Employment opportunities are limited for some mothers who live alone in Zimbabwe, and who often earn a living by either planting fields, sewing or cooking. However, a new community development initiative opened a new livelihood for them, and this initiative is to train them to become an effective element in the front line of combating poaching, an initiative that aims to empower and support females.
The Community Guards Force is a wildlife protection force squad, trained by the Open Zoo Protection Organization, and with the support of the Charity Space of Giants, a wildlife charity organization that provides equipment and pays for hunting guards.
"This program has changed my life," said goalkeeper Seethebel Munengi, 33. Before she became a community hunting guard force, she used to sell tomatoes along a dirt road to earn money to care for her children, who ranged in age from two to nine years, and she added: "But the income from that work was not enough to support them." "Men usually have the advantage of working in companies, but now I respect society, and I will be able to build the future for my children," she added.
The risk of poaching
Zimbabwe has one of the largest wildlife areas in Africa and is home to a large number of elephants, buffalo, impala and wild animals. Illegal fishing is one of the dangers threatening these animals, especially in the Chesarira National Region, where this force operates from community hunting guards, a remote land area that lost more than 3,000 elephants between 2006 and 2016. The rugged valleys of Cesarera and the high mountains cover less than 2,000 square kilometers, making their animals threatened with extinction, as they feature many places where hunters can hide.
More recently, finger-pointers have pointed out to poachers in connection with a series of cyanide poisoning in the nearby Huang National Park, which has killed 80 elephants.
International campaign
An international campaign has been launched to eradicate poaching and illegal trade in wild animals, as this represents one of the greatest threats to biodiversity in the country.
The Community Hunting Guards force is traveling long distances in patrols in the Chizarera region, to remove traps set up by the hunters to catch the animals, search for signs of illegal activity, and arrest any illegal fisherman they encounter.
"The best thing in my job is to protect wild animals. Before I started this activity, I was afraid of elephants, and now I am proud of the work I do," says SFC member, Sivathissieu Mulia, 23.
As Peshnet Monska, 23, has a three-year-old son, she says: “This is my first job ever. I was initially scared when I was patrolling the jungle, but these patrols kept giving me self motivation day after day. "I learned a lot, and I loved wild animals."
The creation of a community hunting guard force, consisting entirely of single mothers, is the brainchild of two wildlife conservation experts, Niall McCann and Mark Healy. They have found an opportunity to transform wildlife security into a community outreach program, which receives the full support of the Zimbabwe Wildlife and Wildlife Management Authority.
The need for mothers
The wildlife organization had announced its need for single mothers to conserve wildlife. “We were looking for candidates who were eager to work in the wildlife field,” McCann says. “The local culture is completely patriarchal, and some people do not prefer women to work in a role traditionally seen as male, but this field has been greatly appreciated, to the extent that Most women are accepting this job, as the benefits flow to the wider community. ”
"Women have the same capabilities as their male counterparts," McCann asserts. "He will likely be able to discover networks engaged in illegal fishing. More importantly, they also invest their salaries in their family members more than men, so they are more able to build a society that is more resilient and less poor. ”
• Zimbabwe has one of the largest wildlife areas in Africa, and is home to a large number of elephants, buffalo, impala and wild animals.
• The Community Hunting Guards Force is patrolling in the Chizarira region to remove traps set by the fishermen to catch the animals, search for signs of illegal activity, and arrest the violating fishermen.