Community & Conservation
At Three Tree Hill, we believe that a successful business should contribute positively to the people and places that surround it. Our approach focuses on supporting local employment, skills development, education and conservation initiatives within our region.
All members of our lodge team live in Hambrook Village, located approximately 8 kilometres from the property. Through our Community & Conservation Levy, together with voluntary guest contributions, we provide financial support for a range of community and conservation projects in the area.
Many of our guests visit the Maloti-Drakensberg Park during their stay. Through the Legacy of Grace SA initiative, founded by a former Three Tree Hill guest, support is also directed towards community projects serving families in that area.
In partnership with Botshabelo UpliftED, a non-profit organisation based in Johannesburg, we help facilitate a teacher training programme for educators and principals working in rural Early Childhood Development centres. The programme currently reaches approximately 500 women through quarterly training sessions and provides support with educational resources and learning materials.
The training combines practical and theoretical instruction designed to strengthen teaching skills and leadership capacity within participating centres. Collectively, the programme reaches more than 17,000 preschool children annually, helping to strengthen early learning opportunities in rural communities.
Three Tree Hill borders Spioenkop Game Reserve, a 6,000-hectare protected area managed by Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife. Guests may explore the reserve on guided walks, where wildlife including rhino, giraffe and zebra can be observed in their natural habitat. A portion of the Community & Conservation Levy contributes towards conservation-related initiatives within and adjacent to the reserve.
Hambrook Village forms part of a predominantly isiZulu-speaking rural community in the Bergville region. Employment opportunities are limited, particularly for women seeking to establish independent sources of income.
Our Small Business Incubator supports local entrepreneurs by providing opportunities, mentorship and practical assistance to individuals who are developing small enterprises. The programme aims to help participants build skills, generate income and create opportunities within their own community.
For our detailed 2024 REPORT please click on this link.
For our detailed 2023 REPORT please click on this link.
For our detailed 2022 REPORT please click on this link.
Please see below items from the Small Business Incubator that are available for sale in our shop at the lodge or to be custom-made and mailed to your home. Contact - frontdesk@threetreehill.co.za.
Small Business Incubator
Maduna’s Marvelous Mats
My name is Fortunate Maduna. I am a mother of five children. I am unemployed with a teachers degree, which I obtained through UNISA (University of South Africa) Now, I am making copper wire mats to have an income. I was lucky enough when Three Tree Hill brought some ladies from Durban to train us with this new craft. We were only three ladies when we started training two years ago. Now we are a total of fifteen, as I have managed to train others to assist me.
I would like to see this project fully grown as it helps all of us put food on the table. It takes at least 5 full working days to make one mat.
Imbokodo Womens Sewing Group
We are a group of women from the Hambrook village, who gather together because of the inspiration of one old lady that has a passion for sewing. She has now retired because of her poor eyesight.
This is one of the things that you would do as a hobby, spending time together as women, learning and sharing ideas. We make a lot of things such as table cloths, curtains and traditional attire for both men and women.
Let us mention the “Madiba style”. It is a specially designed outfit with traditional prints that everyone would want to have. With passion and dedication, it is possible to make a pair (man & woman shirts) in four days.
Amanjandu Doileys
My name is Ntobeko Ntshingila. It was in 2014 when I had the inspiration to make doileys, then I had the opportunity to sell them in the shop.
I decided that I would make these doileys to save enough money to buy a fridge for my mother. I would do this in my spare time, pushing myself till I made my mother’s dream come true. The average size doileys of 25cm, take about 4 hours to make. The smaller ones take about half that time. I started doing the doileys by sitting with my mother, because she was also keen to learn how to make them. Now she has joined me with the beading.
At the moment, this is an income for my mother, since she stays at home. This income will also help for my sister’s college tuition fees. The name Amanjandu is my family clan name.
Mama Bhengu’s Dolls
My name is Mama Bhengu. I live in Hambrook village with my family (2 daughters & 3 grandchildren) I have been doing beading for almost 15 years now.
It was just this one day in June 2018, when I met a lady who looked my work and asked me to teach her beading. I did this with success and she was so happy. She returned to Pretoria, where she lives. Two months later, she returned with an offer to teach me how to make dolls. We got into an agreement and in no time I was able to make one. This was her way of thanking me for the lessons I gave her.
From that time I continued making Ndebele woman dolls, as she had taught me. I am fond of the Ndebeles, since they sincerely embrace their culture and their outfits are so colourful.
I have recently started making the Zulu women as well. I am all about beading as an art to preserve cultural tradition. It takes at least 3 – 4 weeks to make the large dolls.
I have a dream that I will grow to a point where I can teach more people beading to help with the unemployment in this area. At the moment this is my hobby as it is fun to do.
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