The Right Team
For The Job

Choosing the location for Shawa Luangwa was just the first part of Shawa’s story: we still had to build the camp!

As with our other lodges and camps, it was crucial that Shawa support and empower its neighbouring communities. Work opportunities are scarce in this area, so in 2019 Jacques and Linda, who had built Ila Safari Lodge with us, assembled a team of young, passionate people from within the closest villages. We could not have known how much of an impact this would have on Shawa’s story.

The new team were brought in to do construction, plumbing, carpentry, and whatever else was needed for Shawa Luangwa Camp to become a reality. Each A-line tent was raised on a wooden platform, the pool was put in, and the main area was constructed... slowly but surely, Shawa was growing into something quite beautiful. And it soon became clear that the construction team were equally wonderful. They were talented and eager to learn. So our Founder and Director Vincent decided to interview each of them, to see who might make a good fit to stay on at Shawa in a different capacity once it opened.

Of the 20 or so regular workers who worked on the build of Shawa Luangwa Lodge, 11 of them were recruited to stay on. We hired an expert General Manager, Chef, and Housekeeper, and brought in experienced guides, and they implemented an intense training programme. The pandemic delayed the launch of Shawa, but that gave us more time to train up our team. When we opened in May 2020, Shawa was run almost entirely by the people who had built it from the ground up!

To this day, 9 of the original 11 can still be found at Shawa Luangwa, and the service at Shawa is consistently rated 5* thanks to their pride and dedication.