Community and wildlife based initiatives

In Cape Town and throughout South Africa there are unfortunately many run-down areas and at-risk communities. Two of our pre-departure team members who are based in Cape Town were particularly interested in how they could work with one of their local communities to make a difference. A small art project caught their eye, this focused on beautifying a building within a township. Art has proven to have an empowering effect in these townships as a painted mural can be uplifting for the residents but also serve as a tourist attraction, generating income and fostering better communication between different groups of people.

Our team were excited to get involved in creating our own mural, something that was both educational and inspiring to the community. We settled on an ocean themed painting as the ocean connects us all and belongs to us all and therefore it is everyone’s responsibility to protect it. Our pre-departure team all contributed ideas that were incorporated in the final design. We worked with an incredible local artist called Ayo, who helped the team convert those ideas and designs into an image that would work on the wall.

We then worked with a local organisation who coordinate many art projects of this nature across several townships in Cape Town to select a suitable location. With their help we presented our designs to an individual homeowner to ensure they were involved with the process and happy with the proposed design.

All that was left to do was to paint – with the help of our local artist of course.

In total, we had 10 volunteers from across the Travelopia brands working on the project, which turned into a fun team-building experience, as well as an amazing opportunity to work within the community. We had a team of around 20 local ladies with us across the week and were incredibly proud with the end results. May our ocean mural continue to put a smile on everyone’s face who passes by.

Fragments of Hope take the smallest scraps of coral and regrow these within their nurseries, once the coral is established, they are replanted in the ocean to help damaged reefs. Healthy corals will attract marine life and support the increase in fish populations which are all key components for a thriving reef.

Over the last 8 years we have been supporting this fantastic organization, providing them with access to our yachts to conduct research, to replant corals as needed and to simply observe the corals at night. August is what is known as spawning season and is crucial to ensure the creation of new coral, the team will often take a yacht and conduct night dives to observe this.

In recent years stony coral tissue disease has started to impact the reefs in Belize therefore the education of anyone visiting the reefs has become vital. This is a water born disease that spreads through contact therefore it is essential that guests understand what to look out for and take the correct precautions to ensure this doesn’t spread. All our advice is shared with our customers upon arrival at our Belize base through the educational literature provided by Fragments of Hope.

Placencia Sailing Club

Established in 2012, the Placencia Sailing Club works with the youth within their local communities to engage them in sailing, providing the training to allow individuals to develop the skills required to be a sailor.

When Placencia Sailing Club was first established we donated an Optimist dinghy to the organization and have been supporting them ever since. Annually we provide them with a committee yacht for officials during their competitions and have supporting them in delivering equipment to other parts of Belize. We have helped fundraise to purchase new equipment for the club including a Lazer dinghy. This is vital in ensuring children continue to be able to sail as they grow. Both the Optimist and Lazer dinghies the club use are Olympic boats therefore this training provides children with multiple options for adulthood in a country with limited opportunities. Many of the children who start sailing with Placencia aspire to become skippers of larger yachts like ours.

Poor and Famous

Unfortunately, some areas of Belize have challenges with crime, gangs and violence therefore it is essentially that children have initiatives that will take them away from the city and engage them in different activities. An organization that is based in Belize City is Poor and Famous, that focus on engaging young boys in playing football.

We are a supporter of the initiative and donate regularly to ensure the organization have the equipment and uniforms they need to be able to train and play in competitions.