Social Responsibility

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is not just a buzzword for us. As a team, we thought long and hard about how we could ‘give back’ to the global community by supporting a project that resonated with both the company’s and each individual’s personal values.

Without waxing long and lyrical about our own good fortune and professional development opportunities, we would instead like to tell you a little bit about the community project that we support in South Africa.

The Lukhanyiso Safe House project (NPO registration no. 082-490-NPO) is located in Knysna Township, on the famed Garden Route between Cape Town and Durban.

A Knysna resident, Ella Mahlulo, decided to open an after-school soup kitchen to offer young underprivileged children somewhere to play and a hot meal. This became the launch pad for a bigger project, co-founded by Ella, and another local area resident named Penny Mainwaring, to build a safe house to help young people who are the victims of severe neglect and abuse.

The original Lukhanyiso Safe House opened its doors in summer 2010 with its first guest an HIV-positive woman who had given up all hope of receiving treatment in her home city due to an endless waiting list. With two children of her own and responsible for the care of her nieces and nephews, after the death of her own sister from Aids, she found a home – and treatment – in Knysna. Currently. Lukhanyiso is also providing shelter and care for a number of abused children and family members

Despite continued support from local businesses, keeping Lukhanyiso – which translates as The Light - going is a constant financial struggle and Ella, Penny and a growing number of international supporters are working together to raise funds to build a new, bigger facility which will offer shelter and refuge for as many people as possible.

Ella’s dream is to put light back into the broken-hearted, lift them up, and give them the confidence they need to go back into society and become independent. The Hospitality Company supports that vision by donating xxxxx

To read more about the project, go to www.emzinitours.co.za/safehouse