Empowering young Zambian eco-leaders

Dear supporter,

This year is off to a fast-paced start for Chipembele and with the news recruits to our rapidly expanding education team settling in well, running 63 Conservation Clubs and holding community meetings in 7 chiefdoms around South Luangwa National Park. Our other new recruits, the Senior Conservation Educator andiIntern are also settling in well. 

We have also started working on renovations for our Mobile Education Unit as part of our new initiative to launch a Conservation Roadshow that can expand our geographical range even further and help us to reach even more remote communities in need of our programme. The first 2 of our Nature Nights expeditions have already taken place and were a great success, giving 24 school children the opportunity to camp in the bush, join team building activities and going on guided walks. The next cohort of our Aspiring Conservation Leaders have already had their induction and been out on work placements. We look forward to seeing how they continue to grow and shine during the rest of the year.

Here are some other stories from the year so far:

Celebrating 25 years of Changing Lives through Conservation Education

Chipembele has come a long way since 1998 when camp was set up on the banks of the Luangwa River on the site that later became the Chipembele Conservation Centre. The organisation now has a staff of 24 with bustling Outreach Offices in the heart of the community. Our 25th anniversary year is an opportunity to celebrate the incredible staff who have worked so hard to help develop the organisation, the amazing supporters who have donated time, energy and resources to Chipembele because they believed in our mission, the Government Departments, other NGOs and local community who have rendered their support to enable our work to continue and most of all to the students who have come through our programmes and are now active conservationists in their work or private lives across Zambia.

You may wish to follow Chipembele's 25 year story with the Facebook regular posts and photos from the past which highlight each year, starting with 1998. See www.facebook.com/ChipembeleWildlife  Later in the year we will also be having some celebratory events. And in our 39 Conservation Clubs students have been carrying out activities based around the number 25. One of the activities involved identifying close up parts of 25 animals found in South Luangwa. It was a tough quiz that challenged even our experienced Educators but this young boy scooped first prize after scoring 18/25.

Gender Equality Workshops - Fun and Challenging

Involving both boys and girls in gender equality lessons and activities has become an integral part of our student conservation education programme.  In the Easter school holidays our Student Support Officer and our intern for 2023 ran 2 x 2-day fun, engaging and thought-provoking gender workshops. There was a workshops for boys and one for girls, and the topics covered were 'Gender and Conservation' and 'Gender and Leadership'. During the session for boys from Mfuwe Secondary School Conservation Club on ‘The role of boys in promoting gender equality' they discussed about breaking norms and stereotypes, such as boys not expressing their emotions. The activity depicted in the photo required them to choose someone they admire or a friend in the group and tell them what they like about that person. It was very challenging for some!

A student in Grade 11 from Mfuwe Secondary School said, "We can only have effective conservation solutions if we consider everyone’s opinions and it shouldn’t matter if they are male or female. Leaving girls/women out means we miss out on good ideas and have less people protecting our environment and wildlife ... and we need everyone to be involved.” 

We are so proud of our Conservation Club students, who are part of a new generation where old gender barriers are being smashed and everyone is working together in an encouraging spirit of inclusivity and equality for all!

The Chipembele team and local communities are so grateful for your continued support.