.
- We Support environmental organisations working in the countries where we operate, encouraging local conservation efforts.
- We insist on using local suppliers of products and services needed for our trips.
- Msafiri employs local people directly wherever possible in our work in Africa, e.g. local tour guides, local bus drivers, etc.
- We Support local tourism initiatives, where available like cultural tourism groups, cultural music and dance troupes etc
- We encourage our visitors to purchase locally manufactured products and buy gifts and crafts from local crafts shops and markets in areas where we operate.
Msafiri’s economic policy: By visitors, tourists and volunteers to work with local communities in Uganda we directly contribute to the local economy. Our volunteers pass on skills which can help locals to earn a living through teaching, health care, crafts work and transfer of professional skills.
Msafiri’s environmental policy: We at Msafiri are very aware of the potential for environmental impact through tourism and we are pro-actively trying to minimise in carbon emissions caused by tourism and air travel in Uganda and Kenya in order ensure a healthy Africa for future visitors.
The greatest single impact of international travel is the carbon dioxide created from flights. Msafiri works with local conservation projects to protect forests for the future in Uganda. We would also encourage you to directly offset the carbon from your flights by planting a tree at the end of your trip to Uganda
While our volunteers and Visitors are in Uganda, we try to encourage:
- Careful disposal of litter
- Minimising waste
- Careful use of water
- Buying locally produced food and other products
- Not damaging the local environment
- Not supporting activities that damage the environment e.g. souvenirs made from animals or artefacts.
- Active recycling – we recycle as much of our office waste as possible
- Use of recycled products – where possible we use paper, envelopes and other supplies that are made from a recycled or sustainable source
- Printing – our brochures are printed using an environmentally friendly wax printer. Where possible we encourage customers to use our website rather than requesting a brochure
- We encourage Careful energy usage by all our clients.
