The area surrounding Maunga River Conservancy is vast and remote - and as a result sparsely populated.

Without development or employers, there are no work opportunities nearby and most members of the Community are livestock and sustenance farmers - planting crops like maize, sorghum and finger millet during the wet season that lasts from December to April, surviving on what they manage to harvest and tending to their livestock the rest of the year.

Some take to the waters of the Zambezi to fish, unfortunately more often than not utilising illegal and unsustainable methods of fishing.
As a result the river has seen a drastic decline in recent years of all fish species that inhabit these waters.

Some still, out of desperation, turn to other illicit means of generating an income.
Illegal trading and cross border smuggling on the river between Zambia and Zimbabwe is on the increase.
Charcoal burning is contributing to the slow and steady disappearance of indigenous natural forests.
Local wildlife populations are on the brink of collapse; many species already completely lost, as poaching remains a constant battle.

There is only one access road in, often impassable during the wet season, and a middle basic school that comprises of 3 classroom blocks accommodating 7 teachers and around 500 pupils from grades 1 to 9. The closest secondary school is 120km away; as a result of this,
the vast majority of children here never attain any form of secondary education.

There is one unfinished and currently un-operational clinic to service the Community - the closest hospital is 120km away.

We are striving to address all of these challenges by creating a better and brighter future for this Community.
In order for the natural habitat and the wildlife to not only survive but thrive, we have to start with their ultimate guardians -
the local people of this area.
By granting them access to better education, better healthcare, employment opportunities and self-employment opportunities, we can in turn help them add long term, sustainable value to their land through the protection of both natural habitat and wildlife, thus creating a win win situation for all - the people, the environment and the wildlife.