Gondwana organises a successful clean-up campaign

Gondwana together with the local Sikondo-community near Rundu organised a waste collection movement that took place on 17 June. 640 School children and 60 volunteers came together to partake in this waste collection movement on the 600 ha land around the Hakusembe River Lodge. At the end of a morning of cleaning eight massive bags of rubbish had been collected
“Even with the huge amount of rubbish removed from the village, there is still a lot to be done in terms of cleaning up the village. We’ve only just scratched the surface,” says Gondwana’s Environmental Officer Quintin Hartung. “But still, it was a worth-while exercise, and we will follow up cleaning campaigns and continue to educate the community and school kids on the importance of a clean environment.”
The waste collection initiative forms part of the Gondwana Hakusembe Community Development Programme, which was launched in 2014. This Gondwana project aims to improve the living conditions of the Sikondo community. The campaign was followed by a meeting to discuss the long term goals for the programme. The meeting was attended by Gondwana’s Financial Director Jaco Visser, Quintin Hartung, Sikondo-headman Alfons Kavera and other representatives of the community.
As a result of this cooperation and a well-set framework amongst these groups a borehole has been drilled in Sikondo and the community have been given access to clean drinking water. Other projects include the installation of a water pump, as well as maintenance and expansions for the Ru-Rumwe Primary School, the removal of non-native plants from the village and the planting of vegetable gardens.
After the waste collection movement the children from the Ru-Rumwe Primary School and all the volunteers were given a snack prepared by the Hakusembe River Lodge staff. Furthermore, four recycling bins have been set up at the school, under the tree where the community hold their meetings
The Hakusembe Community Development Programme forms part of the Gondwana Collection’s social engagement. The Lodge group maintains close contact with the communities around the lodges, as most of their employees come from these communities and promised to continue working towards improving their living conditions.