Honeybee Heroes makes a sweet deal

A STANFORD honeybee sanctuary will soon benefit from an initiative that will encourage guests at a hotel group to adopt a hive.

Honeybee Heroes, founded by Chris Oosthuizen in 2020, has teamed up with the the Community Conservation Fund Africa (CCFA) in an effort to save honeybees. The honeybee sanctuary aims to conserve South Africa’s unique Cape honeybee species.

The CCFA is the non-profit subdivision of the eco-lodging Mantis Hotel Group. All guests that are hosted at any of the Mantis Lodges and resorts, will be offered the opportunity to adopt honey bee hives. “They’re very passionate about South African species and they channel that care into their work. More than that, they’re very action based,” Oosthuizen said about the collaboration.

At present, Mantis Hotel group houses hives at all of their lodges in the Eastern Cape. A total of nearly 1.5 million bees have already been relocated.

Through sponsoring a hive for R2 000, guests will have their names added to the hive of their choice. In addition to this, they will receive a personalised certification of adoption, updates on their hive’s bees and the opportunity to visit Willowdale farm in the Overberg area to see their hive.

Mantis Lodge guests who sponsor hives, will have their names added to the hives of their choice.

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CCFA supporting eco tourism by providing Mantis staff with food parcels during Covid 19

The Community Conservation Fund Africa (CCFA), and Accor’s ALL Heartist Fund, have assisted more than 500 of the Mantis Collection’s team members and their families with food hampers during the COVID-19 lockdown. The pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on people working in the hospitality and eco tourism industry, as well as the communities they support.

International hospitality group, Accor, took proactive measures to protect and support team members and partners during this global pandemic, including the creation of the ALL Heartist Fund, a R1.3 billion COVID-19 special purpose fund. An application to the ‘ALL Heartiest Fund’ was made to provide emergency food relief during lockdown and to support around 500 team members. This includes families working on Mantis properties in the Eastern Cape.

“Owing to the loss of income from our business being closed, it became essential that we assist communities by providing much needed food parcels,” said Adrian Gardiner, chairperson of CCFA.

“Our thanks go to our partners, Accor and the ALL Heartist Fund, which have enabled us to support our teams and local communities during these difficult times.” Through supporting communities, CCFA hopes to eradicate, or minimise, the circumstances that could lead to hunger and possible poaching of wildlife.

Middle East and Africa Accor CEO, Mark Willis, said, “We are very pleased to be able to support our Mantis team members and their surrounding community through the funds allocated by the ALL Heartist Fund, with the assistance of the CCFA. It really is a prime example of why Accor launched the fund, in order to support its team members and partners in need.”

Expressing her gratitude, executive director of CCFA, Di Luden, said, “The need is great. Without the generosity of Accor and the ALL Heartist Fund and other funders, we would not be able to assist the most vulnerable. We are truly grateful that in some small way we have made a difference in the lives of the families around, who are a vital part of the Mantis team.

Please click on the link below to read the online article

https://www.news24.com/news24/southafrica/local/pe-express/ccfa-lends-a-helping-hand-20200713

Mandela Day comes early for battling Livingstone Hospital

Mandela Day came early for Livingstone Hospital staff when they received 500 masks from a “buy one, donate one” mask project run by the Community Conservation Fund Africa.

Community Conservation Fund Africa executive director Di Luden said the organisation had decided to bring its Mandela Day initiative forward in light of the dire and immediate need for masks at the facility.

“It was the most humbling experience to visit the hospital and interact with the staff, who are exhausted,” Luden said. “Though coping with the increasing numbers of Covid-19 infections, they [health workers] remain cheerful, upbeat, optimistic and we’re truly grateful for the donation.”

The outer layer of the donated masks is100% cotton, the middle layer is made of Spunbond interfacing which inhibits the transfer of small particles but does not inhibit breathing, while the inner layer is made of polyester.

The donation was arranged through Dr Emma Gardiner and Tania Muthen.

Staff at the handover said the masks would be given to the clinical support services, with the remainder to be used by emergency department personnel and for patients arriving at the hospital without masks.

“The masks are handmade by women in a job creation project, for women who normally sew animal mascots for tourists,” Luden said. “The lack of tourism and the increase in demand for masks made them adapt their business model to sew masks not only to generate a much-needed income, but they also wanted to assist in trying to contain the spread of Covid-19.

“The masks are available to the general public and for each pack purchased, one will be donated to a local hospital in need.” The masks are available in four sizes: men’s, ladies, teenagers (age seven to 12), in either a Shweshwe or washed denim look.

Luden said: “We are appealing to everyone to support this initiative, it will not only protect yourself and the people you interact with, but will ensure the survival for a small group of women and their dependents in Kylemore.”

Luden said the initiative would also help provide a much-needed supply of masks for hospitals in the Eastern Cape.

