At Natural Selection we have a tagline that sits front and centre of our most recent impact report NS-Impact-Report-2024-online.pdf (naturalselectionfoundation.org). The tagline is “travel that matters”. Your travel matters not only to the numerous conservation projects that we have been able to support, but also to the communities living alongside our areas of operation. Our impact report is a testament to this.

Much of our work at Natural Selection focuses on community outreach, and it is one of the reasons that we have our CCR (Conservation, Community and Reserve) fee in place. In addition to the 1.5% of every booking that we donate from Natural Selection, the CCR fee is a nominal amount added to each guest’s stay that goes directly to doing good in that specific area. Recently, this fee has enabled us to undertake essential projects in Gweta, a small village near the Makgadikgadi Pans in Botswana, where many of our Kalahari team members are from. 

These efforts in Gweta had two objectives: providing the community with uninterrupted running water and addressing the frequent power outages at Gweta Primary Hospital.

Losing power is oft troublesome, but when it happens in a hospital setting it can be a life-threatening situation. Areas in and around Gweta face constant power outages, and the Gweta Primary Hospital was no exception. Up until now Uncharted Africa had serviced and repaired the generator that the hospital relied upon, but unfortunately the generator had to be retired.

“We go as far back as 2021 when we fixed the backup generator. The Gweta Primary Hospital faced an interruption in providing services to their patients during power cuts as their generator had reached its end of life, there was no back up to kick in and keep the lights and machines on” explains Uncharted Africa’s Community Liaison Officer Phatsimo ‘Tsitsi’ Khumalo.

We identified solar power as the best long-term solution. Uncharted Africa has begun installing solar panels and batteries in phases, prioritizing the laboratory, main theatre, and pharmacy. These critical areas now have reliable solar power that activates during power outages, with the goal of eventually making the entire hospital self-sufficient on solar energy.

As a village that gets its water supply from boreholes that require electricity, the power outages also affected the village’s access to water. No power meant no water! After consultation with the village leadership and water utilities, Uncharted Africa acquired and installed solar powered alternatives to mitigate this risk. Both of Gweta’s boreholes now have a reliable, solar-powered water supply. This improvement is expected to enhance community members’ ability to generate income through horticulture and small livestock farming

Installing solar power in Gweta will provide reliable electricity to the hospital and ensure an uninterrupted water supply for the community. By putting the power into empowering communities, we aim to significantly improve the quality of life for its residents.