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Trust Freddy
Herald Reporter
The Akashinga programme of the International Anti-Poaching Foundation (IAPF) continues its major strides in Zimbabwe’s education by leading the reconstruction of Sizemba Secondary School in Binga.
The refurbishments include a new block of classrooms and office space for the 203 enrolled pupils. The Akashinga programme, founded in 2017, has been scaling up its education investments over recent years, helping to transform the lives and prospects of bright young minds.
In partnership with Wildhood Foundation, a non-profit Swedish organisation focused on conservation and community impact, Akashinga is investing in access to education for needs-based pupils across the Zambezi Valley.
Akashinga’s focus on community driven conservation extends beyond Sizemba, including full scholarships for 200 disadvantaged learners in the region, covering the cost of school fees, stationery and uniforms for the recipients. In addition to the scholarship programme, set to expand further in 2023, Akashinga sponsors 18 assistant teachers in 8 separate schools.
IAPF founder and CEO Damien Mander said: “Through Akashinga, we will continue to work on supporting education, schools, teachers and students. Education is one of the most important building blocks of rural development and seeing this partnership between the district council, teachers, students and the local community is a proud achievement for the team.”
The Akashinga programme has refined a holistic approach to conservation, with community programmes and staff that support healthcare, education, infrastructure development, clean water, employment opportunities and sports programmes.
This community driven approach creates local motivation towards conservation and is attributed to the programme’s ability to scale so rapidly across the region to protect millions of hectares of vulnerable wilderness landscapes.
Speaking at the official opening ceremony to celebrate the milestone for the school, Chief Sinakatenge thanked the partners, Government officials and the community for working together with Akashinga to make their efforts in Binga possible. “I’ve seen the new school classroom blocks and it seems like a new heaven. To have these blocks is because of nature conservation and Akashinga, along with their key partners are doing more than just this one project in their different areas of operations,” said Chief Sinakatenge.
Sizemba Secondary school was established in 2013 and started off with just four, unwalled, grass thatched huts that were used as classrooms.
With little protection against the elements, attendance would often be lower, impacting overall student performance.
Despite this, Sizemba pupils continued to put their best foot forward. In 2021, their overall results ranked them number 10 in a district of 47 schools.
Last year they reached number five in the district, as highlighted by Sizemba Secondary School headmaster Siyamanya.
“Teachers are the chief architects of the next generation, shaping the experiences that build students to set them on a path towards success.”
“I am proud of this milestone for the school, which had been reduced to only two huts, one of which will now be taken down. Our goal in the near future is to have no huts left.”
“The classroom blocks are not the only thing we are celebrating today. We also have 17 students who are Akashinga scholarship recipients.
This means students who might have missed the opportunity to continue with their education can carry on without disturbance as their fees are covered.
“In support of Akashinga, our students also set up their own initiative called the Conservation Club which is aimed at protecting our natural resources within our surrounding area. To date the students have planted 89 trees, which they are proud of,” said Mr Siyamanya.
“Championing for education through various programmes and initiatives is too big a job for teachers to do alone. Through community collaboration and our partnership with Wildhood Foundation, Akashinga strives to continue extending the footprint across the Zambezi Valley to support educators in their most precious task of all — raising the future generation.
Wildhood Foundation CEO and founder Filippa Tarras-Wahlberg said: “Not only are the contributions towards the scholarship programmes impact of great importance, but an appreciation for the natural world sparked amongst the youth will continue to foster a sense of purpose and gratitude for the resources they are the future guardians of.
“Wildhood is proof of that a small organisation can have a great impact. Today we help protect over 1 million hectares of wilderness in Africa. Alongside our partners, we couldn’t be prouder of the milestones we have reached and we will continue to prioritise the advancement of education in communities,” said Ms Tarras-Wahlberg.
The Akashinga programme started in 2017 in Hurungwe with an initial group of 16 women, all survivors of gender-based violence. It has since grown to 500+ staff and contractors, with a wilderness protection portfolio totalling over 3,7 million hectares across four countries.
With its expanding footprint comes increased adoption of the Akashinga model in local partnering communities. The goal is to increase its portfolio to 12 million hectares by 2030, empowering hundreds of communities
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