Based on our values, we aim to support community service by identifying areas for our guests to interact with and give back to the local communities they visit, as well as working with facilities that promote conservation of the natural environment and heritage. By working closely with with travelers, hoteliers, local communities, experts, and institutions, we can significantly reduce the gap between the rich and the poor by directing revenue gained from tourism into heritage and environmental preservation.

We pick a unique cause to highlight which meets some of the characteristics of sustainability and tayyab values which encourage responsible travel.

We are currently exclusively partnering with Ikhlas Foundation to make sure we give back to the local community in Kenya as a means to promote responsible tourism. Ikhlas Foundation is a non-political and not for profit organisation whose mission is “to inspire and assist in the advancement of education, livelihoods, health and living environment in Lamu, Kenya”.

Our projects with Ikhlas include donations to their women’s and girls learning institute, youth programs and interventions, and preservation of culture and arts, as well as environmental conservation projects.

Other than the madrassa, other year-round key areas of community service we support are education, heritage preservation, environmental conservation, and livelihood development.

Education

In education, we aim to support both secular and non-secular education in local communities. By curating stories and trips that preserve tales of positive of Islamic history which can be shared in local schools, we aim to give a a higher self-confidence over time by these youth who are usually marginalised and lack representation both locally and internationally. We involve students in some of our tours and include then in some of the group tours to ensure continuity of knowledge to the future generations.

Heritage

Every journey you take with us makes a difference by contributing directly to heritage preservation in communities we visit. For Lamu, we aim to support a heritage conservation fund and institutions that work to protect critically important sites and monuments, and preserve intangible cultural heritage. We have supported community groups and individuals to promote both intangible and tangible cultural heritage preservation. This includes preservation os historic Quranic manuscript.

Eco-Tourism

We have donated to community groups that help promote preservation local environment and sustainable tourism practices including Pate Resource and Tourism Iniative, including supporting their ecotourism banda project and tour guide training.

Environment

We prioritise working with hotels and partners that share our values in conservation. This includes hotels and lodges that contribute to sustainable projects in their local communities. and prioritize sustainability and are principled in their responsibility to nature. Currently, our trips to Masaai Mara focus on lodges that partner with MAA Trust, such as the Mara Naboisho Conservancy. The Maa Trust is a non-profit organisation based in community-owned conservancies in the Maasai Mara, Kenya. They work to “increase the benefits of wildlife and conservation to Maasai families so that they appreciate, and contribute to the protection of wild animals on their land, and unite communities by involving them in conservation at a management level.” We are however looking to grow our destinations and therefore areas of support.

Livelihood Development

At Halal Safaris we believe that if the local community, especially women and youth are involved and engaged in tourism activities, conservation, and cultural heritage, it can be instrumental in promoting socioeconomic and livelihood development. We therefore prioritize working lodges and hotels that prioritize recruitment of local labour and professionals, and those that support local livelihood projects and initiatives for women and youth. This community-centred approach is designed to benefit all members of society.

If you have a lodge, facility, or cause that matches one of the above values in community service, please contact us so that we can consider including you in one of our itineraries.

PAST PROJECTS

2020

This year our highlight cause is to help support actions from community groups to mitigate against the impacts of COVID-19. To help mitigate the impact of new coronavirus on the local economy, Halal Safaris has started a #StayHome #TravelTomorrow campaign to help mitigate the impacts of coronavirus that asks future travelers to buy from local businesses through our EcoSoko project, or donate to charities in Lamu in exchange a 15% discount to travel anytime until end of 2021. Find out more here.

2019

Every year we pick a unique cause to highlight which meets some of the characteristics of sustainability and tayyIb values which encourage responsible travel. This year our highlight cause is Pedal to Hajj. Pedal to Hajj group consists of four cyclists who will be cycling through Kenya, Sudan and Ethiopia on their way for Hajj from June 10, 2019 in order to raise funds for the education of needy children who can not afford basic education in Kenya.