South African Safari Guides Band Together And Sell Their Photographs To Raise Money To Feed The Hungry

An African safari drums up visions of Meryl Streep and Robert Redford in “Out Of Africa,” Taylor Swift’s “Wildest Dreams” music video and Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s romantic getaway into the wild. And while the stunning landscapes have always played a perfect backdrop for old Hollywood glamour, the real-world situation in South Africa amid the global pandemic is much less glossy.

Like many countries, South Africa shut down its borders in order to flatten the curve of the coronavirus. As tourism companies scrambled to send tourists back home, it ultimately meant the shutdown of celebrity-frequented luxury camps. What people may not know is these safari destinations – which have been lauded by the likes of Hilary Duff, Chrissy Teigen and John Legend, and many more – provide a very vital role in supporting the local communities.

“In South Africa, especially in rural communities, if one person is employed it can directly affect about 10 people,” Jonty Bozas a longtime safari guide shared.

The pandemic has hit these rural communities especially hard, with their livelihoods often being tied to the camps.

“With the whole travel industry going the way that it has… you have guides, trackers, lodge staff, maintenance, workshop mechanics — a whole host of people who are affected at varying levels,” Matt Murray of Completely Unique Safaris shared.

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And as their industries came to a screech halt, a group of safari guides, rangers, and friends from the industry banded together to sell their up-close wildlife images in order to raise money to feed the hungry. The group created an Instagram account, @photosforfood_ and are selling digital downloads of their stunning photographs. For $20, a digital photograph can be purchased and half of the proceeds go to support charities like Nourish, which is providing food parcels to communities in need.

“$10 goes toward the food parcel for the family,” Jonty shared. “One of the organizations we are working closely with is called Nourish. Prior to this pandemic, they had a program where they were feeding 100 school children per day. When this lockdown started, that jumped to 420 families that they now need to feed. The scale up is massive. People don’t have access to good, nourishing meals. It’s a huge problem.”

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And Matt and Jonty, who are both photographers as well as former safari guides, shared that the benefit to these families is monumental.

“This is a way to put back a little into those areas so that when things are back up and running again, not only have we helped stem their tide but also we can continue to contribute going forward. What a difference you can make with $20 is huge.” Murray added.

Their photographs would normally fetch a high price tag, but the slash of the price tag on their artwork is worth it to help their communities.

““When everything is running well, as an example , the area outside of Sabi Sands the unemployment rate is over 50 percent. That’s when things are going well. Depending on which articles you read, between eight and 14 million people in South Africa are going hungry,” Jonty shared. “For me personally, I’ve realized in the last four weeks that I’ve got to change my outlook and approach to living. I read a quote by Mother Teresa and she summed it up, ‘If you can’t feed 100 people, then just feed one.’”

In addition to getting a digital download, which can be printed at home, people will also get to hear the story of how the image was captured and what that particular safari was like.

So while travelers aren’t able to make that trip right now, they can live out their “wildest dreams” and get a taste of what that old Hollywood glamour and the thrill of being out on safari is really like.