Featured Conservation Group: Environment Africa
Founded in 1990 by Rhino-Girl Charlene Hewat, Environment Africa was established to work with all sectors of society to raise awareness, encourage action and advocate a better environment that uplifts the livelihoods of current and future generations. It runs two main campaigns: Tree Africa encourages people to work together to plant indigenous and medicinal trees across the region, and Water Africa raises awareness of the importance of water amongst all stakeholders.
Their goals are to:
- Ensure mainstreaming of the environment on the agenda of all formal and informal institutions.
- Raise the level of environmental awareness and direct action among the general public, business sector, schools, community groups, the media and governments.
- Empower local communities to take action for improvements of their own lives through sustainable use of their environments.
- Promote the sustainable use of environments and restoration of degraded areas.
- Work together with all sectors of society for the maintenance and enhancement of biodiversity in areas of conservation need.
- Strengthen the organisation by processes of organisational development developing systems for financial sustainability and building on working principles embrace culturally sensitive, regional sustainable-development projects that build coalitions amongst different stakeholders and foster environmental leadership.
Their working principles embrace culturally sensitive, regional sustainable-development projects that build coalitions amongst different stakeholders and foster environmental leadership, and their portfolio includes an array of community projects that have mitigated severe gully erosion, constructed wells, developed water harvesting programs, provided alternative revenue streams to villages such as bee-keeping and an Enviro-Action schools competition where over 40 participating schools tackle a local environmental problem each year. They also work with industry members to educate them on corporate social responsibility and to take environmental leadership in their business operations.
In 2004, their major accomplishments were to form voluntary groupings of companies operating in Willowvale, Workington/Southerton, Msasa and New Ardbennie industrial areas of Harare, and in Chiredzi to share experiences and pool resources for such benefits as reducing waste, power and water consumption.
Elsewhere, small scale community conservation achievements included: continuing small-grains production in semi-arid regions of Zimbabwe; assisting with recycled paper manufacturing in Mabvuku, bee-keeping in Wedza, agro-forestry in Zvimba, engaging communities in Manicaland to use sisal as an alternative to baobab bark, and Lantana camara eradication from the World Heritage Site rainforest in Victoria falls.
Their main challenge is due to the deteriorating economic situation, which has had the greatest negative impact on the environment. Families with seriously eroded incomes, are placing a huge strain on dwindling natural resources especially in residential and industrial zones, where tree cutting for fuel and illegal waste dumping are rampant. Funding for Environment Africa has become increasingly difficult, with Zimbabwe's political isolation because environmental issues fall lower on donor’s priority lists than the immediate humanitarian crises facing Zimbabwe such as HIV, poverty eradication and food security.
Environment Africa is membership based please contact one of the following offices for further information.
Head Office
3 Durham Rd, Avondale West, Harare
PO Box A639
Avondale, Harare
Email: eafrica@utande.co.zw
Manica Branch
PO Box 2000
Mutare
Email: eafrica.manica@utande.co.zw
Victoria Falls Branch
PO Box CT502
Victoria Falls
Email: eafrica.vicfalls@utande.co.zw
Lupane Sub-branch
PO Box 5
Lupane
Donations are welcome, please send a cheque or bank transfer payable to Environment Africa, c/o Barclays Bank Avondale Branch, Harare Zimbabwe. Account No. 2670742 (for ZWD), or Account No. 7554811 at Barclays Bank Avondale Branch, Harare, Zimbabwe, for other currencies.