What an incredible experience to go to Zambia and to be so welcomed by the local people of Luangwa. To see how they have learned to live with the animals to the benefit of each other, by building elephant safe grain storage rather than killing them. Everyone we met greeted us with a smile.
Every day brought an experience…
Read MoreScientists say there is a connection between the extinction of a major species and our survival as humans, and warn that we are experiencing the beginning of earth's sixth mass biological extinction. There have been five mass extinctions over the past billion years, where the loss of major species caused a dramatically reduced diversity of life. The most…
Read MoreHunger shows. Bony limbs, hollow eyes and distended bellies tell you that the child who has come to the Uyoba library to learn English, to read books, and to play games has probably known hunger for most of their life. When I first went to Zambia in 2015 to volunteer in the Raise-a- Smile libraries, many…
Read MoreWhere poaching has decimated the wildlife population in several African countries, domestic dogs have been employed for increasing numbers of forensic, detection, and law enforcement activities, including wildlife trafficking. With wildlife trafficking reaching alarming levels throughout the world and much of the contraband originating from Zambia …
Read MoreWhile many of us are sheltering in place with social distancing; while many are affected by the economic ramifications of this pandemic, and some have even lost loved ones or have exper-ienced the virus themselves, our friends in Zambia are dealing with another type of crisis as well. In the month of January there were several floods…
Read More“As of 30 March there are 35 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Zambia, and there are calls for the President to announce a state of emergency. The copper price (which sustains our economy) has dropped 30% since January, tourism has collapsed, most businesses are in a state of panic, inflation has spiked, and unemployment …
Read MoreI remember my first safari in 2011, when it was time for dinner and another round of questions for Carol, Africa Hope Fund CEO, Steve, her husband, and our guide, Manda. We were hungry to learn more about elephants and listened as Carol told us about the time she witnessed an elephant's death from poaching.
Rachel, CEO of Conservation South Luangwa, and Carol were in the national park…
Read MoreWhen we pulled up to Uyoba School in our safari vehicles, students swarmed out of their classrooms to meet us. They practiced their elementary English conversational skills with us, and we took photographs of them so they could see themselves on our camera screens. That was a real crowd-pleaser. Even the older students, who held back because they were too dignified, were drawn in by the laughter and fun. There seemed to be no boundaries between cultures, and…
Read MoreLonely lady Liuwa was the only surviving lion in the Liuwa Plains until the Zambian Carnivore Programme (ZCP) helped successfully reintroduce lions to the Plains. Lady Liuwa died this year at 17 of natural causes. “It’s incredibly rare for a lion to live to such an old age and to die from natural causes,” said Matthew Becker, CEO of ZCP. “Her survival and that of her growing pride signify what can happen …
Read MoreWhen we were in Zambia in May 2014, Africa Hope Fund CEO, Carol Van Bruggen learned that a young bull elephant had a snare around his neck, and the CSL team was on their way to dart him to remove the snare and treat his wounds. The elephant stood on the far side of a small pond in an otherwise dry and open area. He looked thin and tired, with his head down, dejected.
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At the end of each year we report on our activities and fundraising support of various organizations in Zambia. Below is a brief excerpt from our 2019 Year-End Newsletter.
When we first visited Zambia, we were horrified at the number of reports of snared animals in and around the national parks. It was difficult to find large herds of elephant and almost impossible…
Read MoreThis year a group of ladies decided to band together with Adijah Phiri, one of our Uyoba school reading assistants, and apply for a micro loan from a local bank in order to start a craft shop near the national park. With a loan of $50 each (18 women) they bought materials and began making custom clothing, local jewelry, art pieces, and handbags. With the help and support of Jenny Waterhouse, CEO of Raise a Smile nonprofit, they built a one room shop on the main road …
Read MoreI remembered that Carol, CEO of The Africa Hope Fund, had told me a story about villagers and one reaction to the wildlife surrounding the village that illustrates the need for education and human-wildlife conflict mitigation. One day, early in the morning while Carol and Rachel were in Rachel’s office, they heard several loud, anxious voices outside the door. The language spoken was Nyanja, the local tribal language, and everyone was talking at once. Excited villagers came to inform Rachel that a hippo had fallen into a large, deep hole behind the CSL compound in the middle of the night and could…
Read MoreCarol Van Bruggen took us to meet Benson Kanyembo, Conservation South Luangwa’s Operations Manager. Benson is tall, with a shaved head, and he smiles a bashful smile, except when we are talking about the numbers of elephants poached. His demeanor is one of quiet confidence ready for deliberate action.
When we walked into Benson Kanyembo’s office, it was clear we were in a paramilitary operations center. A large map on the wall showed the park boundaries with all the game management areas (GMAs). According to the Zambian government, Zambia has zoned…
Elephant babies stay with their mothers for up to four years, gradually weaning themselves from mother’s milk to forage fulltime with their clan. The first four years are a time of nurturing and teaching, and it will take a baby all four years to become independent. Moms teach their babies what is safe to eat, how to knock the dirt off plant roots by smashing plant…
Read MoreElephants seldom come into the village, where cars travel and shoppers are busy buying their day’s produce. But they are not far behind small shops and buildings as they follow ancient paths they walked since before Mfuwe Village existed. The evidence is there in large footprints filled with rainwater, crushed stalks of tall grasses, and fresh piles of dung from the early morning.
We passed produce stands just off the tar road and headed…
Read MoreAfrica Hope Fund not only helps save elephants and other wildlife but also helps educate children because educated children have a more secure future than their parents and are more likely to help protect wildlife. Rachel McRobb, CEO of Conservation South Luangwa (CSL), who oversees anti-poaching activities in the valley, introduced our CEO Carol Van Bruggen to Uyoba School…
Read MoreUntil recently, Botswana was a shining example of wildlife protection. Former President, Ian Khama banned big game hunting in 2014. On 22 May 2019, the current government led by President Mokgweetsi Masisi, lifted the hunting ban, citing studies that an increased elephant population is negatively impacting people’s livelihoods. Lions, a species also globally in decline, are included in this new hunting decision. This move is a step back for conservation and sends a worrying message that elephants and other species are disposable assets…
Read MoreIn June I had the privilege of taking 14 intrepid travelers to Mfuwe, Zambia for the first Africa Hope Fund volunteer trip. It was a dream come true for me!
After traveling halfway round the world, we arrived at Marula Lodge, where we were welcomed with a cold drink and an orientation telling us how to be safe in the company of the elephants, the hippos, and the baboons that can often be found on the grounds. We enjoyed our first dinner together and then got settled in our nicely appointed ensuite chalets…
Read MoreIn the 1970s, authorities culled elephants in Kenya because they worried there were too many elephants to support their habitat. Sharpshooters killed them by the tens of thousands. Some herds were completely destroyed, and other herds had damaged, torn families…
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