Rutendo Nyeve, [email protected]
MORE than ten schools drawn from Tsholotsho, Hwange and Kusile districts got bicycles and textbooks from the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks), in partnership with the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW following the re-launch of the ‘Room to Roam Nature Club’ in the Matetsi area of Hwange District.
The re-launch, held at Matetsi Primary School on Thursday, was meant to intensify efforts to instil environmental stewardship in children.
The event was led by Matabeleland North Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Cde Richard Moyo, who was represented by the director in his office, Mr Tapera Mugoriya.
Ifaw president and CEO, Mr Azzedine Downes and senior ZimParks officials attended the ceremony.
The re-launch marks an important milestone in the Environmental Stewardship Programme that ZimParks and Ifaw have been implementing since 2019.
The programme now brings together 25 schools across Hwange, Tsholotsho and Lupane districts, 23 primary schools and two secondary schools, creating a pathway through which environmental learning can begin in the early years and continue as learners mature.
“I commend the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority and the International Fund for Animal Welfare…and for their continued commitment to conservation education and community development in Matabeleland North Province,” Minister Moyo said.
He said in 2024, ZimParks and Ifaw provided 100 bicycles to learners travelling long distances through wildlife areas and 500 curriculum textbooks to 10 schools in Hwange and Tsholotsho, benefiting approximately 1,600 learners.
“Today’s handover of guidebooks, textbooks and bicycles continues that commitment to safer access, better learning and active environmental stewardship,” he said.
Minister Moyo emphasised that conservation education must help young people understand both the beauty of wildlife and the realities faced by their families.
“Here in Matabeleland North, conservation is part of everyday life. Families share land and water with elephants and other wildlife. Learners may travel through areas used by animals on their way to school,” he said.
“For that reason, meaningful conservation education must help our young people understand the beauty and importance of wildlife and other environmental issues while also recognising the realities faced by their families.”
Minister Moyo said the clubs would strengthen research, critical thinking, teamwork, public speaking, problem-solving and leadership.
“Zimbabwe’s development must be inclusive, climate-resilient and grounded in the sustainable use of our natural resources. We cannot achieve that vision if young people are only spoken about as future leaders. They must be given meaningful opportunities to lead today,” he said.
Mr Downes said the organisation’s thrust was to ensure that the future of wildlife is secured from a tender age.
He expressed satisfaction that the partnership was equipping young learners with knowledge and tools to be-come conservation ambassadors in their communities.
Hwange District Schools Inspector, Mr Fani Moyo, expressed gratitude to ZimParks and IFAW for sustaining the programme and listening to the needs of schools and communities.
“These clubs belong to you. Use them to ask questions. Use them to test ideas. Use them to understand the an-imals, water, soils, plants and people that make up your landscape,” he said.
“Most importantly, use them to show that young people are not waiting to inherit Zimbabwe’s natural heritage, they are already helping to protect it.” The bicycles donated are expected to benefit teachers and learners who walk long distances of between 8 and 15 kilometres daily, improving punctuality, attendance and ultimately pass rates.
The District Schools Inspector also appealed to IFAW to assist in constructing modern Early Childhood Devel-opment play centres and an additional classroom block at Matetsi Primary School to address overcrowding.
The re-launch of the Environmental Stewardship Programme as the Room to Roam Nature Clubs is also signifi-cant to the wider Room to Roam agenda, with Hwange and Matetsi forming part of the
Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area, a landscape in which wildlife moves across protected areas, communal lands and national borders.
