Tashinga Initiative - Wildlife Ranger Challenge 2023
Tashinga Initiative is taking on the Wildlife Ranger Challenge to raise awareness of the vital role our 42 rangers play in protecting Zimbabwe's Chewore South, and supporting an estimated 210 livelihoods.
Chewore South – Zimbabwe
My story
Rangers are Africa’s unsung heroes. They hold diverse roles as conservationists, teachers, community support workers, leaders and much more.
The Wildlife Ranger Challenge, organised by Tusk, is a celebration of solidarity, connection and camaraderie for the ranger profession. culminating on 16th September 2023, the campaign raises vital funds for Africa's biodiversity guardians.
Tashinga Initiative - Chewore South
Rangers based in Chewore Safari Area form part of the patrol effort across the unique landscape that makes up the Zambezi Valley’s wildlife protected areas. Chewore is part of the undeniably spectacular Mana-Sapi-Chewore UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Rangers protect territorial integrity, undertake biological monitoring, conservation management, community relations and manage equipment, resources and tourism. Rangers patrol in extremely rugged and remote conditions including amongst prehistoric dinosaur spoors.
WRC Grants have significantly supported a total of 245 ZimParks Rangers. The grants addressed food security through the provision of monthly dry food hampers, the provision of ranger patrol kit such as backpacks and boots, the maintenance of daily field-based and law enforcement operations, thus enhancing morale and efficacy.
For WRC 2023, your support to the Chewore ZimParks Rangers could be far-reaching: the provision of monthly patrol food hampers, Ranger patrol kit, two Zambezi River patrol boats and patrol vehicles can be serviced, maintained, and fuelled. Rangers’ morale is strengthened through the provision of life insurance cover.
Give today and the Scheinberg Relief Fund will match every dollar donated, amplifying your impact. Join us in speaking up #ForWildlifeRangers
Our supporters at WRC 2023!
Sep 28, 2023, 10:04:34 AMIt was great to have the support of Chewore Wildlife Safaris, Tashinga Initiative - as well as our colleagues at ZimParks.
Another WRC 2023 under the belt of Team Chewore South
Sep 28, 2023, 10:02:46 AMWe participated in 2020, in 2021 and again in 2023! So glad to have had the opportunity to participate in this year's WRC and to run the very challenging course in Chewore South. Chewore South course is marked by our sponsor Tashinga Initiative as having the greatest level of difficulty 5/5 and indeed that is true. Whoops! our time was not great at all, but we did our best, with our ages 53,49,45 and 38 and we will try and improve our course if we can compete again next year! We had a great time, with a good reception party at the finish line, lots of cheering and whooping and we were very very proud indeed. Our luncheon sponsored by Tashinga Initiative was good fun and we all had enough to eat! Thanks to our supporter Chewore Safaris!
Backpack weigh-in in preparation for the 21km marathon!
Sep 16, 2023, 7:01:04 AMAt last the day has arrived and Team Chewore South packed their backpacks for the weigh in late afternoon in preparation for the very early morning start for the really challenging 21km course in Chewore South! By far the most difficult course in the Zambezi Valley, this team are men who have been working in this area for a long time, and know the area well, but does not take away how hilly and rocky and stony and hot this challenge will be!
Getting together for the 21km marathon time trial
Aug 30, 2023, 8:01:26 AMIt was great to see Team Chewore South getting together for the 21km time trial from all over the area with different duties! Not an easy task to make it all happen within the rigorous patrolling schedules, so thanks to the O/C for this! All the best and looking forward very much to knowing how it all goes!
Mini-challenge and marathon training underway.
Aug 19, 2023, 3:33:33 PMThe Team at Chewore South are preparing for the second mini-challenge: SITUPS to take place on the 4th September. Three team members in this photo have been training their hill-sprints as part of their fitness training programme and there is the perfect hill right at their field station, Mkanga! The photo is taken at the intersection of the east-west Zambezi Valley track and the Shamrock road, which ends up in Karoi - its a long long windy road and there is a Ranger Outpost there, to which these Rangers are deployed.
Team visits continue and PUSHUP CHALLENGE completed!
Aug 8, 2023, 12:06:49 PMThe lead up to PUSHUP CHALLENGE has been great, and all our equipment deliveries to all teams, including to Team CHEWORE SOUTH are completed. We are busy delivering water and foodstuffs and marketing materials in preparation for the marathon itself, and a little spoiling for the team and supporters after the marathon! Team Chewore South continue their training, against a very hectic patrolling and duty schedule! Sample photo is below (from a video) of one of the team members undertaking his Pushup Challenge
Team training and team kit deliveries by Tashinga Initiative
Jun 19, 2023, 7:10:59 AMTashinga Initiative has visited 5/6 Zimparks WRC Teams based in the Lower Zambezi Valley, and our last call on 16th June was at Mkanga Field Station for Chewore South. From there we travelled out two hours into the field to visit Rangers out on extended foot patrol and they in turn walked 7kms through this remote valley, to meet us on the bush track. These rangers had already participated in 2020 and 2021 WRC, and are acquainted with the process for the challenges and the marathon, but nevertheless we went through our formal training programme with them under the shade of a Mopane Tree, using a tarpaulin for comfort on which to carry out the exercises, demonstrating the current format for the Sit-Up Challenge.
Team Preparations underway!
May 14, 2023, 11:56:49 AMThis year WILDLIFE RANGER CHALLENGE Team CHEWORE SOUTH is once again, for the third time, participating in WRC23! We are so excited that these Rangers have committed to train for and undertake the gruelling 21km, running in the extreme heat and rough conditions of the Zambezi Valley, each carrying a 22kg backpack! Proud of you TEAM CHEWORE! To support TEAM CHEWORE SOUTH we are fundraising RIGHT NOW to make sure each team member has boots to train in, running shorts, a backpack, T-shirts and a cap, and for RACE DAY on 16th SEPTEMBER that the team has banners, and a chance to celebrate their effort with a chicken and sadza lunch and cooldrink afterwards! Please support us to support this team!
Support a unique conservation initiative empowering and uniting wildlife rangers across Africa.
May 2, 2023, 4:20:23 PMWildlife rangers operate on the very frontline of conservation across Africa, routinely making personal sacrifices to put their lives on the line to protect the continent’s magnificent wildlife and habitats. Yet they are so much more than just law enforcement officers: rangers are teachers, community support workers, mediators, researchers and so much more. Unfortunately, resources are not keeping pace with the scale of the challenges they are trying to tackle. For the fourth year running, the Wildlife Ranger Challenge sets out to redress this, by raising critical funding to cover operating costs, including salaries and equipment, for over 10,000 rangers. This will help them protect threatened wildlife and some of the continent's most vulnerable areas, while also protecting communities and securing coexistence with wildlife, as well as providing for their own families.
