Guided by the pillars of planet, people and environment, Xigera Safari Lodge has made significant progress on impactful initiatives with the community of Habu.
Xigera, is located inside the Moremi Game Reserve and the nearest village to the lodge is Habu, sits some 70 kilometres on the westerly side. The Lodge has a long-standing partnership which has positively impacted on the livelihoods of these community.
Village greens is one of the projects Xigera is involved in where the program has led to the development of a garden. The support from the lodge has been in the form of training and infrastructure development to ensure sustainable cultivation plans.
To further enhance production at the garden, an on-site composter processes all organic kitchen waste, which is sent to local communities for sustainable kitchen gardens.
The goal is to establish a self-sustaining garden cooperative capable of providing produce to Xigera for their staff canteen and its guests and offering fresh food to the local community built on fair-trade agreements with a long-term investment in mind.
Through the project, plans are advance to realise the expansion in the variety of produce, for a consistent supply of locally produced vegetables reducing carbon emissions, while at the same time supporting local communities.
In yet another community empowerment initiative, targeting the education sector Xigera, has initiated the Village Lights program in Habu village. This is a kids reading initiative which initially began with a single delivery, providing solar lights and curated book packs to all senior primary students in Habu village, encompassing 115 children in Standards 5, 6, and 7.
The kids’ reading program would later create a demand in community reading, leading to the expansion of the initiative by introducing a book club. This club has become a mandatory one-hour weekly activity in grades 5, 6, and 7 classrooms. It’s organized as an after-school program and led by an educational liaison employed by Wild Entrust in Habu village.
With a positive of the book club, further add on were initiated, with dictionaries added onto the program addressing the evident need to expand English vocabulary.
In addition to these, a Friday afternoon film group has been established and convenes weekly
to screen conservation-themed films and engage in discussions. All are welcome to join, and we’re adding a popcorn machine to create a festive and enjoyable atmosphere for these gatherings.
Plans here are to expand the motto of the reading club, “Reading to Learn –Learning to Read, and the theme of the solar lights, “Give a Kid an Extra Hour to Read” by providing solar light and book packs to all children in Habu, extending this support to include both junior primary and senior students.
The project also plans a program where the senior primary group receive one new book per month to be used for study during the weekly book club meetings, fostering a love for reading and expanding the home libraries of each household.
A new idea of home work buddy has also been introduced which seeks to pair volunteers adults with 1-2 students each, dedicating 1-2 hours per week to provide homework assistance. This concept is reminiscent of successful big-sister/big-brother clubs worldwide.
Xigera through this project harbours a vision to establish a lending library Lending Library: Our vision includes establishing a lending library, either within the school premises or at the Wild Entrust office to serve as a community resource where families and children can enjoy reading on-site and borrow books to take home.
Books from a valuable collection of several hundred conservation-themed books over the years, will be to donate to Habu to launch this library. However, this endeavours’ success hinges on securing the commitment and support of the community and stakeholders.
The Habu Village Excursion is another project for an experience that incorporates the entire Habu Village Project, touching on all three initiatives, Village Greens, Village lights and Village Kids. The eexcursion provides insight into Habu, showcasing how Xigera drives positive, sustainable change with the help of trusted charities, that include Wild Entrust
To engage primary school children in understanding the value of conservation through play and sport for their future well-being, Wild Entrust has facilitated a Coaching Conservation programme at the Habu primary school.
In 2021, Coaching Conservation partnered with Xigera Safari Lodge to take the Habu village standard grade six class on this Bush RAP as a community outreach programme.
