Work on our Ngwerere River Restoration Project Continues!
We kicked off the second round of cleanups in our Ngwerere River Restoration Project on September 15th and 16th, coinciding with World Cleanup Day. It was a amazing to be joined by over 80 volunteers, donors and supporters and we could not be more thankful for their participation.
Keeping our rivers clean and safe is a sacred responsibility which is rooted in a deep feeling of respect for all life. There are so many reasons to protect our waterways. It mitigates climate change by conserving wildlife and biodiversity by helping plants, trees and fish flourish - rivers are great transporters of nutrients. A clean river is a source of clean drinking water for humans and animals and provides sustainable sources of food, directly and indirectly. Rivers, lakes and oceans also are places that hold our histories, traditions and cultures. We become a part of all of these things when we show up and take care of our rivers.
The Environmental Education and Management Student Association from UNZA were back in full-force, along with Chongwe Municipal Council, Kalimba Farms, Galunia Farms and many others, working to clear away brush and remove trash from the roadside drainage and river banks.
Tools such as shovels, rakes, picks and slashers were provided by Mass Engineering Ltd. Tipper trucks were donated by Kalimba and Galunia farms and Ciela Spa supplied drinking water for all of the volunteers.
All-in-all, we filled 11 truckloads with waste from the event!
The African Methodist Episcopal Church not only donated re-usable, durable safety gloves and manpower, they offered a word of prayer at the end of the cleanup, reminding us of the inextricable connection between our faith and the environment.
Let's restore the Ngwerere River and protect our water supply, wildlife and food systems.
“Environment is no one’s property to destroy, it’s everyone’s responsibility to protect,” Mohithi Agadi
Zambia is one of the most beautiful places on earth. Rich in culture and biodiversity, an abundance of natural resources and home of the giants: Baobabs, Elephants and Waterfalls. Zambia is also home to smaller members that help sustain us, from Mopane worms, wild mushrooms, Bream fish and Cassava.
Zambia has also been “developing” at an extremely fast rate in order to keep up with the needs of our fast growing population. Yet somewhere along the way we have become separated from nature. This can be clearly seen by the way we pollute one of our most precious, yet often overlooked resources; our rivers and streams.
So much of our lives depend on access to clean water - homes, businesses, farms, trees, animals- we can't live without it. Sadly the very sources of our water have been heavily polluted for decades. One source in particular is the Ngwerere Stream which originates in the capital city of Lusaka As a main tributary of the Chongwe River, this stream is socially, economically and environmentally important, though sadly it has been unsafe (if even accessible) to do so for decades.
There are many factors contributing to the community’s water issues, such as drought, over-extraction by commercial and small-scale farmers, polluted discharges from run-down and over-burdened treatment facilities and stabilisation ponds, and the illegal dumping of waste-particularly plastic waste.
Humans are not the only ones affected. Our ecosystems have taken an enormous hit, which ultimately contributes to ecosystem degradation and climate change.
It is time to act! Join us on 5th June 2023 World Environment Day as we gather to clean-up the plastic at the Ngwerere stream bridge.
Join the team! Get in touch with us to find out how you can help make a difference!