Tikobane Girls & Boys Clubs: Building Opportunities, Changing Perceptions
- GSGC
- Mar 19, 2025
- 5 min read
Updated: Jul 29
Tikobane Club: Building Opportunities, Changing Perceptions
In rural Dete, which borders Zimbabwe’s massive Hwange National Park, youth face limited opportunities and have few positive role models. Without structured activities or many educational or economic opportunities, many struggle to find direction, often falling into unhealthy behaviors.
To stem that tide, Tikobane Boys and Girls Club was founded in 2021 after Dumisani Moyo (Dumi), a local guide, met GSGC Founder Priscilla Plummer on safari and was inspired by GSGC’s mentorship model.
Recognizing the potential for his own community, he shared the idea with Ndlelende Ncube (Ndlela), and the two friends visited existing GSGC clubs in Victoria Falls to learn more. Motivated by what they saw, they quickly established two mentorship clubs in Dete, bringing on Mentors Themelihle Dlamini (Thembie) and Sidunyisiwe Moyo (Sdue) to guide the girl members.
The youth clubs were an outgrowth of Ndlela’s earlier efforts to organize around a community problem: poaching in the park, the nation’s largest and most diverse.
“Around 2014, 2015, we had a lot of elephants killed in Hwange National Park,” Mentor Ndlela said. “Young people of my age and men were killed in the national park, some were arrested. That was the trend. So, we established Tikobane Trust in 2016.”
The trust’s goal: through education, to seek peaceful coexistence between animals and people.
Why Tikobane Trust and Tikobane Boys and Girls Club Exists
Tikobane, in the local Nambya language, means . With the notion of “Let’s share this environment, let’s share the knowledge,” most of the trust’s first work was focused on animal welfare, caring for dogs and donkeys, domesticated and farming animals.
“We interact with these animals more than we interact with the wild animals,” Ndlela explained. “So we said if we can champion the welfare of these animals, dogs and donkeys, it will be easier for the community to understand the welfare of lions and elephants.”
Protecting crops from wildlife, providing food for families and minimizing human-wildlife conflict were paramount. Education was not a priority, and young people were drifting without opportunities or guidance.
“Boys and girls would only go to school until Grade 10 or 11 and then finish with no clear future,” said Mentor Sdue. “Without education, many had to support themselves however they could—some girls turned to prostitution, others were drawn into drinking and drugs. They thought they were adults.”
Girls faced additional challenges such as dropping out of school due to pregnancy or lack of sanitary products. In response, Tikobane Boys and Girls club was created as a space where youth could learn, grow and be nurtured through mentorship. The Trust stepped in by:
● Creating the first library in Dete, giving all youth access to books and study materials.
● Encouraging education and career development, helping youth build a brighter future.
● Inspiring young people to dream bigger and parents to be more involved with education.
● Supplying sanitary wear for girls, ensuring they don’t miss school when they menstruate.
“Even school children used to hang around beer halls because they had nothing else to do,” Mentor Thembie said. “Now, they come to the club. They have a space where they feel supported and can focus on their education.”
Today, Ndlela Sdue and Thembie mentor 63 youth—40 girls, 15 boys, and eight alumni.
Tikobane Boys and Girls Club is also helping shift perceptions of youth in Dete.
“People think young people here can’t achieve anything. We’re proving them wrong,” Ndlela says. “Tikobane is helping youth pass their exams, find careers, and develop real skills.”
Empowering girls is a particularly big shift for the community, Thembie added. By showing that girls can excel academically and build careers, Tikobane is challenging long-standing gender norms. Through extra lessons, mentorship and exposure to different career paths, the club is opening doors—helping both boys and girls reshape their futures.
The Power of Mentorship
For youth in Dete, mentorship is often the missing link between potential and opportunity. Tikobane Boys and Girls Club provides a support system that fractured families or absent parents cannot, helping young people navigate personal struggles and life decisions.
“Knowing that there is someone who looks up to me as their Mentor and role model helps me to do my best and to keep growing as a Mentor,” said Ndlela.
Storytelling is at the heart of mentorship at Tikobane.
“Many young people keep their struggles to themselves, but we encourage them to talk to us and share their stories,” Ndlela said. “It helps them process their experiences and realize they’re not alone.”
Storytelling also helps Mentors understand their youth on a deeper level, “We know what we really have to do for each and every member,” Sdue said.
Tikobane’s impact is best seen in the youth who have passed through the club.
One of the most inspiring is Hentrieta, a promising student who served as Head Girl at her school. Everyone expected her to pass her final exams, but when she failed, she was devastated. With support from her mentors, she found the courage to return to school and try again—despite being laughed at by both teachers and students. In 2024, she passed five exams and is now working toward her dream of becoming a teacher herself.
Similarly, Thembie recalls Memory, a girl who once lacked confidence and struggled to speak in public. Through practice and encouragement, she gradually found her voice and improved academically, earning five Grade 10-11 exams, a rare achievement by girls in her community.
These success stories highlight what mentorship can do—not just in education, but in building resilience, self-confidence, and the courage to persist, despite setbacks.
Why Conservation Matters
Tikobane’s work around conservation is an integral part of the club. Wildlife and tourism are major contributors to the local and regional economies.
In 2023, the Daily Maverick featured Ndlela in an article entitled “Unsung Heros.” It highlights his work regarding the role local communities can play living with and protecting wildlife in the national parks. In the accompanying video made by the Wild Africa Fund, Ndlela’s voice and insights come to life.
By exposing youth to careers in tourism and wildlife management in and near Hwange National Park, Tikobane is showing youth and their community a different future—one where they can both protect and benefit from their environment.
“We have a special opportunity to protect and take care of this resource through conservation and education,” Ndlela explained.
Take Melikhaya, for example, a boy from a family of hunters. Growing up, he was expected to follow in his family’s footsteps and continue hunting. But after learning and greater exposure in Tikobane Boys Club, Melikhaya’s perception of wildlife changed.
“One day, we visited a conservation area, and Melikhaya was so moved he said, ‘When I finish school, I want to protect wildlife,’” explained Ndlela.
Melikhaya went on to become one of the youngest wildlife rangers in Hwange National Park, dedicating his life to conservation.
The Future of Tikobane: A Movement for Change
Mentor Ndlela has a bold vision for Tikobane’s future:
“I want Tikobane Club to become a leading youth empowerment and conservation program creating lasting change in our community. We aim to expand our mentorship programs, reaching more boys and girls. By 2030, I hope to see Tikobane’s impact reaching beyond our immediate community, inspiring other regions to adopt similar youth-driven conservation and mentorship initiatives.”
At its core, Tikobane is more than just a youth program—it’s a movement.
“We believe in the power of young people to transform their lives and their communities through mentorship, education and conservation,” said Ndlela. “By investing in our youth today, we are shaping responsible leaders for tomorrow who will protect our environment, uplift others, and create a better future.”
Through mentorship, skills-building, and community support, Tikobane is proving that with the right guidance, youth can rewrite their futures and create lasting change.
Change is not only possible, it’s already happening.
