B Corp Certification another step in the journey of growing the emerging global community of truly sustainable travel companies
NAIROBI, Kenya, March 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Nawiri Group, a leader in sustainable tourism announces today that its Foundation has secured USD 5mn in grants in its first fundraising, as part of a comprehensive multi-year plan for securing the future of Africa’s key savannah eco-systems and the neighbouring communities.
Nawiri Group and its foundation work with expert partners and communities in some of the greatest, globally important natural wilderness areas on the African continent. In addition to the positive impact of the responsible travel operations of Nawiri Group, the Foundation provides structural support and develops nature positive income streams from these ecosystems for the communities that own them, in partnership with expert implementation partners.
Nawiri Group has an established presence and long-term commitments in some of Africa’s most vital natural ecosystems. This includes the Serengeti/Mara ecosystem and the greater Ruaha/Selous ecosystem, among others. These ecosystems hold some of the greatest biodiversity left on the planet, meaning they are globally valuable, but they are also under serious threat. Nawiri Group’s partner communities in these wilderness areas are directly dependent on these natural ecosystems for their livelihoods and are therefore especially vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Recognizing this urgency, the goal of Nawiri Group, its investors and partners, is simple yet ambitious: to create a thriving and sustainable future for these vital ecosystems and the local communities who depend on them.
This initial catalytic funding for the Foundation has been provided by key financial backers of Nawiri Group and their respective foundations – Summa Foundation, Sinding Family and LGT VP – in support of Nawiri Group’s long-term strategy of building nature positive income streams for these natural ecosystems and their custodians.
Through the Foundation the group actively works together with leading expert implementation partners in enabling structural, long-term impact for the natural wilderness areas and the local communities who depend on them. Nawiri Group also recognizes a significant and broader leadership role of further engaging its employees, industry and customers on using business as a Force for Good and is now B Corp certified in another step on that journey.
Certified B Corporations are businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose. B Corps are accelerating a global culture shift to redefine success in business and build a more inclusive and sustainable economy. Nawiri Group sees its B Corp certification as the latest milestone in its bigger sustainability journey.
“With this generous initial funding, we’re able to accelerate our strategy towards realising positive impact-at-scale. The combination of targeted impact projects and responsible tourism income streams holds the power to create a sustainable future for some of Africa’s most iconic natural ecosystems and the communities that rely on them. Securing diverse, recurring income streams, and providing structural support is absolutely vital for the survival of these globally relevant and threatened areas and their custodian communities. We look forward to working with like-minded partners in responsible tourism, conservation and rural community projects to accelerate this development and realize a long-term success story” says Jeroen Harderwijk, Nawiri Group CEO.
Nawiri Group is using a multi-faceted approach to scale its positive impact significantly beyond its responsible travel operations by developing nature positive income streams for vital natural ecosystems and their custodians, and simultaneously empowering consumers and their travel advisors to make more impactful travel decisions.
SOURCE Nawiri Group