African Hope Fund

Wildlife ConservationAfrican Hope Fund (AHF) has been a presence in the South Luangwa Valley for over 20 years. Carol Van Bruggen and Steve Kuhn originally traveled to Zambia to see the animals, which are abundant. Since 2008, the AHF has worked with organizations like Conservation South Luangwa (CSL), Conservation Lower Zambezi (CLZ), and Zambia Carnivore Program (ZCP) to protect animals from poaching and to teach the citizens how to peacefully coexist with the animals. The wildlife in Zambia is the country's greatest tourist attraction.1.) Conservation South Luangwa (CSL)CSL is a remarkable initiative dedicated to preserving the pristine wilderness and biodiversity of the South Luangwa National Park in Zambia. With its unwavering commitment to wildlife conservation, community engagement, and sustainable tourism, Conservation South Luangwa plays a pivotal role in safeguarding this unique ecosystem. Through their comprehensive conservation programs, which include anti-poaching efforts, habitat restoration, and wildlife research, they ensure the long-term survival of iconic species such as elephants, lions, and leopards. Additionally, their community outreach initiatives empower local communities by promoting education, healthcare, and sustainable livelihoods, fostering a harmonious coexistence between humans and wildlife. Conservation South Luangwa's tireless dedication to preserving the natural heritage of South Luangwa is truly commendable, and their work serves as a beacon of hope for the future of conservation in Africa. AHF sent $76,573 in 2022 to CSL.2.) Conservation Lower Zambezi (CLZ) CLZ is a remarkable organization committed to the preservation and protection of the Lower Zambezi National Park in Zambia. With its strong focus on conservation, community engagement, and sustainable development, Conservation Lower Zambezi plays a vital role in safeguarding this pristine wilderness and its rich biodiversity. Through their conservation efforts, such as anti-poaching patrols, wildlife monitoring, and habitat restoration, they ensure the continued existence of iconic species like elephants, hippos, and crocodiles. The organization also actively involves local communities, working closely with them to promote sustainable livelihoods, education, and healthcare. By fostering a sense of ownership and responsibility among the local population, Conservation Lower Zambezi fosters a harmonious relationship between humans and wildlife. AHF sent a total to CLZ $10,135 in 2022. 3.) Zambian Carnivore Program (ZCP)ZCP is a remarkable initiative dedicated to the conservation and protection of carnivores in Zambia. With a primary focus on iconic species such as lions, leopards and wild dogs, the program aims to mitigate threats to their populations and ensure their long-term survival. Through a combination of scientific research, community engagement, and conservation education, the Zambian Carnivore Program works tirelessly to address issues such as habitat loss, human-wildlife conflict, and illegal hunting. They employ innovative techniques like GPS tracking, camera trapping, and ecological monitoring to gather crucial data on carnivore populations and their behavior, contributing to a deeper understanding of their ecological roles and needs. Moreover, the program actively collaborates with local communities, involving them in conservation initiatives and providing alternative livelihood opportunities that reduce conflicts with carnivores. AHF supported their administrative program, by helping to finance software purchases, such as a customer relationship management system (CRM). AHF donated $20,700 in 2022.

Wellness - Water WellsMakolekole is a drilling and water solutions nonprofit in the South Luangwa Valley of Zambia. It was started in 2015 by Adrian and Christina (Gid) Carr. Adrian is the son of legendary conservation pioneer Norman Carr. They have lived in the valley for over 20 years and have completed over 300 boreholes thus far! In the remote villages of Zambia's Luangwa Valley thousands of families still do not have access to safe, clean water. Women and children in rural villages often travel miles to find water in rivers or shallow wells. Collecting water from rivers is potentially dangerous not only because the water is not clean but the risk of injury and death from crocodiles, elephants and other wild animals is very real; every year lives are lost. Through fundraising efforts in 2022, Africa Hope Fund sent a total of $20,000 to Makolekole.

