HakiPensheni: One&Only resorts supports local communities, easing stress of job losses

Monday, June 29, 2020

One&Only resorts supports local communities, easing stress of job losses

One&Only Nyungwe House General Manager, Jacques Le Roux handing over items to the Gisakura community in Nyamasheke District. / Photo: Courtesy.

To facilitate the distribution, staff from One&Only Nyungwe House and One&Only Gorilla’s Nest visited the communities and offered their support

One&Only resorts in Rwanda have rolled out support to communities in Gisakura and Kinigi where the two ultra-luxury resorts, One&Only Nyungwe House and One&Only Gorilla’s Nest, are located respectively.
In light of the corona irus pandemic which has affected the livelihoods of communities, the One&Only resorts in Rwanda have supported 65 families in Gisakura and 412 families in Kinigi with food relief during the lockdown.
To facilitate the distribution, staff from One&Only Nyungwe House and One&Only Gorilla’s Nest visited the communities and offered their support.
“One&Only Nyungwe House and One&Only Gorilla’s Nest have always worked closely with local communities. Our guests and colleagues participate in the monthly Umuganda community services among other community-based initiatives in the areas,” commented Craig Storkey, Area Lodge Manager, One&Only in Rwanda.
“In addition, we understand the plight that our people have faced during these times like losing jobs and unfortunately not being able to fend for their families. As a brand that has continuously worked with the community, we shall offer our support in any possible ways to ensure we go through this together,” he added.
Beyond the support amidst the pandemic, the resort has been known to work closely with local communities by including them in their value chain as well as supporting in the improvement of quality of goods and services.
For instance, Go Kigali operates a retail store at One&Only Nyungwe House which offers an exclusive selection of contemporary products made in Rwanda and Africa from more than 50 designers.
60 per cent of Go Kigali’s suppliers are female-owned businesses, 30 per cent use recycled or sustainable materials, 30 per cent provide life skills trainings, 17 per cent are cooperatives and 8 per cent are non-profit organizations, and employ more than 1,200 people in Rwanda.
Guests at the resort are able to purchase locally produced jewelry, clothing, shoes, accessories, home décor from local brands including Haute Baso, Bika Sky, Indego Africa among others.
The resort also works closely with the local community in multiple aspects whereby it has actively recruited from the local area, invested in training and the development of skills. The resort has also focused on partnering with local cooperatives to purchase fresh produce that is consumed at the resort.
Storkey says that they have a long-term vision of working hand in hand with the community to be part of community development. This includes assigning part of the resort’s budget for community service activities to foster the consistency in the impact that the resort has on the nearby neighborhoods.
The brand’s latest addition into the local tourism ecosystem, One&Only Gorilla’s Nest is an ultra-luxury resort on the foothills of the Volcanoes National Park that was launched in February this year.”