RIDING for Conservation and Education, a joint initiative between the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks), aims to break the poverty cycle while fostering positive attitudes towards wildlife.
The initiative has seen the two organisations donating 90 bicycles to students who traverse wildlife corridors on their way to and from school, risking attacks from elephants, lions, and other wildlife.
To mitigate that risk, 90 bicycles were recently handed over to less-privileged students attending schools in buffer communities around Hwange National Park.
Hwange National Park is part of the Hwange-Matetsi-Zambezi landscape where IFAW implements its Room to Roam initiative, to secure and connect habitats for elephants and other wildlife. It supports local communities to develop strategies for them to co-exist with wildlife.
The bicycles are expected to improve access to education and help reduce human-wildlife conflicts.
"Based on our experience, conservation efforts work better when local communities are actively engaged, and their expectations and desires are not ignored. Through this intervention, we hope to create a peaceful coexistence between people and wildlife and, most importantly, make a lasting impact in the lives of these children who will become future conservation champions," said ZimParks director-general Fulton Mangwanya.
"Education plays a pivotal role in breaking the poverty cycle and fostering positive attitudes towards wildlife," says IFAW landscape conservation director, Phillip Kuvawoga. "Children are the wildlife heroes of the future. By investing in their education now, we hope to create a better future for communities and the wildlife that live amongst them, one ride at a time."
In addition to the bicycles, IFAW and ZimParks also handed over 500 textbooks to 10 schools in Hwange and Tshlolotshlo districts. About 1 600 students will improve the textbook-to-student ratio, which currently stands at 1:5.
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The Environmental Stewardship Programe (ESP) has supported 21 primary schools in the buffer communities of Hwange, Lupane, and Tsholotsho districts since its inception in 2019.