{"id":233864,"date":"2022-08-11T11:26:47","date_gmt":"2022-08-11T09:26:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/?p=119643"},"modified":"2022-08-11T11:26:47","modified_gmt":"2022-08-11T09:26:47","slug":"kzn-eco-estate-uses-innovative-model-to-support-local-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/kzn-eco-estate-uses-innovative-model-to-support-local-community\/","title":{"rendered":"KZN eco-estate uses innovative model to support local community"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"scaip scaip-1 \">\n<aside id=\"republication_tracker_tool-2\" class=\"republication_tracker_tool clearfix\">\n<h5 class=\"adtitle\">Republish for Free<\/h5>\n<div class=\"license\">\n<p><button name=\"Republish This Story\" id=\"cc-btn\" class=\"republication-tracker-tool-button\">Republish This Story<\/button><\/p>\n<p><a class=\"license\" rel=\"noreferrer license noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nd\/4.0\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Creative Commons License\" class=\"lazyload\" src=\"http:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/kzn-eco-estate-uses-innovative-model-to-support-local-community.png\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Creative Commons License\" src=\"http:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/kzn-eco-estate-uses-innovative-model-to-support-local-community.png\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"message\">\n<p>Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/aside>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/?attachment_id=119644\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt width=\"300\" height=\"200\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-119644 size-thumbnail lazyload\" src=\"http:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/kzn-eco-estate-uses-innovative-model-to-support-local-community.jpg\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-119644 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/kzn-eco-estate-uses-innovative-model-to-support-local-community.jpg\" alt width=\"300\" height=\"200\">While the launch of Serenity Hills, the dynamic eco-estate in Margate, may be the start of something amazing for the new residents, it\u2019s actually part of a larger story of community upliftment that dates back to 2015 \u2013 with the establishment of Sweetdale Skills Center.<\/p>\n<p>Swiss entrepreneur, Roland Wenger, his wife, Sibylle, and their two children, Sam and Connie, are committed to improving the lives of those around them in a meaningful and sustainable way. This commitment saw them establish the Skills Center which provides disadvantaged youth, women and disabled people on the KZN South Coast with employable skills. Students receive expert instruction from experienced trainers in a variety of skills including, painting, carpentry, boilermaking, landscaping, restoration, cooking and in hospitality.<\/p>\n<p>The Skills Center is also developing and coaching emerging entrepreneurs in communities to promote self-sustainability and sustainable job creation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c\u2019Learning by doing\u2019 is the heartbeat and success of the Skills Center,\u201d explained Sam Wenger, Development Director of Serenity Hills. \u201cIt was established as a way to encourage communities to participate in the economy of South Africa, with the aim of improving their living conditions. The connection with Serenity Hills is an extension of this long-term vision.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Skills Center consists of various workshops, dorm facilities, classrooms and outstanding communal areas \u2013 a place to feel safe and share the act of kindness. As part of practical training for qualified artisans, the Skills Center provides services to the state-of-the-art Serenity Hills Eco-Estate. Through this partnership, homeowners have the benefit of using these talented individuals for:<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Gardening and landscaping<br \/>\u2022 Carpentry<br \/>\u2022 Maintenance<br \/>\u2022 Housekeeping and hospitality<\/p>\n<p>The community upliftment doesn\u2019t end there. The award-winning restaurant, The Packshed, is another of the Wenger family\u2019s initiatives being incorporated into the Serenity Hills eco-estate. Besides providing world-class fusion food, The Packshed forms part of the Skills Center, providing practical experience for chefs- and waiters-in-training.<\/p>\n<p>Beyond this, the Wenger family has established the impactful Sweetbike Community Project which provides disadvantaged schoolchildren with refurbished bikes so that they can get to and from school easier. With limited transportation, and vast distances in accessing schools in rural locations, many children are forced to walk hours to access education \u2013 leading to a higher dropout rate and increased safety risks for children. Sweetbike sources pre-owned quality bikes from Europe, with the mechanic team at Sweetbike Workshop \u2013 also part of the Skills Center \u2013 then refurbishing the bikes for donation to pupils.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSerenity Hills has been developed around this same concept of sustainability and community upliftment,\u201d continued Wenger. \u201cWhen people buy into the estate, they can benefit from the homegrown talent while knowing they are supporting local skills development. It\u2019s not just about buying a house; it\u2019s about buying into a compassionate community.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Alongside the community commitment, investors at Serenity Hills will enjoy a number of world-class amenities. These include:<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 A-grade security<br \/>\u2022 Pet-friendly<br \/>\u2022 Mountain biking trails<br \/>\u2022 Individual solar power options<br \/>\u2022 Sustainable water sources<br \/>\u2022 Walking and running routes<br \/>\u2022 On-site medical care<br \/>\u2022 Artistic workshops<br \/>\u2022 Award-winning food and beverage outlets<br \/>\u2022 Sustainable design<br \/>\u2022 Low-density living<br \/>\u2022 A clubhouse<br \/>\u2022 Abundance of wildlife and birdlife<\/p>\n<p>To find out more about Phase 1 of Serenity Hills, visit www.serenityhills.co.za or follow @serenityhillsecoestate on Facebook and Instagram.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/mypr.co.za\/contact\/featured\/\">CLICK HERE to submit your press release to MyPR.co.za<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p> <span class=\"post-views-icon dashicons dashicons-chart-bar\"><\/span> <span class=\"post-views-label\">Press Release Views since 1 July 2022:<\/span> <span class=\"post-views-count\">81<\/span> <\/p>\n<div class=\"entry-pagination pagination\">Pages: <span class=\"post-page-numbers current\"><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Page <\/span>1<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/kzn-eco-estate-uses-innovative-model-to-support-local-community\/2\/\" class=\"post-page-numbers\"><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Page <\/span>2<\/a><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\">Source: MyPR.co.za<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Republish for Free Republish This Story Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license. While the launch of Serenity Hills, the dynamic eco-estate in Margate, may be the start of something amazing for the new residents, it\u2019s actually part of a larger story of community upliftment that dates back [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":233865,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[18,9021],"tags":[3257],"class_list":{"0":"post-233864","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-durban","8":"category-mypr","9":"tag-mypr","10":"entry"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/kzn-eco-estate-uses-innovative-model-to-support-local-community.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/233864","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=233864"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/233864\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/233865"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=233864"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=233864"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=233864"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}