COMMUNITY
PROJECTS
Our volunteer programme is for those interested in the wider conservation of a whole ecosystem. People interested in learning about and helping manage wildlife conservation, protecting a wetland of international importance teeming with unbeatable birdlife and educating and uplifting poverty-stricken local communities.
HELP OUR PEOPLE.
Kaombe’s philosophy of integrating with our local communities is seen as the core of sustainability.
Therefore, giving our volunteers some purpose when coming out to Malawi. A chance to implement some good into the lives of the less fortunate.
KCDT
Agricane and Illovo Sugar Malawi Ltd established the Kaombe Community Development Trust (KCDT) in 2009. Since its establishment, Kaombe Community Development Trust has donated a total sum of over US$500,000 to fund several development projects for the community.
Sustainable Farming
Adjacent to our commercial sugarcane fields, we have undeveloped land demarcated specifically for the growth of indigenous flowers, grasses, trees and shrubs. The goal here is to expand native vegetation back into areas of agriculture to restore biodiversity while improving human food productivity for an ever-changing climate and a rapidly growing population.
Bamboo Production
Bamboo is a naturally occurring plant in Malawi and is a largely unexploited commodity with the most incredible opportunities. With the steadily increasing demand for sustainable products, there is untapped potential in commercialised bamboo which is a potential income generator for rural communities.
Charcoal Production Plant
Kaombe is facing the challenge of an overgrowth of a highly invasive tree native to Arizona called Mesquite, which takes over and reduces our grazing and groundwater. We have built a charcoal production plant to use this mesquite as a sustainable source of charcoal for the greater community.
Fish Farming
Fish are a big source of sustenance to local Malawians which subsequently leads to poaching and overfishing in many areas including the Elephant Marsh we are trying to conserve. To combat this we hope that the community can manage a fish farm that will generate income and sustenance.
Beekeeping & Honey
From our efforts to promote native plant and insect growth, we have noticed an increase in our bee population. This also poses another opportunity for our rural Malawians to establish a beekeeping initiative and to educate the community on the importance of pollinators.
Early Education
It is widely understood that the key to population control is education. But this needs to be integrated with food security which includes environmental issues such as soil conservation and health. If education remains at its existing level and population growth balloons people simply, will not have the means to elevate themselves out of this ever-increasing crisis.
Wildlife & Conservation
The TRC will be a massively instrumental educational tool for the community. We’d like to offer our locals regular excursions into the park to receive a thorough introduction to wildlife and conservation and the opportunity to see the benefits with their own eyes.
Empowering Women
In rural Malawi, a fair amount of women are not encouraged to seek education or employment and are much less likely to have any kind of specialised skills. We would like to take up the baton of empowering our local women and offer them the opportunity to learn to sew.
WHERE WE WORK.
