Malilangwe creates lasting impression

Zim Now Writer

Malilangwe Trust is championing environmental conservation and the improvement of lives of local communities in the Chiredzi District of Masvingo Province.

The Trust is working with Singita’s Pamushana Lodge as their ecotourism partner.

The brainchild of Tendai Nhunzwi, Malilangwe Trust’s major focus is on food security and conservation, and rolled out the Child Supplementary Feeding Scheme in 2004, in response to the impact of the 2002 drought that left most of the children in the district exposed to hunger and malnutrition.

Nhunzwi said the programme was initially designed to provide a fully balanced meal every school day to children under five years old at satellite meal sites and to children under 12 years at schools in the area. Today, it has grown significantly, and “the project ensures nutrition to Zimbabwean children, reaching more than 20 000 per day”.

Since the programme was launched, it has had noticeable impact on school enrolment and attendance.

The Trust, launched 20 years ago, has grown to employ 300 staff as it continues to offer support, education, training, mentorship, guidance and science-based research for conservation and community development.

Some of the staff work in the community and are tasked with food handling and preparation, making sure there is consistency and reliability in delivery.

Said Nhunzwi: “I am very familiar with the way of living in most rural communities in the country. Children are left vulnerable because of food shortages and sometimes lack of access to quality education.”

Apart from feeding children, the Trust also has several community projects, including a market garden to grow fresh produce, e-learning labs for remote and rural students to be able to follow the Zimbabwean school syllabus.

Malilangwe’s conservation and wildlife education programme helps to steer children away from the economically tempting paths of poaching and hunting game meat, both of which are disastrous for the country’s delicate ecology and for the future of animals like the rhino.

Children who go through the conservation programme have turned into advocates, helping to police their parents and serving as micro-ambassadors, who, because of their grounding have an informed understanding of the entire ecosystem and the true value of wildlife.