Outreach

Gifts That Give Back to the Cheetah – Zawadi

  • by Dionne Stein January 28, 2022
Gifts That Give Back to the Cheetah – Zawadi

CCF’s Conservation Circle is made up of partners from a wide variety of businesses whose support is vital to our mission. Zawadi is one of the businesses in CCF’s Conservation Circle – you may have already seen them on our website under the “Shop” tab above. Zawadi, the Swahili word for “gift”, creates fine handmade gift items and ships them worldwide from its headquarters in Knysna, South Africa. The business founded and run by the Fioravanti family has been in operation for over 25 years and their unique products can be found in luxury resorts, high-end shops around the world; and of course, online.

Because of their environmentally responsible and socially sensitive approach to business, in 2014 they began offering accent pieces to help fundraise for local conservation charities. Because of their love for the cheetah, Italo reached out to CCF to begin the partnership creating a series of items for our supporters to buy directly from Africa and support the cheetah.

By insisting on sustainable materials and manufacturing methods, Zawadi offers environmentally friendly décor that accelerates the future of a conscious living style. Their designs replace traditional materials such as hardwoods (that deplete natural resources), with recycled and recyclable materials. The materials also lend an innovative flair to their traditional style and the naturalistic subject matter they focus on.

The workshop and artisans at Zawadi
Giorgio (left) and Italo (right) Fioravanti

CCF proudly announced our partnership with Zawadi in 2020 with an online store that offers great discounts to CCF friends and donors, where CCF’s supporters get a 15% discount and CCF will get 20% of purchases donated back using a special purchase link. In addition to donating a percentage of sales, Zawadi has generously donated several beautiful high-quality accent pieces and bronzes to CCF’s online auction fundraisers.

During our 2021 online auction, bidders on two cheetah bronzes donated by Zawadi, provided a year’s worth of funding to care for two of CCF’s Resident Cheetahs living in Namibia and Somaliland. Zawadi’s high quality items are each unique due to their handcrafted nature and they create a lot of excitement (and sometimes bidding wars) at our auctions. Thank you to the owners of Zawadi for believing in our mission and supporting CCF and thank you to Zawadi’s team of talented craftspeople who are creating beautiful pieces that help save the cheetahs.


For Valentine’s Day or any holiday gift, purchase amazing Zawadi handmade gifts and support your favorite charity – Cheetah Conservation Fund. Use the link below to purchase Zawadi’s unique handcrafted gifts! You will get a 15% discount and CCF will get a 20% donation based on the amount of your purchase. Also, in order to offset the CARBON FOOTPRINT on deliveries, Zawadi will contribute an additional 5% of your purchase toward CCF’s habitat restoration efforts.

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