LOWER ZAMBEZI CONSERVATION TRUST
ZAMBIA

EXPLORE is spearheading the project, Play for Life, which aims to raise over $15,000 in charitable donations to outfit 18 boys' school soccer teams, 18 girls' school netball teams, and nine men's adult soccer teams in a remote and impoverished region of southern Zambia. In conjunction with the newly formed Lower Zambezi Conservation Trust (LZCT), EXPLORE is endeavoring to raise funds to establish the three sports leagues which represent all nine major villages in the Western Chiawa Game Management Area.

This community area is inhabited by 18,000 people and is located adjacent to the newly proclaimed partnership park which was recently established by the LZCT with support from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), United Nations Development Program (UNDP), and under the auspices of the Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA) and Her Royal Highness Chieftainess Chiyaba. This partnership in conservation between community and private sector represents a new model for wildlife management for Zambia and potentially for other parts of Africa. The Lower Zambezi region is one of the most beautiful and abundant wildlife refuges in all of Africa, and definitely the 'Jewel in the Crown' of Zambia, rivaling Botswana's Okavango Delta. Our efforts to build team spirit within the youth of the Chiawa villages are part of a larger effort to enlist young hearts in an appreciation and preservation of their own natural heritage.

Many hours of consultation with the community board members of the LZCT resulted in the teams being named and colors being assigned - please see "Children of Chiawa Sports Teams" chart below. EXPLORE will have the uniforms manufactured in South Africa, each outfit featuring the logo of the team and its chosen mascot animal (all of which need protection in the area) along with a conservation message.

The pioneering project of LZCT is aimed at assisting the development of the local communities in the region while focusing on land and wildlife protection in the newly established partnership park; the various community development and conservation projects will be managed privately and based on an entrepreneurial business model. This area has until recently been designated as a Game Management Area (GMA), which allowed for hunting and other non-sustainable usage; it has been reclassified and now qualifies for the same protected status as a national park. The aim of the project is to protect the irreplaceable natural resources in the area which include diverse wildlife, vast tracts of African wilderness and the magnificent Zambezi River. This wilderness will only survive for future generations if the community receives direct benefits from its conservation.

The Play for Life sports leagues play a big part in achieving the project's objectives. First and foremost, sports, particularly soccer, are an incredibly important part of life and culture throughout Africa. Leagues like the one we are developing provide the opportunity for local people to establish a connection to their extended community through healthy competition and recreation. The Play for Life sports league project has been enthusiastically supported by the Chiawa Community, including Her Royal Highness, the Chieftainess Chiyaba.

This program will establish a soccer league for the boys and netball league for the girls of all nine villages and be managed through the village school directors and our LZCT Trustees. Girls do not play soccer in Zambia and are often severely neglected in developing physical/athletic abilities. Netball is the preferred sport played by girls and is similar to American basketball. Sports provide a wonderful opportunity for the girls in these communities to develop self-esteem and confidence, along with skills which will help them organize themselves for other activities in their adult life. A men's league will also be formed in each village which will give us further opportunity to impart the ethic of conservation of wildlife and anti-poaching, etc. Trophies will be awarded at the end of the year to each league champion.

Finally, and most importantly, this sports league will provide an opportunity to conduct educational sessions on relevant and critical subjects. Each team and each individual player will be required to participate in a variety of programs including, but not limited to: snare collection, trash collection, tree planting, HIV/AIDS awareness, malaria and tuberculosis educational workshops and other sessions on important health issues, conservation issues, wildlife, climate change, leadership and personal development skills, and basic sanitation and hygiene. The Play for Life league matches will be preceded by an educational session and a status report on the LZCT's conservation project where the community development director or local teacher will provide the villagers with information on the progress of the various development and conservation projects. The entire project is based on a ground-up, rather than top-down development paradigm and will be based on the full commitment and engagement of community members

On behalf of the Lower Zambezi Conservation Trust and the Kore Kore people of the Chiawa Community, we thank you for your consideration and assistance with this very important endeavor.

All donors are invited to our "Celebrate Sport and Conservation" ceremony where the gift of sport uniforms will be presented by Her Royal Highness Chieftainess Chiyaba and Zambian two-time Olympic runner, Ngozi Asinga Mwanamwamba, in June. Each donor will receive a photo of the ceremony and kids in their new uniforms.

Should you choose to sponsor an entire league, either soccer or netball, your logo will be featured on all uniforms for the league!

The non-profit organization, Soccer Dreams Without Borders (SDWB), will be partnering with us in this endeavor. For more information on SDWB, please visit their website at: www.soccerdreamswithoutborders.org.

Donations are tax deductable. Please make checks payable to Soccer Dreams Without Borders and mail checks to:

EXPLORE, Inc. - Play for Life
P.O. Box 776369
Steamboat Springs, CO 80477

Please call us at 970.871.0065 for more information.

CHILDREN OF CHIAWA SPORTS TEAMS
PLAY FOR LIFE

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