Micato Safaris Honored with Top Award at Condé Nast Traveler’s 4th Annual World Savers Awards
Micato Safaris Recognized as Winner of Education Initiatives Award and Winner, “Doing it All" at Condé Nast Traveler's 4th Annual World Savers Awards
New York, NY (PRWEB) September 7, 2010
Micato Safaris (www. micato. com), known for providing the utmost in luxury travel to Africa and India was honored for the philanthropic endeavors of its non-profit, AmericaShare (www. americashare. org) in the September 2010 issue of Condé Nast Traveler. Awards were given in five categories: Preservation, Environmental and/or Cultural; Wildlife Conservation; Health Initiatives; Poverty Relief; and Education Programs. Micato received the highest overall score across the five categories combined, making the Company winner among tour operators for “Doing it All”. Micato was also recognized as the winner of the Education Initiatives category for the introduction of its groundbreaking One for One program. The initiative, which was introduced in January 2010, pledges to place one child in school for every safari sold.
Dennis Pinto, Managing Director of Micato Safaris, will accept the award at the 4th Annual Condé Nast Traveler World Savers Congress at the Suntec Singapore International Convention & Exhibition Center on October 19, 2010. Awards will be presented in the presence of hundreds of travel industry and non-profit leaders and activists, including Condé Nast Traveler Editor-in-Chief Klara Glowczewska, who will gather to discuss what the travel industry can do to improve the environment and living conditions around the globe. Past presenters of the Condé Nast Traveler World Savers Awards have included President Bill Clinton, actor Edward Norton and musician/activist Wyclef Jean.
“We are deeply honored to receive Condé Nast Traveler’s World Savers Award,” states Dennis Pinto, Managing Director, Micato Safaris. “At Micato, we see philanthropic travel as a way that compassionate travelers can come to a greater understanding of the challenges and needs facing underserved African communities -- and get involved and help in a meaningful way. Our particular mission is the education of Africa’s vulnerable and orphaned children, but the overarching experience for our travelers is much larger than that: it’s a true and sensitive experience encompassing myriad spheres of African life from women’s empowerment issues to AIDS education, slums and children’s educational issues.”
“Micato’s AmericaShare foundation has long been committed to providing education and tools for sustainable living to African women and children living with HIV/AIDs,” states Lorna Macleod, Executive Director, AmericaShare. “Our approach has always been to dig deep. That is, we do not simply write a check and leave, but rather, we work side-by-side with the individuals who can ensure our projects’ success: local Kenyan social workers, educators, physicians, building contractors and others in order to create a better life for the residents of the Mukuru slum of Nairobi.”
For more information about Micato Safaris, visit www. micato. com or call 1-800-MICATO-1.
For more information about AmericaShare, visit www. americashare. org or call 212-545-7125.
About Micato Safaris
Jane and Felix Pinto founded Micato Safaris in Kenya in 1966; the company has been providing the most luxurious and personalized African safaris to sophisticated travelers ever since. Micato prides itself on providing exceptional service throughout every stage of the safari experience. The company has won numerous industry awards, including Condé Nast Traveler’s World Savers Award, Travel + Leisure magazine’s “Best Tour Operator” award for an unprecedented seven years, and Virtuoso travel network’s “Best Tour Operator: Escorted Tours” award.
For the past twenty years, Micato’s nonprofit arm, AmericaShare, has been actively working in Kenya to support the orphaned and vulnerable children and adults affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Funded 100% by Micato Safaris, AmericaShare channels the donations of its safari guests, corporate partners and industry friends directly to one of its projects in Mukuru, a notorious slum outside of Nairobi. AmericaShare’s mission is to provide education and hope to the women and children of Mukuru, as well as resources to facilitate sustainable change within the community.
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