Francis and Narigo Majambele, managers of Lake Manyara Tree Lodge, have developed close ties with the neighbouring Mayoka community. "One out of every ten Tanzanians are infected with HIV," says Narigo, a trained AIDS peer-educator, "which means that three of Lake Manyara's staff will die in the near future…." It's no wonder that AIDS education for staff and close communities are high priorities.

The first project undertaken in Mayoka, a village of
5 860 people with no electricity or tap water, was also health related - the provision of a solar-powered refrigerator to store medicine. Before this, medicines were fetched by bicycle from the nearest health centre 30 kilometres away. Now CC Africa has transformed an old farmhouse into a ten-bed clinic, built accommodation for a medical assistant and three nurses, provided the first and only village tap, built two fully equipped classrooms and two teachers' houses and provided six secondary school scholarships sponsored by the manager's discretionary fund.

The Lodge also ensures that, whenever possible, supplies of food, building materials etc. are purchased from the local communities.