From providing renewable energy to empowering local women and youth in Botswana
Glendale, CA – April 17, 2025 – In honor of Earth Month, African Travel, Inc. (ATI), an award-winning luxury safari outfitter, is proudly sharing the measurable progress and positive impact achieved by its African project partner, Wild Entrust Africa (WEA). Through its not-for-profit, TreadRight Foundation, ATI provides grants to support the vital work of its conservancy partner’s three village projects, aimed at empowering women and youth in Botswana through community engagement and wildlife coexistence. Since 2014, WEA has been working in the village of Habu, Botswana, implementing an integrated community development and conservation program.
“This Earth Month, we are proud to highlight the positive impacts our African project partner, Wildlife Entrust Africa has made through its transformative work and we are honored to support them through our philanthropic arm, TreadRight, and contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 12,” says Sherwin Banda, President of African Travel, Inc. “The 2025 Earth Month theme is ‘Our Power, Our Planet’ to champion renewable energy, and one of our grants supports the Village Lights Project, providing solar-powered lights to school children, allowing them extra hours to read and learn,” he adds.
ATI is sharing the impact achieved by its African project partner, Wild Entrust Africa, with the help of grants received in 2024.
Progress from Wild Entrust Africa in Habu Village, Botswana
Village Greens Project
The Village Greens Project, part of the Community Coexistence program, empowers women through community gardening to feed families in Habu and grow vegetables for sale. In 2024, grants from ATI supported 20 women and youth in horticultural production, fostering sustainable livelihoods and social development through planned farming, grazing, and livestock herding to promote human-wildlife coexistence. The funds were also used for capacity building, providing hands-on training, and implementing two new garden area shade nets to protect crops from harsh sunlight and bird damage. The farm’s water reticulation and distribution systems were also improved.
A standout success story comes from Ms. Katjivisire Kanjo, one of the project beneficiaries. She shared, “This is a very good project. I am now able to feed my family, and from the last benefits we received, I managed to finish my house.” This project aims to create a harmonious environment, restore traditional employment for women, enhance food security, and reduce reliance on harmful practices such as poaching and overharvesting.
Village Lights Project
Due to the lack of electricity, the Village Lights Project aims to increase access to renewable energy and to support youth education in the Habu community. ATI, in partnership with TreadRight, distributed 180 backpacks and 180 solar lights to Grade 1 and Grade 5 classes, enabling them to study after dark. In addition, 201 books were donated to help build the school’s library. Some of the funds were used for human resources to organize homework clubs, reading clubs, and movie nights, all aimed at increasing literacy rates and scholastic performance of over 350 primary school students.
Village Kids Project
Village Kids Project aims to improve youth perceptions of wildlife and foster a sense of stewardship for conservation with hands-on wildlife education and environmental awareness to turn their fear into protection and respect for wildlife. Facilitated by the Coaching Conservation program, in 2024, 44 Grade 6 students from Habu Primary School participated in a full-day BushRAP event including a morning game drive, where they learned about elephant communication, wildlife behavior, and safety.
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ABOUT AFRICAN TRAVEL, INC. – “WE KNOW AFRICA”
African Travel, Inc. (ATI) is North America’s longest-established luxury safari operator, specializing exclusively in Africa. With nearly half a century of expertise, the company crafts authentic experiences tailored to every traveler and travel style. While custom luxury safaris are the focus, African Travel also offers small group journeys, including fully escorted and locally hosted options. ATI offers personalized service and seamless safari planning from flights and accommodations to curated experiences. Guests have access to a wide range of Africa’s finest lodges, camps, and activities, with expert support at every step of the journey. African Travel is committed to supporting people, wildlife, and the planet through its MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experiences, and its not-for-profit foundation TreadRight, including partnerships with Wild Entrust and the Wilderness Foundation in Africa. As an award-winning tour operator and a proud member of The Travel Corporation (TTC), the company upholds TTC’s ‘Driven by Service’ philosophy, delivering exceptional experiences and value to guests.
About The TreadRight Foundation:
TreadRight is a joint not-for-profit initiative established by The Travel Corporation. The foundation’s singular mission is to MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® by providing support to community-based projects worldwide that safeguard the planet, people and wildlife. To date, the foundation has supported 60+ sustainable tourism projects in 26+ countries worldwide. In 2022, The Travel Corporation became the first global tour operator with near-term, long-term, and net zero targets, and to support its journey to net zero, TreadRight shifted its focus to supporting nature-based solutions and conservation efforts that protect biodiversity and restore the planet. Current initiatives include Rainforest Rescue, Trees for Life’s, Wild Pine project, Project Vesta, GreenWave, Rainbow Railroad, and The Tourism Pathways Project. To learn more about past and current work at TreadRight, please visit TreadRight.org and follow Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and X using our hashtag #MakeTravelMatter