Help build a real opportunity for local people in Sal, Cabo Verde.

We are raising €200,000 to develop a hospitality business in Santa Maria that also becomes a practical training academy. The project is designed to help local people gain the skills they need to find stable, fairly paid work in the tourism economy around them.

Cabo Verde has an immense number of hotels, restaurants and tourism businesses, especially on Sal. Yet many local people do not have access to practical training in the trades those businesses need. Without a realistic opportunity to learn, they may be forced to leave the island or accept secondary, insecure and underpaid work. With the right training and real experience, many could find meaningful employment close to home and build a more independent future.

This is the gap the Hotel + Academy is intended to address: training connected directly to a working hospitality environment, so that learning leads to practical experience and better access to jobs.

WHAT WE WANT TO BUILD

Our target concept is a hospitality property in Santa Maria with approximately 15 rooms, around 600 m², four levels, a restaurant and dedicated space for practical learning. A reception desk can become a classroom for customer service. A hotel room can provide professional housekeeping experience. A restaurant can teach kitchen, catering, bar and guest service skills. The building itself can support training in maintenance and technical trades.

We have identified a potential property that closely matches this concept. Preliminary discussions about a possible rent-to-buy arrangement have been positive, but they remain informal. No binding agreement has been signed and the property has not been acquired or secured. If it is no longer available, we will seek another suitable hospitality opportunity in Sal while keeping the same mission: hospitality, training and opportunity for local people.

Campaign images are concept visualizations and illustrative renderings. They show the vision, not a property already acquired or contractually secured.

TRAIN WITH US. WORK ANYWHERE.

Expected training areas include general maintenance, electrical systems, plumbing, refrigeration and HVAC, construction and finishing, kitchen operations, catering and bar service, professional cleaning and housekeeping, reception and customer service, and IT and hospitality systems.

Training programmes and participant numbers will be adapted to each discipline with guidance from qualified professionals. Where appropriate, we intend to collaborate with organizations capable of providing recognised certification. The objective is not simply to train people to work in one hotel. It is to give them practical skills and real experience that can help them find work across the wider hospitality and tourism sector.

HOW THE €200,000 WILL BE USED

• €70,000 — Renovation and modernization: rooms, restaurant, interior and exterior works, efficient equipment and practical improvements to energy and water use. Solar energy will be considered where feasible.

• €72,000 — First-year property reserve: preliminary verbal discussions indicate approximately €6,000 per month under an annual-payment structure. This is an indicative planning figure, not a signed agreement. Final terms will be negotiated transparently.

• €58,000 — Equipment and launch: hotel and restaurant equipment, initial supplies, an operational vehicle, technology and management systems, training equipment, working capital and other startup costs.

This is our current operational plan. The final allocation may change according to the property, contractual conditions, technical requirements and the amount raised. Material changes will be explained in campaign updates.

WHAT HAPPENS AT DIFFERENT FUNDING LEVELS

At €200,000, we pursue the complete Hotel + Academy concept.

Between €100,000 and €199,999, we aim to enter serious property negotiations and adapt the scale to the resources available. This may mean a smaller hospitality structure or another sustainable tourism activity that preserves the combination of hospitality and training.

Below €100,000, funds remain dedicated to hospitality and professional training in Sal, scaled according to the capital available. This amount would not deliver the full hotel concept described above.

TRANSPARENCY AND FOLLOWING THE PROJECT

This GoFundMe is a second way to support the same project already fundraising on WhyDonate under “Build a Future in Sal — Hotel + Academy.” The overall project target is €200,000 across both channels, not €200,000 for each. Each platform will display its own total. We will report combined progress in updates, distinguish the two totals and count every donation once.

We will share progress on negotiations, the property, renovation, training, qualifications, opening and the challenges along the way. Participant stories and images will only be shared with explicit permission. If circumstances change or costs change materially, we will explain why and update the plan.

This project is about creating a bridge between local people and the opportunities already present on the island: practical skills, real experience and a better chance to work and build a future without being forced to leave home.

If you can, please donate €5 or any amount that feels right for you. If donating is not possible, sharing this campaign can help us reach someone who wants to support local opportunity in Sal.

Thank you for helping make this beginning possible.