CITW Zambezi is excited to share a meaningful milestone in our conservation education journey, with the distribution of the first batch of “VUSA: The Lion Guardian”, along with three other titles from the series, to our Eco-Clubs in Zimbabwe’s Tsholotsho and Lupane districts.
Each of the 9 Eco-Club schools in Tsholotsho and 8 in Lupane received:
– 30 copies of “The Elephant Guardian”
– 20 copies of “The Wild Dog Guardian”
– 30 copies of “The Lion Guardian”
– 30 copies of “The Pangolin Guardian”
That’s a total of 510 comic books already distributed across 17 schools, with more on the way! We’re incredibly grateful for this support, which is helping us bring conservation messages to life in creative and engaging ways.
Reaching the Edges of Conservation Frontlines
These books are now reaching schools situated on the borders of some of Southern Africa’s most iconic national parks, including Hwange National Park, Zambezi National Park, and the Mana Pools ecosystems. These communities live in close connection with wildlife, where conservation awareness and human-wildlife conflict are part of daily life.
That’s why CITW focuses its Eco-Club programme in these areas. These are the children growing up on the edge of parks, and their understanding, empathy, and leadership are essential to long-term conservation success. The introduction of the VUSA comics has added an exciting new layer to our work. The stories reflect the real-world challenges they see around them and support the themes already being explored in our Eco-Clubs.
In addition to the 17 schools in Tsholotsho and Lupane having received their sets, distributions to the following are still to come:
– 15 Eco-Club schools in the Hwange region
– 8 Eco-Club schools in Hurungwe
– 7 Eco-Club schools in Zambia
Each delivery is being mapped as part of a growing regional footprint, showing how far these conservation stories are reaching. With every distribution, we’re building a stronger, more connected network of young conservation ambassadors.
Spotlight on the Lion Guardian Lesson
To build on the comic book distribution, our CITW Eco-Mentors are delivering themed lessons that link each title to local conservation challenges. So far, “The Lion Guardian” comic has been introduced in all schools, supported by a dedicated lion conservation lesson that’s already made a strong impact. Eco-Mentors led interactive sessions under the trees, where learners explored lion behaviour, their role in ecosystems, and the threats they face today.
Through games like “Predator-Prey”, group discussions, and creative role plays, learners reflected on issues such as habitat loss, poaching, and human-wildlife conflict. The lesson closed with a peer-to-peer debrief, helping learners consolidate their knowledge and express what they had learned in their own words. These types of lessons are proving to be a powerful way to spark curiosity and inspire action.
