Zimbabwe

PLEASE NOTE: MINIMUM TWO PERSON REGISTRATION

You will be staying at a small town called Dete, which is 2 hours south of the magnificent Victoria Falls and on the edge of Hwange National Park. Hwange is by far the largest Park in Zimbabwe with a huge and varied quantity of animals and birds. The park is unfenced so animals particularly elephant, Cape Buffalo and impala do wander in to the town and occasionally the school grounds. Despite the wonderful wildlife experiences the area is uncrowded (Covid friendly!), compared with the Serengeti or similar park in East Africa. Yet, due to the disastrous economic situation in Zimbabwe the poaching of animals for subsistence meat, is a curse.

With the present mass unemployment, accentuated by the Covid pandemic, the rural community has suffered. Additionally, the small town of Dete, bordering the National Park, has been impacted by poachers. While killing wildlife for bushmeat and trading in elephant ivory are illegal in Zimbabwe, the limited means of survival has led to a rise in this activity . By offering alternative solutions we endeavor to create employment opportunities and encourage the general upliftment of locals thereby curtailing the poaching of precious wildlife, and offering a brighter future for all concerned.

Work Projects

All groups will work a variety of projects such as:

  1. Refurbishment and painting of walls and ceilings of classrooms.
  2. Planting, protection and watering of new saplings in the school premises.
  3. Building and maintaining roof water storage.
  4. Removing alien vegetation.
  5. Manually sinking a water borehole, subject to water diviner.
  6. Building a vegetable garden.

Larger groups will also be doing projects such as:

  1. Building of new classroom in an overcrowded school where the Entrance Foyer is used to house two classrooms which are open to the weather elements. We are unlikely to be able to tackle the entire new build within the time frame, but this will enable at least the level and pouring of the new foundation with volunteers.
  2. Erection of perimeter fencing.

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Leisure Activities

Game Drives and Game Walks in the National Park available daily with armed Rangers, visit magnificent Victoria Falls LEARN MORE – worlds largest waterfall, Water Rafting on River Zambezi, Bungee Jump, Sunset Cruise on River Zambezi

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Accommodations

Depending on group size, groups will be staying one of two 3-star lodges, situated in under 8 miles from the project site which offers ensuite chalets, bungalows, camping, bar, restaurant, etc.

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Arrival and Meetup

 1.  If arriving and departing through  Victoria Falls airport (Zimbabwe) we suggest single entry visa. If you definitely want to visit Zambian side then get a Double entry visa on arrival.

 2.  If arriving and departing through Livingstone airport (Zambia) then single entry visa when you cross over the bridge in to Zimbabwe. The bridge allows some views of the Falls on the Zambian side, through the river gorge.

Victoria Falls is the main airport for this program, however Livingston, in Zambia, is only 30 miles away, so it is a viable option. If you fly into either airport by noon on the program start date, there should be ample time to visit Victoria Falls LEARN MORE before we drive two hours to the program location in Dete. Volunteers will need to pay $30 direct to the park for this, if they choose to participate. On the program end date, we can have you back to Victoria Fallas by 10am, so there is also time to see them at that point, if you book a flight for later in the afternoon. Some choose to arrive a day early or stay a day later to ensure plenty of time to see them.

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