Small Group Highlight: Mfuwe Community Visit

In Zambia’s South Luangwa National Park, conservation and community development go hand in hand. Organizations like the Luangwa Conservation and Community Fund (LCCF) work to combat wildlife poaching and promote community projects in the area. Generous donors from the local tourism industry make much of LCCF’s work possible, and our guests see the benefits of South Luangwa tourism firsthand when they visit a local community, a small group highlight on our Africa’s Wildlife tour.

Working in conjunction with the Bushcamp Company – owner and operator of Mfuwe Lodge, our accommodation in South Luangwa National Park – LCCF funds several major projects that benefit the local community: Commit to Clean Water, providing a number of deep boreholes in villages and remote locations; Meal-a-Day Programme, offering 4,000 local children a nutritious daily meal at school; and School Sponsorship, sponsoring nearly 400 students per year in secondary and post-secondary education. Additionally, the Bushcamp Company has built classrooms, dining halls, dormitories, and more at several local schools.

Members of the local community at a borehole provided by the Commit to Clean Water program

Upon arrival at the local community, each of our guests receives a unique keychain given to them as a gift. The sale of these Keyrings for Conservation – totaling approximately $75,000 since the program’s inception – helps support local conservation and community development efforts, including the projects mentioned above. We then have the chance to see some of LCCF and the Bushcamp Company’s work up close when we visit a local borehole and school.

Keyrings for Conservation

Students at the local school

After the school visit, our guests enjoy a performance from SEKA Theatre Group, a local dance troupe based in Mfuwe. Performers act out a story of local villagers and the local wildlife, and how they impact one another – the perfect way to round out the day’s small group highlight.

SEKA Theatre Group performers

Click here to learn more about out Africa’s Wildlife small group tour.