Click below link to read feature

https://www.heraldlive.co.za/news/2020-07-02-mandela-day-comes-early-for-battling-livingstone-hospital/

Food hampers for tourism employees in Zambezi

The Community Conservation Fund Africa (CCFA) and Accor’s ALL Heartist Fund have assisted 225 of the Mantis Collection’s team members and their families working in the Zambezi region, by providing food hampers to them.

The CCFA has had its hands full while tourism is on hold due to the Coronavirus, helping communities who rely on tourists for survival. An application to the ALL Heartiest Fund to help support team members in and around The Zambezi Queen Collection by Mantis (ZQC), which includes the Zambezi Queen, Ichingo Chobe River Lodge and the Chobe Princesses, was made. The fund application included helping families who live in the surrounding villages of Impalila, Kaskika and Kabulabula.

These team members are reliant on the income received from the ZQC in the form of salaries or community leases. The temporary closure of the ZQC in March this year resulted in payment of leases being stopped and the loss of the tourism income stream.

CCFA took the initiative with this donation to pack and deliver food hampers to the 225 team members. The hampers were put together in consultation with a professional dietician and are designed to feed a family of four for a month.

“Due to the loss of income from our business being closed, together with logistical problems of access to the nearest town by water being 98km away, it became essential that we deliver food to these communities,” says Adrian Gardiner, chair of CCFA. “Our thanks go to our partners, Accor and the ALL Heartist Fund, which has enabled us to support our teams and local communities.”

“The need is great,” says Di Luden, executive director of CCFA. “Without the generosity of the Accor and the ALL Heartist Fund as well as other funders, we would not be able to assist the most vulnerable. We are truly grateful that in some small way we have made a difference in the lives of the 225 families who are a vital part of the Mantis Zambezi Queen Collection team.”

Click below link to read feature

https://www.we.com.na/news/food-hampers-for-tourism-employees-in-zambezi2020-06-29

Mask-making project will benefit Bay health workers

Port Elizabeth non-profit company Community Conservation Funds Africa (CCFA) has launched a programme geared at making face masks more fun and accessible during the Covid-19 pandemic.

With the tourism industry devastated by the national lockdown and little hope the industry will pick up any time soon, CCFA has partnered with Baby Cuddles, a Western Cape company that designs and produces animal mascots for CCFA, to make masks for sale and to donate.

Since the lockdown, the team of seamstresses working at Baby Cuddles in Kylemore, have had to adapt and change their core business. CCFA executive director Di Luden said the group of six women had to adapt to making masks rather than soft toys aimed at tourists. Luden said for every mask purchased, one would be donated to Livingstone Hospital. Following the department of health guidelines for making masks, Baby Cuddles uses the same Shweshwe cotton used for the mascots, and an alternative washed-denim look, to make the three-layer masks.

Melanie Laing of Baby Cuddles said: “I am blessed to have been given the opportunity to work with a team of very talented, wonderful women who are always happy and full of smiles, no matter what life throws at them. “This time life threw them a pandemic but, as with so many South Africans, we have turned this situation around and are now making mascots into masks.” With the demand for masks increasing since government regulations were introduced making it mandatory to wear them at all times, Baby Cuddles offers masks in four sizes, including men’s, women’s, teenagers and children.

Click below link to read feature

https://www.heraldlive.co.za/news/2020-05-17-mask-making-project-will-benefit-bay-health-workers/

Kylemore seamstresses pivot from mascots to masks

Tourism has been devastated by Covid-19, and it is not just the obviously affected lodges, guides, tour operators and safari companies that are impacted, but also many communities whose income has suddenly come to a standstill. For a group of women sewing in the tiny settlement of Kylemore, in the Western Cape, it has meant almost their entire earnings have dried up.

The ladies sew ‘mascots’ for Community Conservation Funds Africa (CCFA), a registered NPC which is both a fundraising and grant-giving organisation, focusing on active education and empowerment in local communities. Through a partnership with Baby Cuddles, they design and produce the CCFA animal mascots. This project had created permanent employment for six women and continues to grow.

Without tourism though, there is no demand for the mascots, so the team of seamstresses had to adapt and change their core business. They decided to make masks, according to the Department of Health guidelines, using the Shweshwe cotton used for the mascots.

Melanie Laing of Baby Cuddles says, “I am blessed to have been given the opportunity to work with a team of very talented, wonderful women who are always happy and full of smiles, no matter what life throws at them. This time life threw them a pandemic but, as with so many South Africans, we have turned this situation around and are now making mascots into masks.”

“There will be three of us sewing for this project, myself and two of the ladies all working from home, and we aim to make at least 600 masks a week. The work will bring in an income to help fund and assist all nine of us in the company and our families during this Covid-19 crisis.”

Click below link to read feature

https://www.bizcommunity.com/Article/196/849/203939.html

Honeybee Heroes makes a sweet deal

CCFA supporting eco tourism by providing Mantis staff with food parcels during Covid 19

CCFA supporting eco tourism by providing Mantis staff with food parcels during Covid 19

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Kylemore seamstresses pivot from mascots to masks

Kylemore seamstresses pivot from mascots to masks

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