Giving Back in Cape Town: Two Organizations That Are Making a Difference
By Lucille Sive
It’s always a joy for me to return home to Cape Town. I love to catch up with friends and family, enjoy South Africa’s delectable food and wine and take in the always-thrilling sights of the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront and Table Mountain. On my most recent trip home this month, I visited two organizations that support sustainability and conservation: the Amy Foundation and the Cape Wheel. Both organizations do incredible work to give back to the Cape Town community and protect the environment and I wanted to share my experiences visiting them with you!
The Amy Foundation
At Lion World Travel, we have been proud supporters of the Amy Foundation for 10 years. The foundation provides after-school programs in dance, drama, sports, music, cooking and more to children living in vulnerable communities around Cape Town. The programs help to keep kids off the street and engaged in an environment where they can learn life skills and have fun!
In September 2015, the Amy Foundation celebrated the opening their new headquarters in Cape Town where they launched a new program for entrepreneurial enterprise and skills development. This program helps college-age students make the transition into the workforce by teaching them important skills in cooking, hospitality, music and fashion design.
Students in the cooking program at the Amy Foundation
I had the opportunity to meet with Kevin Chaplin, the Managing Director of the Amy Foundation. Kevin showed me around the new headquarters where I met many of the students in the culinary program. Lucky for me they were cooking one of my favorite dishes—vegetarian pakoras! It was a pleasure to meet the students and hear about how they are planning for exciting careers in the years ahead.
The Cape Wheel - Turn for Good
The Victoria & Alfred Waterfront is home to the iconic Cape Wheel. The wheel is great way to get 360-degree views of the Cape Town skyline, Table Mountain, the Paarl Mountains and more! I always enjoy my time on the wheel, but I was especially excited to see that the Cape Wheel is supporting wildlife conservation under its “Turn For Good” program.
View from the Cape Wheel (left) and the Cape Wheel's rhino conservation program (right)
The Cape Wheel donates a portion of every adult and family ticket sold to support the Wilderness Foundation’s Forever Wild Rhino Protection Initiative. Since 2008, 12% of the world’s wild rhino population has disappeared because of poaching. At Lion World Travel, we have partnered with The Wilderness Foundation, through the TreadRight Foundation, to support their initiatives to protect the rhino population of South Africa for future generations. It’s fantastic to see an organization like the Cape Wheel also contributing to this important conservation project.
As travelers and tourists we have a responsibility to make a positive impact on the places we visit. With outstanding organizations like the Amy Foundation and the Cape Wheel’s “Turn For Good” program, it’s never been easier to enhance your Cape Town travel experience by giving back to organizations that support conservation and local community development!