Two rural communities in Zambia are the latest to benefit from funds raised by BDRC Continental’s VenueVerdict survey. The donation of £2,772 will provide training and skills for 30 young adults currently struggling to make a living through farming.

This is the latest quarterly donation from BDRC Continental’s dedicated Hotels, Meetings and Hospitality team, which donates 50p for every completed response to its VenueVerdict survey to the meetings industry charity, Meetings Industry Meeting Needs (MIMN).

VenueVerdict is a widely recognised customer feedback benchmarking programme in the UK hospitality industry, and has donated a total of £23,114.50 since it began in 2006. BDRC Continental’s latest donation goes to Tools for Self Reliance, a project that aims to alleviate poverty and promote economic empowerment by encouraging long-term and sustainable livelihoods for young people in Zambia. This donation will help provide 30 young adults with skills in tailoring skills, carpentry and construction. All 30 locals will also receive basic business training, and the project has the long-term goal of increasing household income and making a positive contribution to the local economy.

Charles Blowfield, honorary treasurer at MIMN, praises this grant, commenting that VenueVerdict’s “regular donations genuinely make a hugely positive impact to the worthy causes that we support. We are most grateful to BDRC Continental for this initiative.”

James Bland, senior client services manager at BDRC Continental, adds: “As the conference and events industry charity, MIMN was a natural choice for us. We are committed to our relationship with MIMN and we love to hear how our regular donations make such a significant impact on the organisations with which the charity works.”