RTG extends hospitality to the needy

HARARE – At the Rainbow Tourism Group’s Kadoma Hotel and Conference Centre, guests may have their linens changed daily.

At many hotels countrywide, if a towel or sheet is discoloured or frayed, it is tossed in a bin and taken out with the trash.

Sheets and towels that have small signs of wear are often thrown away, too. But the RTG project is giving those gently used items a new purpose.

Across the town from the hotel at the Rimuka Old People’s Home, the aged used to sleep rough, their skin uncomfortable in the itchy blankets.

This care home for people in the final years of their lives is struggling to look after the frail and elderly lives, struggling to meet the needs of the aged residents.

At least, that’s how it used to be. Yesterday, thanks to the hotelier RTG which is enjoying improved occupancies, 15 aged inmates at the home will be enjoying the comfort of gently used bed sheets, pillow cases, hand towels and bath mats.

The representative of the home, McDonald Chimidzi, expressed heartfelt appreciation for the RTG gesture, saying residents had no bed sheets until this timeous intervention.

Paula January, the general manager for Kadoma Hotel and Conference Centre, said they responded to the plight of the Kadoma Aged Benevolent Association which is the only old people’s home in Kadoma.

Instead of linens and bedding heading into landfills, the hotelier gave those in need, with linen valued at $7 500 handed to various institutions from the Kadoma community.

“We identified institutions which needed assistance in varying capacity as part of the corporate philanthropy activities. We hope that our donations will go some way in improving the lives of the recipients,” January said.

Other institutions that received gifts are Tariro Children’s Home, a registered orphanage established in 2009 for the purpose of providing a temporary shelter for orphans and vulnerable children.

Currently, the home houses 19 children with ages ranging from three to 18 years of age.

The home received face towels, hand towels, pillow cases and double sheets for all the children.

“We are making a commitment to continue to assist the home both in material items and by devoting our time to come and play with the children,” January said.

The hotel also handed bed sheets, pillow cases, hand towels and bath mats to the Kadoma General Hospital.

The linen would be shared between the maternity and paediatric wards.  The acting matron, Sister Jessica Banda received the goods on behalf of the hospital.

The hotel also handed ten pairs of curtains to a Zimbabwe Republic Police station.

“The group is committed to making a meaningful contribution to society through philanthropic activities and investing in sustainable initiatives which benefit and empower the communities in which we operate,” Pride Khumbula, the group’s corporate communications and innovations manager said.

“The donations form part of the philanthropic activities we are conducting across all our hotels.

“In partnership with a local non-profit organisation — Community Capacity Building Initiative Centre for Africa (CCBCA) — the group has developed nutritional gardens at three of its hotels and the pilot project was rolled out by Kadoma Hotel and Conference Centre.

“Both Kadoma General Hospital and Tariro Children’s Home with the assistance of CCBCA have created nutritional gardens for consumption.

“The other hotels involved in this project are Bulawayo Rainbow Hotel and Rainbow Towers Hotel and Conference Centre.”

The hospitality management company’s portfolio of hotels includes Rainbow Towers Hotel and Conference Centre, A’Zambezi River Lodge, Victoria Falls Rainbow Hotel, Bulawayo Rainbow Hotel, Kadoma Hotel and Conference Centre, New Ambassador Hotel, and Rainbow Hotel Mozambique (Beira).

RTG is one of the companies in the tourism and hospitality industry listed on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange. DailyNews.