Julia’s South African Sojourn
Packing a carry-on bag for a whirlwind 3-week trip through South Africa including safari, business meetings, and family time takes time to perfect. I pack safari khakis and high heels all in one bag and leave my second carry-on ready to stuff with soccer balls and Frisbees to give out along the way. At African Safari Company, we always make sure to take useful supplies and support Pack for a Purpose partners every time we travel!
The trip this past December included 3 partners of Pack for a Purpose: Savanna Private Reserve, Londolozi Private Reserve, Lion Sands Private Reserve all in the Greater Kruger National Park’s Sabi Sand reserve as well as Cape Cadogan, Lion Sands sister hotel in Cape Town. The first stop was Savanna Lodge, which sent these wonderful photos from their orphanage partners along with a lovely note:
Just a short note to say thank you for your donation of Frisbees and soccer balls for the children from Tiyimiseleni Orphanage. The children were delighted to receive these items. They had big smiles and enjoyed playing around with them in the playgrounds. They were unsure initially how to use the Frisbees, but got the hang of it quickly! It is with your support and kindness that we are able to make a small difference in these children’s lives. Thank you for thinking of them.
With warm regards, Paddy and the Savanna family.
The next two stops were Londolozi and Lion Sands. I had a great talk with one of the owners of Lion Sands at camp about their three school projects and the camp’s community involvement. That was the last stop on the safari, but when we arrived in Cape Town, we stopped at a local Checkers (think a South African Kroger) and bought crayons, coloring books, pencils etc! These supplies we left at Cape Cadogan, the sister hotel of Lion Sands, and they went out on the next supply truck back to the Lion Sands supported schools.
I wish we’d had the chance to personally deliver the supplies but it was wonderful to get the photos and feedback and to talk to the staff at each of the camps, who are clearly passionate about the projects they support with Pack for a Purpose!
