‘We want to do what we do well, make small changes that empower people.’
Chiyambi (The Beginning)
This is a picture of Dom and Kate with their dog Shula in their second year in Malawi. They, together, founded the company as The Responsible Safari Company in 2008. They took a chance and left the UK when they were 23 yrs old to travel to Africa and see if they could find out what it was they wanted to do with their lives. They fell in love in Africa and with Africa. The sights, sounds, people and opportunity lit a fire in their bellies and they spent the next decade working to build their company, learning about sustainable travel and immersing ourselves in all things Malawi.
In 2005 they moved to East Africa, managing eco-lodges before relocating to Malawi in 2007 to begin their own company; The Responsible Safari Company. During their time in East Africa they realised the potential of tourism when it is done sustainably and the wish for travellers to give back. They also saw how easily tourism could damage and lead to dependency instead of empowerment and how good intentions from visitors can just entrench deep set feelings of a global divide. They realised that ‘the benefits of tourism and the power of travel was what we wanted to harness…’
Tsogolo (The Future)
Meet Inno, the current Managing Director of the company.
In September 2009, Inno had just been fired from his 3rd job in 3 years. He then decided to take a 52 hour road trip to Cape Town, South Africa and avoid ridicule at home for being unable to keep a job. The next 4 years in Cape Town became a blessing in disguise.
Inno proceeded to work in South Africa’s tourism industry, amassing invaluable experience before returning to Malawi in 2012. For three years, he managed an eco-lodge north of the capital; Lilongwe, called Ntchisi Forest Lodge, which is where he met Dom & Kate when they visited in 2014. Just 12 months later, Inno joined the team at The Responsible Safari Company, in Blantyre.
Joining the company as Senior Sales Consultant & Projects Coordinator meant working with Dom in Sales and Kate in Projects. Inno rose through the ranks until 2019, when he took the reigns as General Manager. Then the pandemic hit.
With Dom and Kate based in the UK running our sister company; Orbis Expeditions, Inno acquired half of the business in Malawi to become the Managing Director. The Malawi business has since been rebranded to Orbis DMC Limited, from The Responsible Safari Company, to reflect more on what we do, and how we have evolved from being a generic safari operator in 2008.
‘I look back from when I came, and the life experiences encountered along the way, all I want to do is share a piece of Malawi with my clients, sustainably.’
What Have We Learnt
• Trade Not Aid: We have learnt that in order to develop and grow as a person, community or country you need first to be empowered. We believe in local employment, business, trade and empowered giving. We chat about this on social media using #tradenotaid
• Lead by example: Always say when you have made a mistake, shout from the rooftops about what you are good at but surround yourself with people who are better at things you struggle with. Be human, others will follow.
• It is fine to be scared: Adrenaline is there to warn us, listen to your gut, speak to others who you meet on your journey but ultimately decide what is right for you, your business, your team. Harness that to turn that fear into something incredible.
