What is the Sijwa Project?
A holistic balance between conservation, community, culture and commerce exists at The Sijwa Project. African Monarch Lodges, as part of their continued endeavour for their brand to be sustainable and give back to the community and conservation, launched The Sijwa Project in November 2018. It is here where guests will be entertained and enriched with local culture and can interact with the local communities while they practise their artisan skills taught at the project.
It’s the re-purposing and re-inventing of all recyclable waste from the African Monarch Lodges; Nambwa Tented Lodge and Kazile Island Lodge, on the Kwando River of the Zambezi Region of Namibia, and from the local community, into exquisite saleable craft and art.
It’s also an organic permaculture nursery to supply food for local people and lodge guests (mitigating the air and road miles lodge food usually travels). The sandy soil is enhanced by composted food-waste and super-strength worm juice, given a boost by the occasional dollop of elephant dung!
It’s a cultural village, artisanal skills training center, a free-range egg scheme and it’s an indigenous tree nursery for guests to buy and plant a tree to offset their carbon footprint, looked after by a local ‘tree guardian’ to ensure a better chance of survival against nibbling antelope.
Why we love Kazile Island Lodge:
Private location!
Kazile Island Lodge is only accessible by boat and is situated on Kazile Island in the Bwabwata National Park, in the heart of the Zambezi Region, on the banks of the Kwando River and its floodplains.
elephant, anyone?
Kazile Island is a special paradise. Here, herds of buffalo and elephant traverse the wet Zambezi landscape. Fall in love with this enigmatic corner of Namibia as the sun rises over the tree canopies.
Tented Safari!
13 tented rooms with two three-quarter beds, mosquito nets surrounding the bed and private wooden decks overlooking the Kwando river or vast floodplains beyond are your perfect safari hideaway.
The Sijwa Project has a broad vision of empowering the local community by creating jobs, preserving traditional knowledge, teaching skills and conserving the surrounding environment through a variety of proposed recycling and innovative activities. Guests will be encouraged to walk through the permaculture plants, recycling workshops where waste such as plastic, glass and cans are turned into beautiful artefacts for sale. The Sijwa Project aims to employ 60 plus community members (each member supports up to 12 others in their village) and even more if funding allows, and educate close to 182 scholars per annum from the local secondary school through its Junior Ranger School and Junior Sewing School. 8% of all monthly revenue generated at the project (entrance fees, sale of all artifacts manufactured, sale of vegetables and eggs to the lodges and surrounds, and sale of garments manufactured) will be paid to the Mayuni Conservancy.
