Thupeyo Muleya Beitbridge Bureau
COMMUNITIES living around the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area (GLTFCA) are being reached through a regional breast cancer awareness campaign that is using community radio to take health information to remote rural populations in Zimbabwe, South Africa and Mozambique.
The campaign, launched by the GLTFCA and the Great Limpopo Community Development Trust during Breast Cancer Awareness Month this October, seeks to promote early detection, encourage women to seek medical attention and strengthen community support for those affected by the disease.
As part of the initiative, the two organisations recently conducted a regional awareness broadcast through Awuxeni FM, which covers a 50km radius and has an estimated monthly listenership of 16 000 in the Chiredzi-Mwenezi communities bordering the transfrontier conservation area.
In a statement, Great Limpopo Community Development Trust chairman Alderman Abraham Sithole said the campaign reflected the organisations’ recognition that conservation efforts must also address the wellbeing of communities living alongside protected areas.
“The Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area is a vast, interconnected landscape that bridges the borders of Mozambique, South Africa, and Zimbabwe, linking iconic protected areas with our vital community lands.
“As leaders within the Trust, our most sacred duty is to the wellbeing of the people living across this immense region,” he said.
Ald Sithole said the health of women was central to the resilience of rural communities and called for collective efforts to ensure that no family faced breast cancer without support.
“The true strength of our conservation efforts and our communities lies in the health of our mothers, daughters, and sisters. By bringing this vital awareness directly to our doorsteps, we are taking a united stand to protect the very heart of our villages and ensure no family fights this battle alone,” he said.
The GLTFCA, which links Gonarezhou National Park in Zimbabwe, Kruger National Park in South Africa and Limpopo National Park in Mozambique, is recognised for its extensive wildlife corridors and shared conservation landscape.
However, the organisations say the success of conservation also depends on the wellbeing and participation of people living within and around the protected areas.
International Coordinator for the GLTFCA, Dr Gwinyai Muti, said the campaign was aligned with the organisation’s Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) framework, which recognises the impact of health inequalities on women.
“Conservation is not just about protecting wildlife; it is fundamentally about protecting and uplifting people. The resilience of our transfrontier conservation area relies entirely on the resilience of the communities that live within and around it. We cannot have healthy ecosystems without healthy communities,” he said.
Dr Muti said breast cancer could disrupt households, increase economic vulnerability and affect women’s participation in community leadership.
He said providing women and their support networks with information on early detection, screening and access to care was essential to strengthening community resilience.
The organisations are encouraging residents to familiarise themselves with the early signs and symptoms of breast cancer and seek medical attention at local health facilities when they notice concerning changes.
Dr Muti said women in communities surrounding the park played important roles in managing natural resources and supporting rural household economies, making their health an important part of sustainable development.
The GLTFCA covers nearly 100 000 square kilometres across Zimbabwe, South Africa and Mozambique, making it one of the world’s largest transfrontier conservation areas.
The two organisations said they remained committed to incorporating human health and social inclusion into conservation programmes to ensure that environmental protection also delivered tangible benefits to surrounding communities.
