LIVINGSTONE, Zambia -- For many travelers, an African safari is the trip of a lifetime. However, with a focus on luxury camps and twice daily game drives in search of the Big Five and other exotic animals, visitors can miss out on the culture and overlook the poverty, illiteracy and AIDS that plague much of the population.
One of the upsides of the recession, which temporarily stigmatized the more traditional opulence-focused luxury travel, was an increased emphasis by upscale hotels and tour companies and their guests on giving back through more than just the tourism dollars that drive many local economies.
One twist on the varied global giveback programs (that include everything from helping to build schools to volunteering at homeless shelters to saving sea turtles) is Abercrombie & Kent Philanthropy, which established one of its Africa programs in 2008 after travel agent members of A&K's advisory board visited the Zambian village of Nakatindi while in the Livingstone area during the opening of the A&K's Sanctuary Sussi & Chuma camp.
The visit made such an impression that the agents contributed funds to drill a well to provide clean water to the more than 3,000 villagers.
A market at Nakatindi village. Photo Credit: Jeri Clausing
Today, A&K Philanthrophy's Nakatindi program has grown to a second village and includes literacy and school lunch programs and an effort that helped a group of five women open a bicycle shop that sells and repair bikes. It also spurred a partnership with the ministry of health to open a medical clinic that provides HIV and AIDS education and treatment, including a male circumcision program, in this area where one in four adults are infected with the virus.
A&K invited me to join its annual small-group Special President's Journey this month, and the itinerary included a visit to the village for the groundbreaking of another important program: a maternity clinic that will not only offer a safer alternative to home births but will also offer prenatal services, antiviral medications and education to help prevent the spread of HIV to babies.
Paul Bauer, managing director of A&K South Africa, said all guests at the camp are invited to visit the village, but as an optional activity. There is no sales pitch or pressure to contribute, but guests wishing to follow up can communicate with A&K Philanthrophy officials and either make a general donation or request that funds be used for specific programs.
Kirk Hamilton of Chicago said the visit was an important eye-opening experience for his three teenage children, whose only previous out-of-the country travel has been to Mexico and the Caribbean.
His oldest daughter, 17-year-old Kathryn, was still talking about it days later after several exiting game drives, and his 19-year-old son Ian, who is studying agriculture at Texas A&M, said he intended to look into internships in Africa.
Larry Deitch of Sarasota, Fla., said he found the visit much more interesting than things like floor shows or other events that are often organized to give visitors a taste of local color. And it really highlighted for him the issue of public health issues facing Zambia.
"I am a photographer," he said. "My interest here is really photographing the people. The faces here really tell the story of the country."