Our team at Kuoni certainly go all out when it comes to raising money for our favourite causes. From outdoor movie screenings to spoof music videos, marathons to making extraordinary cakes, we’re always trying to give something back and positively support those in need.
Kuoni is aiming to raise £20,000 for Mind within two years, encouraging staff to champion the charity and get creative with fundraising efforts. Mind is a leading mental health charity, providing expert advice and support for anyone experiencing mental health problems. We’re also supporting mental wellness within the Kuoni workplace, with dedicated mental health first aiders.
From sponsored sky dives to sailing regattas, we’ve helped raise money to fund holidays for UK families struggling with issues such as disability, severe illness, bereavement and mental health. Many of the families helped by the Family Holiday Association have never been on holiday and this is often a life-changing experience, a break from daily struggles.
Derek Jones, our Managing Director, is the chairman of LifeLine, a charity helping those working in the travel industry when they need it the most. From financial help for families with serious medical conditions to respite stays, we donate £1 per Kuoni employee each year.
If you’re concerned by any animal welfare issues during your travels, you can report it via Born Free’s Travellers’ Animal Alert.
Report itKuoni goes the extra mile when it comes giving something back. Each member of staff gets two volunteering days each year, a chance to help local charities or take part in fundraising events. Here are just a few of the projects and events we’ve been part of…
We have supported our friends at the Born Free Foundation since 2003, raising and donating over £198,000 so far. Born Free is a charity working to stop wild animal suffering and protect threatened species; and we fully support their efforts and projects. Here are some of the ways we’ve helped to make a difference.
We encourage beach cleans wherever possible. Even customers joined us on this one at Uga Bay in Sri Lanka.
We raised over £3000 for BLISS and Neuroblastoma UK by driving around Europe in an old car and completing tasks on the Travel Trade Crusade.
We’ve worked closely with Whittalls in Sri Lanka to help provide exercise books, stationary and sports equipment to a little school in the village of Gallala.
We’re always challenging ourselves and raising money for charities we care about. Michelle Wardley from our Kuoni Sheffield store raised £3825 for St Luke’s Hospice in Sheffield by taking part in the Three Cities Cycle Challenge.
The book library at our Dorking headquarters raises money for the Wildlife Aid Foundation and gives us all a good read on holiday.
We’ve donated over £5000 towards building a new enclosure at the Big Cat Rescue Centre in the Shamwari Wildlife Reserve, South Africa. This award-winning reserve provides a retirement home for nine rescued lions and leopards. You can visit the Big Cat Rescue Centre during a safari holiday in South Africa.
Kuoni has helped to completely rebuild this primary school, building two classrooms, a small library and providing books, desks and chairs. The tree nursery has also improved, pupil enrolment has increased and the long-term benefit to the wider community has been significant.
We have helped construct four lion-proof bomas in Kenya, preventing attacks on livestock at night. Over 63 have been built by Born Free so far and local Maasai communities no longer see a need to take revenge attacks on predators. Livestock is the sole source of income for the majority of Maasai families in Amboseli, Tsavo and Samburu.
Kuoni’s Elaine Foster paid a visit to Nairobi to hand over some new community outreach equipment to the Born Free team. The money raised from Kuoni events provided a generator, projector screen, DVD player and portable PA system to help aid a conservation education programme in local communities.
Kuoni has sponsored Youth for Conservation in Kenya, which includes bushmeat investigations and snare removal initiatives. Hundreds of snares have now been removed and destroyed; and local people have been encouraged to support the protection of wildlife and anti-poaching.
Kinkelbos Farm School in South Africa is a rural school for children from disadvantaged families. The school frequently has to deal with lack of water and had a shortage of classrooms, with pupils using the tiny headmaster’s office. Thanks to Kuoni and Born Free’s support, the school now has a classroom in a second-hand prefab building.
