The Chumbe Managers 2007

The Chumbe Rangers 2007

The Office Administration 2007

The Hospitality Team 2007

The Chumbe Team, 2008 - ready to welcome you to the island!!

On Chumbe, local people are given preference for employment opportunities and for all aspects of the work, including the marine park rangers, maintenance staff, cooks, cleaners, waiters and administrators. As many of our employees come from the rural fishing communities along the coast of Zanzibar island, most have little formal education, so training in all these positions has been provided by the Chumbe management and numerous volunteers to the project over the years. A team that began with very few words of English and low levels of literacy has become a team of able English speakers, recognized throughout the region as being exceptional in their work and in their provision of service with the welcoming, family atmosphere you will find on the island.

The project has actively encouraged the employment of women. In the local Islamic culture, under-educated women from rural communities often find it difficult to find employment, and where employment is found, opportunities for female advancement in the workplace are limited. On Chumbe equal opportunities are provided to all staff and all staff, be they cooks, waiters, or maintenance staff, are taught about the ecology of Chumbe and its relation to natural resource utilisation. This is another route through which to disseminate information to the wider coastal communities. Environmental education such as this encourages feelings of ownership and responsibility towards a natural resource.

In summary, the management style on the island is very different from a regular hotelier operation. All project decisions are made through weekly discussion sessions with opportunity for all concerned to express their opinions and wishes. Whilst the management team comprises of three expatriate staff, much of their work is training of local employees who will ultimately manage the project independent of foreign expertise. Therefore it has been important, from the beginning, to ensure that decisions made and systems established are accepted by all, are culturally suitable, and ideas from the team be given a chance to be tried and developed.

The core of the Chumbe Project lies with the Chumbe Team that runs it. They are extremely proud of the Marine Park and the ecotourism operating within this protected area. The team have been empowered by the project as awareness has been raised that the Chumbe Marine Protected Area is being protected on behalf of the local population. This is a unique approach to protected area management in this developing region of the world, and this sense of ownership and responsibility for the environment is of great importance in the long-term security of wilderness preservation in East Africa.

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