Giving Back
Wills Wells Mission: Our focus is to assist long-term leaseholders in the communal area with their community projects. These leaseholders shoulder most of the financial responsibility for projects done for the communities and wildlife in their area. The need is overwhelming and if assistance and funding can be directed to these communities there is the opportunity to maintain a vast area of land as a habitat for wildlife and help amazing people in need. We don’t believe in re-inventing the wheel; we consult with the lease holder to get their guidance on what projects are needed and we value the experience, knowledge, and long-term dedication they have shown the wildlife and people in these areas. Water is a very basic need that many do not have so that is our starting point. Water is Life.
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The Lead up to Wills Wells It all began watching Mutual of Omaha Wild Kingdom every Sunday as a young child. From that point, Africa was on my horizon! I entered the travel business taking my first job with a company whose owners were big game hunters. I was introduced to a world I never knew existed and met professional hunters who would come on their annual migration to the USA for Safari Shows. Gracy Travel was incorporated in January 1984 & I attended my first hunting safari show in January 1985. This was also my introduction to wildlife conservation through sustainable hunting.
Wildlife Conservation in conjunction with sustainable hunting happens outside the park boundaries. Habitat conservation depends on making wildlife economically competitive with other land uses. Concession holders (leaseholders) in the communal lands receive little if any financial assistance for community projects from mainstream wildlife nonprofits.
It is my opinion that the reason is ideology regarding wildlife conservation. Hunting vs Anti-Hunting. Interestingly enough both agree habitat loss and poaching are two of the biggest issues wildlife faces today.
The Communal Lands- The Zimbabwean President can subtract or set aside part of the communal land for certain specified purposes, e.g., dam construction, irrigation, township/growth point expansion, parks, and wildlife, etc. The minister of Local Government can also set aside communal land for the same.
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Communal Lands-Orange National Parks-Blue Private Lands-Red
PROJECTS: Hwange- A People Animal Conflict Zone (P.A.C.)
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Communal Area we are based: TSHOLOTSHO (see map below)
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To Date- We have drilled and equipped 5 boreholes including bush pumps & we repaired 9 boreholes that were not working. We have gained experience as a drill team & excited to begin 2022!
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Plans for 2022- We modified our village drill to make it more suitable for the areas we are drilling We also made the decision to build a small basecamp out in the area we are drilling. This saves us time and fuel by positioning ourselves out in these areas but more importantly we now become a part of the community and can add other community projects examples: community gardens, sanitation solutions.
