Environmental Buddies Zimbabwe

Organization name

Environmental Buddies Zimbabwe

Organization link

www.ebztrust.org

Organization type

Civil Society Organisation (CSO), Community Group, Grassroots, Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Religious organisation, Religious organisation, Indigenous Led, People with Disability Led, Women Led

Country

Zimbabwe

Current focus/area

Agroecology, Awareness raising, Disability rights, Economic Justice, Environmental Justice, Extractivism, Food sovereignty, Gender equality, Human rights, Indigenous rights, Inclusion, Land Use, Livelihood Improvement, Migration, Movement building, Natural Resource Management, Women’s rights, Youth empowerment, Youth Leadership

Description/notes

"Environmental Buddies Zimbabwe Trust (EBZ) - a not-for-profit organization working in both rural and urban communities in Zimbabwe, was founded in 2017 due to a concern about the surging desertification and pollution linked to extractivism, commercial agriculture and mining, among others. The EBZ conducts community-based agro-forestry, reforestation and afforestation projects in rural and peri urban areas. It offers a practical response to Zimbabwe’s disappearing forests and rising pollution crisis which is undermining the ability of rural communities to meet their own needs. EBZ has been raising awareness about climate adaptation in Marange since 2020. Marange is found in Region 4 receiving annual rainfall of about 650mm and also prone to droughts all the time. Misplaced polices and presidential agricultural inputs has seen communities continually grow maize, a water thirst, high user of synthetic fertiliser and pesticides. Year in and year out the mize don’t do well, leaving the community to be reliant on food aid from social services, world food program and GOAL. EBZ has been promoting: • pfumvudza, • rainwater harvesting techniques (pits/zvimbuya mbuya in shona) • Renewable energy technologies such as biogas, solar and energy efficient stoves • Non timber projects such as bee keeping, poultry, vegetable gardens. 100 Community members in ward 24 Mutsago were trained in bee keeping in March 2020 • Promoting cassava growing and also Moringa tree for their nutritional value • Fruit tree growing--- trees such as baobab, nyii, tsubvu, nhunguru, masau, marula have all proven to be way better income earners for rural communities with minimum labour and monetary input. • The new small grains act is a welcome initiative as subsistence farmers now have motivation to grow small grains for household nutrition and a ready market GMB. ADVOCASY 1. Advocacy EBZ has been interacting with local authorities such as traditional leaders, rural district councils, and provincial leadership, Forestry Commission and Environmental Management Agency to discuss new by laws, regulations and administrative decisions on environmental protection and climate change.

EBZ has also been facilitating education and awareness campaigns in communities on the effectiveness of available environmental laws and Acts in protecting Zimbabwe’s Natural Resources from degradation. • Traditional Leaders Act, Environment Management Act, Forestry Act, The Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act, The Bees Act

In 2020 a total 250 community members participated in these workshops in Marange Ward 18, 19, 25 and 23.  

• 45 youths, women and men participated in a climate change adaptation research paper in Ward 29 Mukwada, research to be published this year. This was in partnership with TaCCeT (Tackling Climate Chance and Energy Transition in Zimbabwe)"