Katambora Community

Environment Africa (EA) has been working in the Katombora Community since 2004 and has built capacity and gained the trust of the communities in the area. EA was invited to Katombora to assist with biodiversity conservation of the Katombora Islands, which are ecologically unique to the area and which are situated in the Zambezi River, near very poor and vulnerable communities. With the help of the communities, EA has carried out two baseline studies to date, one on the biological diversity of the islands, and the other on social, economic, and cultural aspects of the community.



From experience, EA acknowledges that biodiversity conservation plays a key role in sustainable development and poverty reduction, and EA works on the belief that it is critical to both human and ecological communities to establish healthy linkages between people and the natural environment. Location & Background: The area of Katombora, in the Southern Province of Zambia, lies along the northern banks of the Zambezi River, about 50km west of Livingstone, home of the mighty Victoria Falls World Heritage Site. Katombora is found in the Kazungula District. The community of Katombora consists of small villages on the mainland and some small islands in the river itself.

Environment Africa 's work is mainly concentrated in three villages namely Maluka, Mushekwa and Monze. Maluka village is on the western part of the Katombora reformatory School along the Zambezi River while Mushekwa village is on the eastern side. Monze village is on the Northern side of the Kazungula -Livingstone highway at the 50 km peg. The Zambia 2000 population census recorded that the population of Katombora Ward was 5337 people with 1000 households. Kazungula Rural District had a population of 84 784 people with 12 601 households. In Katombora 50.1 % of the population is made up of females.

The proposed project area has two basic schools which are found in Nachilinda and Mushekwa. Environment Africa has been working closely with the Katombora Basic School in Mushekwa Village in improving the infrastructure of the school and creating general environmental awareness. The school needs assistance in buying text books for the school children The ratio is about 1 book for 5 children. The classrooms need to be painted inside and outside to make the learning environment more suitable. The school does not have a library and the Head Teacher has been working on the possibility of establishing one.

Some classrooms do not have window panes and this poses problems during the winter and rain seasons. Very few children have the opportunity of proceeding to Livingstone town for secondary education after completing basic education. The area has one clinic which is located near the Katombora Reformatory. All serious medical cases are referred to Livingstone town as the clinic is inadequately resourced in terms of drugs.

The chief of the area is Chief Sekuti who lives in the Mambova area about 20 kilometres from Katombora in the west. The majority of the people in the area are ethnic Lozi, who have a history of being marginalized by colonial regimes, national governments and now foreign developers, who are rapidly moving into the pristine area and making significant profits while contributing nothing to the local communities. The main sources of income are fishing, mat making from reeds, and small-scale subsistence agriculture. The area is extremely poor, with most households eking out a subsistence living. Despite the presence of a school and small clinic in Katombora, child mortality and HIV are significant concerns in the community. Compounding the poor harvests from changed rainfall patterns over the past three decades, the communities are hemmed in by the Zambezi River to the south, and a National Forest to the north, which has restricted uses.

Why Katombora?
Environment Africa was approached by the community to assist in biodiversity conservation of the Katombora Islands. The combined factors of the entrenched poverty of the community, the unique ecology and beauty of the area, and the keenness of the people to enter into partnerships for sustainable development while wanting to preserve their natural and cultural heritage convinced us that Katombora was an important place for EA to be involved. Poor as they are, the Katombora community members have the will to change their way of life for the better.

The Challenges faced by the Community
The people of Zambia in general are extremely poor and suffer from poor health, malnutrition, and prolific rates of HIV/AIDS. According to UNICEF, Zambia is among the top 20 in the world in infant mortality at 102 per 1000 live births, life expectancy is only 38 years, and HIV prevalence is 16.5%. In addition to these problems, the people of Katombora have also seen growth of the local population and an increase in outside development leading to increasingly unsustainable use of the area's natural resources. The interaction of poverty, environmental degradation, poor health and poor nutrition has had a multiplier effect on the general welfare of the community and contributes heavily toward keeping the population in a downward trend of poverty and nutritional insecurity.

Environment Africa 's Interventions in the Community
EA is working together with the Katombora Community with the aim of achieving the following Goal and objectives: Goal: The goal of this project is to improve the livelihoods, health, and sustainable food security of the most vulnerable members of the Katombora communities while improving conservation of the unique riparian ecosystem and taking into consideration and linking to the culture of the local community.

Objectives
To enhance income levels among targeted households and community groups through income generation activities and sustainable use of natural resources through eco tourism activities. . Enhanced biodiversity protection and awareness through environmental education. To improve the nutrition levels in vulnerable households, particularly among children under age 5. . Training of community leaders in biodiversity protection and sustainable resource use and access for the Katombora area. . To increase cultural understanding and incorporate indigenous knowledge systems into project planning, monitoring and evaluation.