We recently had the privilege of hosting a group of young girls from Lupinyo Village for lunch and a tour of Ilala Lodge Hotel. The tour was arranged by the Managing Director of Africa Travel Tours, Leana as well as her husband Lovemore Machipisa. Together the pair are involved in selflessly helping transform the lives of underprivileged girls and orphans from Lupinyo Village in Victoria Falls.
The Girls of Lupinyo Village visit Victoria Falls with Travel Africa Tours
Ranging in age from 10 to 14 years old, the girls attend various different schools – Jabulani Primary School, Jabulani Secondary School as well as Mosi Oa Tunya High School. Their tour included a visit to the Natural World Wonder, Victoria Falls as well as lunch and a visit of Ilala Lodge Hotel, as part of an inspiring, motivating, and engaging opportunity that most young individuals living in the town are never afforded. The group of girls visited the waterfall for the very first time. Needless to say they were blown away by what they saw and experienced.
Experiencing a World Wonder for the very first time!
Following the tour of the falls, the girls were treated to lunch at Ilala Lodge Hotel and arrived full of stories of what they had seen and done; their eyes were dancing with delight.
It was also their very first visit to a hotel and they couldn’t contain their excitement. They were astounded at just how luxurious Ilala is and it was so wonderful to witness the sheer joy on their faces as they did their walk around the hotel. For many, the bathrooms created much excitement, to see both a bath and a shower in one room, a sight they are not familiar with.
An inspiring tour of Ilala Lodge Hotel
It was a heart-warming experience to witness these intelligent and humble young girls on their tour around the hotel. Absolutely everything was a completely new experience for them, and each little element from the chocolates in the mini bar, to the patio to the number of towels turned into sheer delight. There was much laughter, shrieks of joy and lively chatter on seeing the different room types.
When they sat down for lunch at the Cassia Restaurant and had their lunch served to them, one could see that this too was an alien yet delightful concept for them. They dutifully bowed their heads to pray and give thanks before starting to eat.
A hearty lunch and refreshments enjoyed by the girls at Ilala Lodge Hotel’s Cassia Restaurant
These girls come from an array of different family backgrounds – each with their own challenges; however, under the guidance of Leana and Lovemore, they are being exposed to so much more of what life can really entail. Leana has instilled in them a burning desire to yearn for more, to excel in all areas of their lives (especially education) and to not necessarily have to settle for what traditionally is expected of young girls in Zimbabwe.
Leana feels very passionate about this as she too came from a rural village similar to Lupinyo yet she didn’t let that stand in her way and through hard work, sheer determination and incredible focus she has gone on to become the Managing Director of Africa Travel Tours.
Leana sets a great example and is a superb role model for such a great initiative as she personally knows exactly how hard it can be to be born a girl in Africa. She assists in providing school stationary for the girls, helps to provide sanitary ware and ensures they have ample clothing and education. We wish all these girls everything of the very best for their future and look forward to following their journey along the way.
If you would like to find out more about the work that Leana and Lovemore do for these young girls, or to support them. Please email info@africatravelvicfalls.com.