Did you know that when you book your safari through one of Safari By Ella’s recommended tour operators, you’re supporting conservation and charitable projects in Africa at no extra cost to yourself?
I’ve always been passionate about making a positive impact on the world. That’s why when I started connecting with tour operators in Africa, we decided that a percentage of the total safari cost of each safari booked would go to a grassroots charity that’s close to my heart.
But I’ve always been sceptical about large charities. When you donate to them, you never see where your money goes. How do you know that your donation has even reached the people or wildlife in need? I knew that I wanted to do things differently and actually give my donations directly.
I was extremely excited to kick-start this project in November 2023 when I returned to Tanzania and, with the help of some experts in the field, purchased a cow for a family in need in rural Tanzania.
Daffy and his wife Maria live in their house in Karatu with their 5 children. Daffy works on a nearby farm but the income he receives isn’t enough to sustain his family. Until recently, his children slept on the floor with no mattresses or blankets to keep them comfortable, and the family struggled to keep fed.
All of this changed when I visited them and they spoke of their desire to one day have a cow – an animal of immense value in Tanzania. I can’t even begin to describe their happiness when I told them that their dreams were about to come true.
The following day I went with Maria to the local market and she chose a healthy cow. She threw her arms around me when I told her it was now hers and I noticed her eyes watering with emotion. It’s hard not to feel emotional yourself when you realise the impact of a gesture like this.
This isn’t the only way that Maria and Daffy’s family’s lives changed this day. Now their children have comfortable mattresses and will never again have to sleep on the cold, hard floor.
The cow will go on to produce daily milk for the family and when the time comes for the cow to have a calf, this will go to another family in need. The second calf will belong to Daffy and Maria – it’s up to them if they keep it or sell it at the local market.
But this isn’t the end of the story. Earlier this year, their cow gave birth to a healthy calf. Once this calf is old enough, it will go to live with another family in Tanzania.
You can watch a video of Daffy and Maria’s story as well as a recent update in my video below.
More recently we have sponsored an orphaned elephant in Kenya who required round the clock care in order to build her strength. When she’s old enough she’ll be carefully released back into the wild, to enjoy her life exactly as it was intended.
You can watch a video on the incredible work that the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust do in my video below.
The most exciting part is that this is just the start. I could not be more grateful for everyone who has booked a safari through my recommendations and I cannot wait to see whose lives we change next.