On January 15, 2012 U.S. Embassy Public Affairs Officer Dana L. Banks (left) met with Ms. Scholastica Ponera, (right), Managing Director of Pongo Safaris and Tours Limited at the U.S. Embassy in Dar es Salaam. Ms. Banks presented Ms. Ponera with a 9.5 million Tanzanian shillings grant ($5,993 USD) to sponsor her attendance at the National Tour Association (NTA) convention in Orlando, Florida from January 20 through 24, 2013. By participating in the travel convention, Pongo Safaris will increase awareness of Tanzania as a tourist destination. Ms. Ponera, a conservationist and woman entrepreneur, seeks to strengthen women's roles in promoting development of Tanzania's tourism sector. Pongo Safaris supports Eco-Sustainable/Community Tourism and mainly operates in the Southern Circuit which offers unique safaris to many areas including Selous Game Reserve, Ruaha and Mikumi National Parks and historical sites of Kilwa. Ms. Banks lauded Ms. Ponera's leadership as an entrepreneur and conservationist and underscored the United States' support to promote women's entrepreneurship and tourism sector development in Tanzania.