Social Responsibility

Social Upliftment Program

Aquila is the proud recipient of an Imvelo Award for our Social Involvement Program.

Aquila provides over 120 jobs to the previously disadvantaged community of Touwsriver, a town with a 97% unemployment rate. Aquila also sponsors the local cricket team as well as a full time school teacher. Over the past 4 years, Aquila has invested a staggering R20 million into the Reserve and in doing so has been in a position to benefit the local community.

Each employee at Aquila provides for approximately 5 people in their immediate family. 20% of 7,900 people in the community benefit directly from the employment offered at Aquila with almost R200 000 per month circulating in the town. Aquila currently employs approximately 180 people.

Local street vendors from the city of Cape Town were invited to spend a night at the reserve and this team will be incorporated into our brochure distribution program in the city.

Aquila has gone to extra effort, expense and time in creating employment by having a majority of the doors and windows in their developments made by Touwsriver locals.

Food supplies, Veterinarian services, Labour, building material and supplies, machinery/mechanical repairs are all outsourced to local companies in the Touwsriver / Worcester area.

Aquila went to the additional expense of cutting down thousands of exotic trees, and treating them for our constructions, rather than buying pre-treated poles. This was also a job creation scheme. Aquila created jobs by pioneering the commercial use of “vleykiesriet” thatch in the area to be used for thatching This benefit was twofold, as the cutting of the reeds cleared choked waterways thus allowing for the flow of water to the town and farms all the way to Ladysmith, as well as ridding the town of high-density reeded areas that was known as a high crime risk environment.

Aquila has initiated a block-making job creation project. This project was launched to create employment and develop skills by manufacturing building blocks that were used on the reserve. This project currently produces approximately 600 bricks a week allowing this project to remain sustainable.

Aquila donated shelving and building materials to one of our staff members and empowered him and his family to start and already viable supermarket in his area.

Skills development
Pre and post opening and building of Aquila, people from the local community were and still are employed, trained and given craftsmanship skills by professionals in the hospitality, tourism and conservation industries.

The traditions and expert craftsmanship of the Khoi/San people are now being showcased in the Aquila’s curio shop. This allows them the opportunity of earning a living from their craftsmanship. Both local and international tourists are now educated on many levels about the Khoi/San culture.