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B M & T ••• March/April 2017 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 30 F R O M T H E M O T H E R L A N D K enya's luxury safari lodge, Angama Mara, has unveiled three projects to benefit the property's neighboring communities, made possible by funds raised by guests through a nightly donation to the Angama Foundation. On March 17, 2017, together with Narok County's Minister of Education, Hon. John Marindany, the Angama Foundation proudly launched its three maiden projects: accommodations for 16 teachers at Emurutoto Primary School; three new classrooms at Partakilat Primary School; and the Angama Mara clinic. These were the foundation's first three initiatives, all identified after thorough consultation with the community, and completed in just less than two years since the property's opening in June 2015. "The Angama Foundation is funded by $10 per person, per night guest contributions – something little, which quickly becomes quite significant, and as can be seen from [the] celebrations, makes the world of difference to a community in need," said Steve Mitchell, co-founder and director of Angama Mara. Emurutoto Primary School, located 2.5 miles from the lodge in the village of Kawai, has become the benchmark for schools in the district, attracting children from farther afield thanks to its reputation as a center of excellence. Until now, the teachers lived in adobe mud buildings, not adequate enough to allow them to prepare for, and relax from, the daily rigors of caring for hundreds of children. On request, the rooms were modeled on the staff accommodations at Angama Mara. The Partakilat Primary School is the lodge's immediate neighbor, former- ly lacking enough infrastructure to educate its growing population of more than 200 school children, which is now much more feasible with the addi- tional three classrooms built by the foundation. Located on property, the Angama Mara clinic serves the lodge's guests and staff, as well as local community members, offering more accessible healthcare than was previously available. It was funded jointly by the foun- dation and the lodge, and received generous support from guests who have assisted with procuring specialist medical equipment, such as a Doppler fetal monitor and a defibrillator. For more information about Angama Mara, visit: www.anga- ma.com. ABOUT ANGAMA MARA: High above the Maasai Mara on the very site where some of the most romantic scenes from Out of Africa were filmed, Angama Mara, opened June 14, 2015, is comprised of two separate and intimate camps, each encompassing 15 tented guest suites, placed just on the edge of the Oloololo Escarpment on one of the most sought-after parcels of land on the entire continent. The lodge, helmed by renowned industry-leaders Steve and Nicky Fitzgerald (formerly of &Beyond), boasts the most outstanding game viewing 12 months of the year in the Mara Triangle, with direct access to the reserve. Inspired by the Swahili word for 'suspended in mid air,' the lodge seems to float 1,000 feet above the Great Rift Valley, where, every morning, hot air balloons sail past the 30-foot-wide floor-to-ceiling glass fronts of each suite. Guests enjoy a fitness center, a 40-foot-long swimming pool, a curated gallery of African art, clothing and jewelry, and a sun-filled studio where local Maasai women work at beading bespoke items. LOCAL COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND THE ANGAMA MARA TEAM GATHER AT THE EMURUTOTO PRIMARY SCHOOL FOR THE CELEBRATION Funds From Guests of Kenya's Angama Mara Lodge Financed the Initiatives