BY TICHAONA MATARUSE
Painted Dog Conservation (PDC) will this Saturday host a high level Dirimwe Festival in Dete to celebrate conservation work done by the organisation over the past three years.
The event is being organised by Promoting Sustainable Livelihoods in Transfrontier Conservation Areas (ProSuli).
The ProSuli project aims at understanding and supporting sustainable livelihoods in the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Areas.
ProSuli local facilitator Fraser Bitu said the project runs in three countries and its engagements are aimed at understanding how people in Hwange’s ward 15, which has been their area of operation for the past three years, perceive the future of their livelihoods.
“This project runs in four sites, in three countries and Hwange ward 15 as part of the Kavango-Zambezi TFCA is one of them. Over the past three years, we conducted more than 60 engagements focusing on six villages-Magoli, Jwape, Dingani, Chezhou, Sialwindi and Malonga,” said Bitu.
ProSuli has also invested in water sources in Hwange to augment water shortages in the dry district.
The organisation has repaired six boreholes and solarised two of them.
They also initiated nutritional garden projects to sustain the livelihoods of the communities.
The event will also mark the end of a cycle of conservation work in Hwange’s Ward 15.
“We have repaired six boreholes and solarized some in ward 15. We have had several programs including capacity building, training, leadership, farming, peace building, local culture, and others,” said Bitu.
He said the project has been successful because of respect for culture by both beneficiaries and community at large.
“This upcoming event will thus seek to celebrate the progress made and bring the Hwange community together to better support and sustain each other both on conservation and local development,” said Bitu.
The occasion will be graced by the traditional leaders including Chief Dingane-Nelukoba and Chief Nekatambe.
Political leaders and the District Development Coordinator’s office have also been invited, together with tour operators around the Hwange National Park.
The programme will start with a tour of Dirimwe which will be characterised by storytelling, drama, songs and poems .