Latest News From Chipembele
The Chipembele team reported that the first few months of 2021 have been much brighter with the lifting of complicated and often changing COVID rules:
“This enabled us to carry out our programmes in full, taking appropriate mandated preventative measures. Vaccinations have been distributed to even the remotest areas of Zambia and most of the Chipembele staff received their first vaccination at the local clinic in Mfuwe in late April 2021.”
New participants selected for the school leaver’s MAC conservation program
A new group of highly motivated participants have been selected for the ‘Mentors at Chipembele’ (MAC) program. This program delivers innovative youth leadership which helps selected Chipembele school leavers to become Zambia’s future conservation leaders and helps them to secure successful careers in the conservation of our natural world.
This year, eight Chipembele school leavers were selected – 4 young men and 4 young women – to be part of the year-long MAC programme. This program is kindly sponsored by the Livingstone Foundation. The program began with an intensive two week induction course. The first week was mostly classroom based, focusing on establishing, developing and mastering key life skills. These included communication, organisation, resilience, creativity and accountability. During the second week, there was a tough three day ‘Resilience Camp’. Participants were tested on their life skills in a series of physical and mental challenges. At times they were stretched and pushed them to their limits, but they were encouraged to find their inner strength and perseverance.
“An educational experience which has changed us forever” – Zebedia Banda
Further training followed, with Corey, their Conservation Education Manager, leading the programme. Regular fun conservation sessions for younger students in The Habitat – Chipembele’s student resource room – were also run.
Orphaned bush pigs to be released into the park
“They are great characters and make us belly laugh every day, particularly when they do fast ‘zoomies’ around the enclosure and spar with each other. In doing so they hone some of the skills they will need to survive in the wild.”
Chipembele now has a full wildlife rehabilitation unit of small orphaned and injured wildlife which they have been taking care of since the beginning of the year. Bristle and Brush, two orphaned baby bush pigs that were rescued by local children in December, are now ready to be released into the park. At almost 6 months old, they are fully weaned and in excellent health, growing phenomenally and eating large quantities of fruits, vegetables, whole and powdered peanuts and game pellets.
New staff members join the Conservation Education Outreach team
Chipembele also welcomed three new members of staff to their Conservation Education Outreach team. They each bring an array of different skills, experience and attributes and have all settled into the team incredibly well. You can read more about Martin, Stanley and Anderson, along with all their other news in Chipembele’s latest newsletter and find out more about their programs on their website – www.chipembele.org