Kariega Game Reserve is located in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is a 10 000 ha/25 000 acres reserve where we do our best to protect the environment and the animals within this area including animals like lions, rhinos, elephants, hippos and many more.
We are surrounded by 3 main communities; Ekuphumleni, Marselle and Klipfontein. This is where most of our staff come from meaning Kariega Game Reserve is the biggest job creator in this area.
However, there is still a lot of poverty and support needed in these communities. From the young to the old and the animals. We believe in the motto that if you care for your community they will care for you, but why not just do that little bit extra for someone else?
We have been part of Pack for a Purpose for a few years and have seen the great support this has given us to make a positive difference to our immediate communities. Our projects focus on crèches, primary schools, the elderly and wildlife/reserve conservation.
On October 13, we received a big supply of 11kg/24lbs of baby clothes and soft toys/stuffed animals. This was absolutely amazing! Our community representative is always keeping an eye open for people in the township who might need any of the items we receive from guests. She identified five new mothers in the community of Ekuphumleni and we supplied a whole gift bag full of clothes per child. As you can see in the photos, everyone was ecstatic about the gifts. It also gives them back a bit of faith in humanity as they sometimes live in very depressive environments.
We have distributed the school supplies we received during environmental education classes where the children learn about wildlife and conservation topics while having fun and using the actual school supplies.
It is amazing what a big difference you can make to someone’s life when working together. Thanks to Pack for a Purpose travelers, we have received around 45kg of supplies from our international guests in the last 6 months alone. The items include school supplies, soft toys, children’s clothes, educational books and baby items. We keep track of where the supplies come from and where they go to so the guests can also see where their supplies are used.
Every item supplied to our community and wildlife/reserve protection projects make such a huge positive difference in the lives of all involved. There are no words to describe how much it is appreciated!
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!