Celebrating our Women; Meet Angel

This women’s month, we are celebrating the wonderful work that the ladies of Asiliado on a daily basis.

Get to know our lovely Angel Vendeline Namshaliin the blog piece below and be sure to check back for posts on some of the other incredible women we are so blessed to work with!

– Tell us a bit about yourself and what it is that you do?

I am Angel Vendeline Namshali born under the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro, married with one son. I joined Asiliain 2013 as a Camp Manager for Little Oliver’sand then here at Dunia Camp in the Serengeti National park as a Camp Manager. The past years the camp crew was all men except me and now with Asilia supporting communities they also empower women so I am now running an all women camp! Before I joined Asilia I was working with a certain company owning big hotels/lodges for 8 years. Being in the bush for all those years has provided me with a rare opportunity to be exposed and learn about the wildlife more than the classroom could provide. I am energetic and passionate with a clear, logical mind with a practical approach to problem-solving and a self-drive to see things through to their completion. I have been blessed with a great eye for detail. I am eager to learn, well focused to customer care & team building. I sincerely enjoy overcoming challenges, and I have a genuine interest in Tourism and Management in general.

– How did your journey with Asilia begin?

Before joining Asilia, I was initially working with one of the biggest lodges in the Serengeti. I met the country Director for Asilia who visited the lodge I was working at and she was impressed with me and that is how the journey to Asilia started. Since that time I took a lot of time to read and re read on what Asilia does for sustainable tourism and thought this is the right company I must work with. I was so privileged to get a chance as a camp Manager and the only Tanzanian woman camp Manager in the Serengeti.

– What , would you say, is the most rewarding this about your work?

Apart from the financial reward which makes my extended family live well, the most fascinating thing is the social interaction that I get while hosting guests.I am delighted to say that I get an opportunity to meet people from all over the world with different backgrounds. It actually gives me confidence and desire to serve them.

– What is the funniest/strangest thing you have experienced whilst being a camp manager?

One night while the camp was fully booked, we were invaded by a naughty elephant who broke into our charcoal fridge store as it smelled water melon from outside! It ate all the vegetables and fruits and also went to our storage water tank, punched the 10,000ltrs water tank and drank water with the other elephant in hisgroup . This was real a nightmare as in the morning we had to explain to the guests that of what had befallen us. Guests had to have partial breakfast and we were running here and there looking to how we will feed our guests for lunch as we had neither vegetables nor fruits. Fortunately, all the guests were very friendly and understood the situation. Our office had to fly in some vegetables as driving the resupplying truck from Arusha to Serengeti would take 12hours.

– What is the most special thing about having an all-female staff at Dunia Camp?

At first it seemed to be a strange idea. It has however proved the other way round!

So many men had different feelings on having all women together working in the bush. They thought that we will be very scared with animals, and we can’t cooperate and work as one – they were not looking to the positive side of a woman! Women can do anything that can be done by any other person in this world. By having all an women camp it has proved that we have a lot of women out there with the capacity and interest to work in the camp but they lack moral and financial support.

Working with my fellow women gives me assurance. As a woman we have things in common. We can therefore share all our issues freely without feeling inferior to each other. On top of that when I work with women I am imparting knowledge into them I feel that I am redeeming a family which is behind her financially, socially and morally. Families have greatly improved just because of this all women camp. I have seen that some other companies are learning fromAsilia and giving our fellow women the opportunity to work in their properties. The whole team of Dunia women have become a mirror to the society and to people surrounding!

Women have theheart of hospitality… I believe that they cananything just as well as any man, especially in the tourism industry.

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