19 Februari 2007
Thanda Private Game Reserve is proud to announce the official launch of the Thanda Foundation and Star School premises, to be held on 23rd February. Leading representatives of the business community, politicians, local media and travel trade, and friends from both South Africa and Sweden will join Swedish entrepreneur and owner of Thanda Group, Dan Olofsson to celebrate the opening. His Majesty King Goodwill Zwelithini will attend as guest of honour.
Located adjacent to Thanda Private Game Reserve between Hluhluwe and Mkhuze in northern KwaZulu-Natal, the office will be the hub for the various social responsibility projects initiated by the Thanda Foundation, a non-profit organisation founded by Dan and wife Christin Olofsson. It will also be used as a training facility for the Foundation’s flagship project, the Star School concept, an HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention programme which aims to help and support high school students to live an AIDS-free life, to increase their knowledge about HIV/AIDS, to reduce the number of HIV-positive and pregnant students and to change the students’ values and attitudes in a perceptual way. Interim research results obtained already reflect a very positive response. Based on anonymous questionnaires and reports from the University of Zululand undertaken for Siphosabadletshe High School where the pilot project was initiated, the annual drop-out rate has decreased by 65%, annual pregnancies have been reduced by 40%, and the average school marks have improved by 25%. Most significantly, in grades 8 and 9, 90% of learners have chosen to abstain, and some learners voluntarily attended the ‘Umkhosi Womhlanga’, the reed dance ceremony promoting a virginity test, driven by His Majesty King Goodwill Zwelithini.
From inception, Olofsson has applied Thanda’s philosophy of ‘For the love of nature, wildlife and dear ones’ to all aspects of the Thanda project, with specific attention on social responsibility. Various projects were established as part of the JAC initiative (an acronym for JOBS, AIDS & CONSERVATION) by the Thanda Foundation to ensure that the community is taken into account. In addition to the Star School project, the JAC initiative promotes the establishment of entrepreneurial projects that create new jobs. JAC-Entrepreneur, a key project within the JAC initiative, has committed to foster business links between South African and Swedish entrepreneurs in order to pursue BEE opportunities in South Africa. The company focuses on promoting investments in small and medium-sized companies in the form of equity and loan funding.
In 2006 Thanda Private Game Reserve's social responsibility initiatives received the highest recognition by the hospitality industry at the Imvelo Awards. Thanda was named the winner of the Best Social Involvement Programme category in the awards which are organised by the Federated Hospitality Association of Southern Africa (FEDHASA). The awards recognise tourism and hospitality businesses that make a real, measurable and sustained contribution to responsible tourism. "Thanda has been the proud recipient of numerous awards and accolades, however this is without a doubt the award of which we are the most proud as it represents our commitment to ensuring that the surrounding community benefits from and shares in our success. Thanda is situated in northern KwaZulu-Natal, one of South Africa's most rural and hard-hit areas in terms of HIV infection, and programmes such as the Star School project have greatly contributed to not only raising funds to fight this epidemic but more importantly in ensuring that awareness is raised both locally and internationally," said marketing director Anita Vernes.
Located adjacent to Thanda Private Game Reserve between Hluhluwe and Mkhuze in northern KwaZulu-Natal, the office will be the hub for the various social responsibility projects initiated by the Thanda Foundation, a non-profit organisation founded by Dan and wife Christin Olofsson. It will also be used as a training facility for the Foundation’s flagship project, the Star School concept, an HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention programme which aims to help and support high school students to live an AIDS-free life, to increase their knowledge about HIV/AIDS, to reduce the number of HIV-positive and pregnant students and to change the students’ values and attitudes in a perceptual way. Interim research results obtained already reflect a very positive response. Based on anonymous questionnaires and reports from the University of Zululand undertaken for Siphosabadletshe High School where the pilot project was initiated, the annual drop-out rate has decreased by 65%, annual pregnancies have been reduced by 40%, and the average school marks have improved by 25%. Most significantly, in grades 8 and 9, 90% of learners have chosen to abstain, and some learners voluntarily attended the ‘Umkhosi Womhlanga’, the reed dance ceremony promoting a virginity test, driven by His Majesty King Goodwill Zwelithini.
From inception, Olofsson has applied Thanda’s philosophy of ‘For the love of nature, wildlife and dear ones’ to all aspects of the Thanda project, with specific attention on social responsibility. Various projects were established as part of the JAC initiative (an acronym for JOBS, AIDS & CONSERVATION) by the Thanda Foundation to ensure that the community is taken into account. In addition to the Star School project, the JAC initiative promotes the establishment of entrepreneurial projects that create new jobs. JAC-Entrepreneur, a key project within the JAC initiative, has committed to foster business links between South African and Swedish entrepreneurs in order to pursue BEE opportunities in South Africa. The company focuses on promoting investments in small and medium-sized companies in the form of equity and loan funding.
In 2006 Thanda Private Game Reserve's social responsibility initiatives received the highest recognition by the hospitality industry at the Imvelo Awards. Thanda was named the winner of the Best Social Involvement Programme category in the awards which are organised by the Federated Hospitality Association of Southern Africa (FEDHASA). The awards recognise tourism and hospitality businesses that make a real, measurable and sustained contribution to responsible tourism. "Thanda has been the proud recipient of numerous awards and accolades, however this is without a doubt the award of which we are the most proud as it represents our commitment to ensuring that the surrounding community benefits from and shares in our success. Thanda is situated in northern KwaZulu-Natal, one of South Africa's most rural and hard-hit areas in terms of HIV infection, and programmes such as the Star School project have greatly contributed to not only raising funds to fight this epidemic but more importantly in ensuring that awareness is raised both locally and internationally," said marketing director Anita Vernes.