These projects are focussed in the Monde and Chinotimba Community areas that border the Wild Horizons Sanctuary in Victoria Falls. The projects are aimed at promoting conservation and education.

This is a project where Wild Horizons would start with one school close to the Sanctuary and slowly work to assist it by providing school supplies. As clients come out to Victoria Falls, they may bring pens, pencils, books, exam sheets, etc and donate it to the school. Ideally each student benefits from this program through use of the pens, pencils, and notebooks. Over time a library is established and a reading program. This not only brings goodwill from the community, it is one of the few opportunities children in a rural area have for learning and being able to further their education and eventually their careers. This type of program works best when there is a known kraal head or honest community member to oversee that that materials are locked away during non-school hours and that everything issued is returned. Unfortunately, with Zimbabwe’s economic demise and the spiraling wages of teachers, not all teachers are honest in returning materials that are issued. Therefore, by using a Wild Horizons designated community member the risk of theft is less. Obviously the better educated the community is the more opportunities for growth and employment they have and then the crime rate decreases and people become more self sufficient. Additionally, we have found that this is a fabulous program for students. Overseas many University students are now required to do practical experience before they are able to get a degree. The Wild Horizons School Outreach program would be a good opportunity for overseas students to volunteer to come and teach for a term. Most of the schools in the rural area are supplied by government teachers. With the low rate of pay the quality of the teachers is very low, and they often don’t even bother to show up to teach. Wild Horizons could fill this gap with students who would pay for their room and board (Cost Recovery).

 

Donkeys in Africa have a hard life. They are the workers and the transport for many people living in rural areas. Unfortunately, the donkeys often have harnesses made out of anything from wire to to wood, which over time digs into their hide causing wounds and sores. In an effort to provide a more humane existance, the Wild Horizons Wildlife Trust was kindly donated funds for sixty new donkey harnesses from the ZNSPCA.

Visiting pre-veterinary interns from overseas took the harnesses to the neighboring village where it was arranged that the owners would trade in their old harnesses for the new ones, and the interns treated any wounds or sores that the donkeys had. The day was a learning experience for everyone involved, with the interns seeing a traditional African village and the local villagers learning about the importance of care for their animals.

 

When we moved to our new home in the Victoria Falls National Park we developed a good relationship with the local bordering communities. One of these communities was having a major problem with erosion. Over time a deep gully had developed from a Kalahari sand ridge. The gully slowly developed and in August 2009 it was more than a kilometer long stretchihng from a nearby school along our boudary fence and into the Sanctuary.

Together with the local community we developed a plan to stop the growth of the gully and to begin to fill it. We provide the chewed branches, and elephant dung from the Wild Horizons Elephant, and the community then uses the materials to fill the gully. When enough materials have been used to fill the gully and provide substantial soil structure we will plant indigenous plants, grass, trees and shrubs to ensure that the gully does not develop again.