What inspired you to work for Penda Photo Tours?
From the start, I have been fascinated by the mission of Penda to create life-changing experiences in the form of photography travel, combined with making a positive impact. Similarly, my colleagues' expertise and involvement in the communities they work with continue to inspire me every day.
Why do you do what you do?
Being able to support a cause you truly believe in is an absolute privilege. Being able to do so WHILST working? Even better!
In this day and age, I believe it becomes crucial to create and support businesses that have a social core and are driven to uplift communities, raise awareness for global challenges, and bring people together to create positive changes.
What is your favorite part of your job?
I love to receive and look through the behind-the-scenes photos of our programs. These usually show the participants "at work"—photographing their subjects or directing them to create the perfect scene.
Within each of these photos, you can truly feel the joy, inspiration, and dedication that our participants have felt whilst learning more about photography and getting the chance to put their gained knowledge to work.
What are some current projects you are working on?
Currently, I am focusing on gaining an audience for our Impact Photography Program. The Impact Photography Program is a travel program with a focus on non-profit photography.
Here, participants can develop their skills in a practical way by shooting images for local grassroots charities in Cape Town whilst being guided by professional humanitarian photographer Anna Lusty.
I believe that this program is a wonderful opportunity for all aspiring photographers as it may open their eyes to a new field of photography where they can create a positive impact through their lens.
What advice would you tell your pre-travel self?
Don't be too nervous! During your travels, you will learn that you are highly capable of handling difficult situations and that will truly boost your confidence.
Also: Talk to strangers! Your parents may have told you not to but you can actually learn a lot by being open, asking for help, or just starting up a conversation.
Why should someone choose Penda Photo Tours over competitors?
The employees at Penda Photo Tours are highly knowledgeable, culturally sensitive, and involved in the local communities. In comparison to some competitors, the goal is not to fill up the programs with as many participants as possible but to create smaller groups of motivated (aspiring) photographers.
This allows for an experience that creates the greatest possible benefit for participants and NGOs alike, without overwhelming local communities. It also gives the workshop host the opportunity to focus on and tailor their support to the participant's individual needs.
How is your company handling Covid protocols? What should participants know about your Covid readiness? How are you assisting participants with navigating the new travel landscape?
We have established flexible cancellation policies and are ready to help our participants in navigating travel restrictions. We also inform our participants early on about the Covid protocols when entering their destination.
What hopes do you have for the future for your organization?
As Penda is recovering from the negative effects of the pandemic, I hope that the organization can continue to grow in the following years and create even more impact-focused programs. Likewise, I believe it would be amazing to grow the Penda team with employees from various backgrounds who are motivated to create a positive impact through photography.
What makes your organization easy to market to potential participants?
Penda is authentic, truthful, and transparent, and we approach our communication in the same manner. Penda does not try to sell something that might not be the right fit for our participants. Instead, we are in personal contact with potential participants and are eager to create an experience that is right for them.
I believe that our customers notice and appreciate our personal and authentic communication.
What is Penda's mission and how do you continue to work toward it?
Penda made it their mission to offer photography holidays through which participants can improve their photography skills, explore some of the most stunning places on earth, and give back to good causes at the same time.
Penda is working towards this by listening to feedback from the participants, communities, and NGOs and continuously improving their programs.
What do you hope participants take away from your programs?
I hope that participants take a lot of inspiration and motivation with them after taking part in one of our programs—the inspiration to use their new skills to create images they love and the motivation to use photography for a good cause.
Some of our participants have even finished our programs with the newly gained knowledge that they would like to pursue photography professionally.
If you could participate on one of Penda's programs, where would you go and what would you do?
I would love to participate in the Impact Photography Program and meet the wonderful NGOs we work with while exploring beautiful Cape Town. At the same time, I would like to visit Iceland with our Iceland Photo Tour and experience the awe-inspiring nature there whilst capturing stunning images.
Why is it important for people to travel abroad and experience new cultures?
We can study other cultures by watching shows or reading books about them, but to truly understand the customs and witness the beauty of other societies, we have to experience them. By doing so we become much more open-minded and can feel more connected to others.
We also become able to see ourselves as this tiny speck in the wonderful, colorful world that we live in. This allows us not to take ourselves too seriously and instead learn to appreciate what we have and what we can do to create a better future.
Working remotely from my little home office
Why do you think learning a new language is important?
Learning new languages is another step that can bring us much closer to others and help us in understanding different worldviews. How we speak shapes how we think! And above all, connections are formed through conversations.
So, even if you can only manage a few sentences, the locals will usually appreciate that you are making an effort to learn their language and understand their culture.
What advice do you have for individuals thinking about going abroad?
Do it! It is guaranteed to become the experience of a lifetime and you will tell your children and grandchildren about it. Not everything may be smooth sailing but you will be so proud of yourself for pulling through.
You will meet inspiring people, become more open-minded, and learn a lot about yourself. So, what are you waiting for?
What does meaningful travel mean to you?
Meaningful travel for me is where I am not a tourist leaving destruction where I go, but instead becoming a global citizen that is mindful of their impact.
Through meaningful travel, we learn how to become culturally sensitive, be mindful of the environment and local communities, and strive to integrate ourselves instead of wanting to be an outsider who is just observing.
