22 Oct 2024

Wild Entrust, in collaboration with Xigera Safari Lodge, continues to empower rural communities and support the development of sustainable enterprises to promote co-existence between people and wildlife. 

Wild Entrust, a non-governmental organisation that supports conservation and management of wildlife and wildlife habitats through applied science and sustainable development and the organisation, has been working with the Habu community to mitigate human-wildlife conflict through an integrated community development and conservation programme. 

Programme facilitator from Wild Entrust, Ms Patience Isaacs, revealed in an interview that their partnership with the Habu community was bearing fruits, noting the successful implementation of the pilot project dubbed ‘Herding for Health’, which was underpinned by four key pillars of thriving people, healthy animals, healthy rangelands and a strong enabling policy environment. 

The project is a community-driven livestock management model that supports the livelihoods of rural communities living in an around protected areas while restoring rangelands and conserving biodiversity through herding, capacity building and collective governance. 

She noted that the programme championed community-driven participation, sustainable rangelands management, integrated disease risk and food security control as well as rural development principles. 

“While our mandate is to conserve and protect threatened species, we also facilitated programmes aimed at addressing challenges faced by the community who live with wildlife with a view to empower the community to reduce poverty level,” she added. 

Ms Isaacs further noted that Wild Entrust and Xigera Safari Lodge also embarked on a village light project aimed at increasing access to electricity to benefit learners, indicating that few homesteads had solar powered electricity to enable children to study in the evening. 

Recently, she said, they donated educational resources to Habu Primary School at the annual Conservation Day celebration aimed at recognising the investment and commitment from both organisations in the education of the children. 

“With a total investment of P327 053 from Xigera to date in the Village Lights initiatives, over 673 learners have benefited since the programme inception. 623 backpacks, 2 204 books and 484 solar lights have been gifted to Habu school children since 2021,” she said. 

Ms Isaacs further noted that this year marked the third anniversary of their impactful partnership that had significantly benefited the school and the community. 

Through the partnership every pupil at the school received a backpack and a set of books in Standard 1 and again in Standard 5 together with a solar light and additional books when they move to upper primary, Ms Isaacs revealed. 

By providing solar lights, she said, learners could study for an additional hour each evening, fostering learning beyond the classroom. 

Additionally, the 38 Standard Seven pupils received a special educational gift of a Mathematics set, as a motivation to do well in their final examinations. 

Wild Entrust also identified an additional opportunity to improve the conservation and literacy by offering interesting and relevant conservation-themed books for the children to read. 

To further enhance the educational experience, Ms Isaacs said, the initiative established a reading and homework club that met three times a week, noting that the club not only promoted literacy but fostered a culture of ‘learning to read and reading to learn’, encouraging learners to value education. 

Meanwhile, during the Conservation Day celebration, pupils participated in a workshop led by professional guides from Xigera in which they were educated on animal safety, the importance of co-existence with wildlife and the vital role that natural resources played in Botswana’s tourism industry and the economy. 

Xigera Safari Lodge manager, Mr Quest Maundo, appreciated the  partnership, saying it would enhance the educational landscape of Habu school while at the same time inspiring learners to appreciate and protect their natural heritage. 

“With initiatives like these, the future of both the children and the environment looks bright in Habu,” he added. Ends