Community News

11/25/2011

Tongabezi, lower Zambezi, Zambia is contributing to the local Mukuni community by building high quality teacher housing - in an effort to attract better caliber teachers to the local school. The first house has been completed and was "handed over" to the community during a ceremony attended by various dignitaries, including Chief Mukuni himself, who ordered a rare performance on the Mukuni Royal Drums! The second house is nearing completion and almost ready for occupation. Once the teacher housing is established, Tongabezi will focus on building new classrooms.

Danford Manda, a local Malawian child, attended a Children in the Wilderness Camp in 2005, where he learned about the importance of conservation and became inspired to make a positive difference in his community. Last year, recognizing that deforestation was a major challenge in his area, he wrote a proposal to Children in the Wilderness for funding to support a tree nursery and woodlot project. The project is now in its first phase - A piece of land has been donated by the local chief for the woodlot and a number of trees have already been planted. The community children will be working together with tree experts to grow 2,500 more seedlings to be planted on the land in December 2011.

Pafuri Camp, northern Kruger Park, South Africa, was selected from a pool of nearly 300 nominees from 66 different countries to win an Equator Award. Pafuri's prolific and varied ecotourism activities are designed to generate income for the local community which, in turn, reinforces the value of protecting biodiversity in the region.