Africa Travel Week

A heartfelt message for the team at Timeless Africa Safaris

The team from Timeless Africa Safaris recently received an uplifting message from a client worth sharing. After a tough year, it serves as a positive reminder of the sheer value and power of travel.

Hello Belinda,

Greetings from Cape Cod, MA, where we now live year-round.  It’s wonderful to hear from you and to know that things in South Africa are better – certainly better than in the states. 

We’  miss the chance to travel so much and can’t wait until things are “back to normal”.  We have so many places that we want to see including a possible return to Africa.  

I’m not sure if we responded to you already, but I wanted to share with you about how our Africa trip changed our lives in many ways and we hope has also helped to change the lives of many people in South Africa. 

As you know, we had a fabulous trip (to your great credit).  What you may not know is that we developed a friendship with our safari guide at Inyati – his name is Omega Godi.  We continued to communicate via email after we returned home.  To make this somewhat long story short, Omega commented one time that the village where his people stayed had no hot and cold running water, so when he is home with his family, he and most people in his village have to hike mile(s) to secure freshwater.  Omega, who is no fool, remembered that I have been a “professional fundraiser” for many years, so he asked us if I knew of any ways to help his village.

It turns out that when we were in Zambia, we met a couple from the states, and the woman and her daughter had created (about 6 years before) a Foundation that drills boreholes in villages in South Africa.  By luck, the work they have been doing is close to Omega’s village.  The rest of the story is included in the attached letter and brochure that Susan and I created to approach people that we knew to help us raise money to help drill a borehole at Omega’s village.  

What the documents don’t show is that we raised $32,500, and we have now funded the drilling of four boreholes (we had to re-drill the one at Omega’s village).  The other two are at primary schools in the region.  In each case, community gardens have been created and fresh vegetables are being grown year-round.  A Spring of Hope, the Foundation we have worked with teaches permaculture to the students and families so they can maximize what they can grow in their gardens.  

Bottom line, our amazing trip to Africa was life-changing for us, and it turns out, it looks like it will be for hundreds and likely thousands of South Africans.  We were able to accomplish so much with so little.  And the great news is that we still have some funds left from the Omega Project so we hope to be able to do more.  When the pandemic is over, one destination for us may be to return to South Africa and visit some of the villages and schools that we (and our friend and family donors) were able to assist. Needless to say, if we decide to come, we will be in touch.  

So many thanks again, your work unknowingly has truly made a difference!

(The client requested to please remain anonymous)

For more information on Timeless Africa Safaris, visit here.

Africa Travel Week

Africa Travel Week (ATW) focuses on inbound and outbound markets for general leisure tourism, luxury travel, LGBTQ+ travel and the MICE/business travel sector as well as travel technology. Shows include: ILTM Africa, WTM Africa, EQUAL Africa, ibtm AFRICA, Travel Forward, Sports & Events Tourism Exchange and African Tourism Investment Summit.