About

Summary

We were asked to accompany our client to a site in the Omo Valley, in southern Ethiopia, to give advice on the development of a community cultural camp. Currently, most tourism in the Omo Valley is poorly managed and brings communities little, if any, benefits. To visit tribes that do partake in tourism, tourists pay high prices to tour guides to visit these tribes primarily to take pictures (paying approximately 20p per photo taken).

A recent damming of The Omo River has also caused issues with their traditional farming practices, creating difficulties in planting, and sustaining the right amount of food to feed their families. It is also forcing deforestation along the banks of the river to create space for new farmland.

The aim of the community camp is to generate a positive change through tourism by working alongside one of the tribes in the area. This would benefit them directly through employment, the potential development of healthcare systems and other necessities they currently do not have access to.

Our Approach

Accompanying the client to the proposed location and spending time with the tribe, allowed us to give a very practical set of recommendations to consider when building the camp. These were specifically to do with the camp operations, staff training, and design, alongside advice on how to best benefit and involve the local communities in the project.

Outcome

A set of recommendations were laid out and discussed at the end of the trip. The client is currently applying for funding to help move the project forward.