Education Programs:Ultimately, Steve and Carol fell in love with the people of the region and recognized the opportunity to help the people by building schools and libraries, which were badly needed. The first project was to rebuild an existing school building and add two classrooms. Class sizes are often 80 to 100 students.Culturally, the increased opportunities for education have had a huge impact upon the community. Although English is not taught in Zambian schools until the 4th grade, the students are required to take their exams in 7th grade in English. The African Hope Fund helps fill the three gap years with interactive literacy training. 1. Libraries and Reading ProgramsDebby Lott, a Member of the AHF Board of Directors, has traveled to Zambia for seven years, spending two-to-three months each summer providing expert Literacy Training to several Zambian women and men who become Reading Assistants. Debby's career as a Literacy Development Professional in California provided her with the skills she needed to assess what the children needed and the best way to help them learn. After personally being involved with the actual physical building of a library, Debby remembers the first reactions of students. Zambian children most often live in huts with dirt or concrete floors and community bathroom facilities. They do not have toys, books to read, puzzles, or coloring books. The very first classes held focused on teaching the children how to treat books-to wash their hands before they entered the library, to open the book carefully to protect the binding, to carefully turn the pages so to not tear them. As Debby explained, "The libraries are sacred space to me-to watch the children learn their colors by playing sorting games, to see them learn the concept of putting puzzles together, to watch as they see their image in the mirror for the first time in their lives or played with dolls for the first timeit is all magical." The walls of libraries are covered with colorful pictures of children playing games, of animals, and there are rugs on the floors for the children to gather for storybook time. These decorations and comforts are routine in US schools but are completely new to Zambian children.The first Happy Readers were introduced in 2015, and since then the reading program has grown exponentially to include six reading centers located throughout the South Luangwa Valley. Currently, Africa Hope Fund pays the salaries of twenty-two reading assistants, which amounts to about $3,000 USD a month. The six reading centers currently teach over 1,250 students every week! Each grade has a dedicated time slot for the library, which usually lasts for about one hour. The children are divided up into a small groups (6-8 students) to work on reading aloud, grammar, and more. Test scores among the schools in the Valley have increased dramatically as a result of the presence of the reading programs and libraries.In 2020, the schools were closed because of the pandemic, so Jenny Waterhouse and Debby lead the project of building a library separate from existing schools. Debby also held training sessions for multiple adult women and men to be Reading Assistants. For two weeks, Debby held extensive sessions for groups of eight people at a time to learn the skills necessary to teach English to the children, again through games, puzzles, using colored markers on white boards and other educational tools. 2. Volunteer ProgramsEach summer, AHF organizes Volunteer Trips. Volunteers travel to spend two weeks in Mfuwe, a town of about 55,000 people which is the largest settlement in the Mambwe District. Since 2019, forty volunteers have participated in this program. These individuals and families also bring school supplies and games for the children. They spend half of each day working with and playing interactive games with the children helping them practice their English, and the other half-day going for game drives. Soccer is a popular sport among the boys, but soccer balls were often in short supply or needed air. The volunteers have made it a habit to arrive with soccer balls and air pumps! The American children who come with their parents eagerly join in the soccer games and the Zambian children are delighted to meet American children and teens. Jump ropes are popular among the girls. A quote from one of our twelve-year-old volunteers, "It was cool to see how much the students treasure their education. Students were happy to be at school, and the teachers spoke about how schools are a happy place for the students. In American schools, there are books on a shelf that won't be read."3. Community ProgramsAHF is involved with many communities' projects and local organizations within the South Luangwa Valley. a) Project Luangwa (PL)PL is a dedicated nonprofit in the heart of Mfuwe, with their focus on student sponsorship, and education programs within the community. In 2022 Africa Hope Fund helped raise money through a campaign to support their newest endeavor 'Digitruck'. The goal of Digitruck was to have a mobile truck outfitted with electronic tablets, that would move around to different schools, bringing an alternative learning environment to the local children of the Luangwa Valley, while helping to improve the teacher-to-student ratio, amongst other classroom resources. Through AHF's campaign, we were able to able to raise over $10,000 in donations with a match of $10,000 from Africa Hope Fund. This has allowed PL to expand the project now titled 'Digilearn' into two local schools, with the plan to expand into three more by the end of the year. The program currently uses an online platform titled 'Mwabu', which covers the entire Zambian curriculum, and has provided an enhanced learning experience for over 350 children so far in 2023. In 2022, the AHF sent $20,563 to Project Luangwa. b) Mimbulu Football (Soccer) TeamIn 2017, during her annual trip to Zambia, our CEO Carol Van Bruggen spent time with Henry Mwape, whom she has known since he was a student and intern prior to his current position at the Zambian Carnivore Program. He now is the Assistant Manager and Senior Ecologist for the ZCP's Luangwa Project, and he was raised in Mfuwe just outside the national park gates. He shared with Carol how he had a dream of changing the lives of local boys like his life had been changed by getting involved in conservation and finding a purpose he cared deeply about. He started a soccer team for kids initially fourteen and under but has since expanded to include men up to twenty-one, and with the help of Carol's support, were able to have team jerseys printed in the USA.By having these kids be a part of something, it has really helped to keep them out of trouble and allow them to remain focused on their own goals in life. But the amazing part of this story is that the 2022/2023 season for the team has been exceptional. The team has won twenty games, lost four, and tied three, and the fans at each game have grown as the locals hear about the team's success. In 2022, the team even participated in the national playoffs for Zambia. When it is time for a football match, the local radio station broadcasts the events live, and because soccer is such a popular sport, the number of people tuning in to listen to the broadcast is very high. This is great news not only for the team to get publicity, but because during breaks the radio sends out conservation messages. Africa Hope Fund was one of the first to sign on to pay for the half time conservation messages. In 2022, the AHF contributed $1,200 to support this project.