Community and Conservation
Our dedication to conservation and the community lies at the heart of everything we do. Being luxury resorts we are not ‘eco’ in a traditional sense, but have defined our own ‘eco’ in terms of our focus on the community and preserving pristine environments. In Mozambique, we are one of only a handful of resorts where the local community are major contributors and stakeholders. At Azura Benguerra Island for instance, Gabriel and his family, after whom the site is named, first established a tourism business here some time ago, and are now major stakeholders in the resort, and continue to be involved on a daily basis.
Building Azura Retreats
It all started with the building of Azura on Benguerra Island. Rather than bring in outside contractors with no benefit to the local community, we trained the local islanders in vital building skills, which enabled them to find new employment in the booming construction industry afterwards. They built Azura by hand. We used just one cement mixer and one truck in the construction, with everything other than sand for the building coming in on fleets of local dhows to help the community.
Local and sustainable
We used sustainable building materials where possible, the window frames and doors made locally, our roofing jekka sourced from local women who we established in their own business to supply us, and some of our huge supporting beams came from trees that had fallen in a storm. Many of the furnishings were handmade by the local community, and as you look around Azura a number of the things you see were made by disadvantaged communities across Southern Africa. We have installed solar powered showers for all our guests and use only eco-detergents in our laundry, small steps but important ones.
Environmental impact
We put an environmental and community specialist on the ground at Azura Benguerra before even making the first brick (we made our own), as we wanted advice on ensuring a minimal environmental footprint without compromising on the luxury elements that our clients require. We have state-of-the-art sewerage treatment plants at each of our hotels and recycle our grey water for the gardens to prevent environmental seepage.
Pack for a Purpose
We are proud members of Pack for a Purpose, an initiative that allows travelers like you to make a lasting impact in the community at your travel destination. If you save just a few kilos of space in your suitcase and take supplies for area schools or medical clinics in need, you'll make a priceless impact in the lives of our local children and families. Please click here to see what supplies are needed for our project/s.
