Old Line Safari Company Clinches Award
Ecotourism Firm Recognized for Corporate Social Responsibility

NAIROBI, December 1, 2005—The Old Line Safari Company, also doing business as Finch Travels, was honored recently with an award for demonstrating corporate social responsibility (CSR) through its work in protecting the natural environment while improving the livelihood of the local host communities. The rising safari firm was among five small and medium enterprises in Kenya to participate in an 18-month program, run by the Integra Foundation, the Economic Projects Trust Fund (EPTF), and Slovak Aid, that encouraged CSR. Entrepreneurs and passionate conservationists Franklin Omondi and Boniface Nganga operate The Old Line Safari Company on principles that emphasize building an ethical, transparent corporate culture that considers its net effect on society.

Their award-winning strategy has included working with the Kasigau community on the southern border of Tsavo West National Park, where the company’s goals comprise habitat restoration, community development, and awareness and education. “Before we became involved,” Old Line Safari Company director Omondi explained, “the Kasigau people viewed wildlife as a nuisance and the environment as hostile to their agricultural efforts. They subsisted on poaching and showed little regard for environmental degradation through overuse.” In its ongoing strategy to improve the people’s economic life while promoting responsible tourism, The Old Line Safari Company has also initiated a project to develop basket-weaving in the Kasigau community. Through interaction with tourists from all over the world, the company provides market access for the baskets without venturing outside its core business. This project mutually benefits the two parties, at the same time adding value for tourists.

The Old Line Safari Company’s partnership with the Kasigau local community has brought about better stewardship of the environment, which has led to improved profit from tourism. “The long-term goal,” added Nganga, Old Line Safari Company operations manager, “is to develop a high-end tourist eco-lodge that can provide a major source of revenue for the communities in the wider area who are majority shareholders in the joint company.” With intergovernmental bodies now setting CSR standards for labor, environmental, and industrial activities in which multinational corporations engage, many other Kenyan companies are beginning to follow The Old Line Safari Company’s example and adopt these values as the norm for their business practices, too.

About The Old Line Safari Company
Headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, The Old Line Safari Company offers guided East African safaris of all descriptions—from camelback or horseback treks, camping, and student excursions to family vacations, exclusive luxury sojourns, corporate travel, and honeymoons. The privately held enterprise’s focus on promoting conservation and community economic development through ecotourism defines its corporate mission: to actively and conscientiously conduct business in a way that protects the natural environment and endeavors to improve the quality of life of the surrounding community. For more information, please visit http://www.theoldlinesafaricompany.com.