Youth, Mentors Wow Development Specialist

Development and tourism specialist Christabelle Peech wants to bridge the gap between wildlife and the people who live around wildlife areas in Zimbabwe. When she ventured out recently to see the state of tourism after a year in pandemic lock down, she headed straight for Hwange National Park, her country’s largest and most diverse park, and Victoria Falls, where visitors revel in the spray of one of the world’s biggest waterfalls.

And she met with youth and Mentors of GSGC-sponsored clubs in each area. She’d known of GSGC’s work in the region, but this was her first visit to clubs. With schools closed for so long, she had no idea what to expect of the clubs’ girls and boys. What she found, she said, was life-changing.

“I was blown away when meeting the Mentors and clubs and completely inspired by the resilience of each and every person involved,” Peech said. “How they had formed this tight knit bond, supported each other through this tough time, and have acted as a safe haven for those who really need it — they have been a beacon of hope and have helped so many.”

Peech calls herself a social enterprise consultant, but she’s worked for eight years on sustainable development and wildlife issues with The Hide Community Trust, a nonprofit associated with a well-known safari camp in Hwange National Park. She tackles issues such as how people can work more inclusively and sustainably to create greater enterprise in tourism and how to create thriving communities where people and wildlife live in harmony.

(L to R) Peech, Mentor Thembelihle, Mentor Sidunyisiwe

Those issues also face Tikobane Trust, the community organization that formed Tikobane Girls Club and Tikobane Boys Club early last year after meeting with veteran Mentors to learn about the GSGC model. Based in and adjacent to the national park, the community works to balance people and nature.

Peech learned about the challenges Tikobane Mentors face and the positive impact they are having on young people. “They constantly have parents asking if their daughters can join the clubs as they are all seeing the benefits for other girls in their communities,” she said.

Mentor Talent and Sisonke Girls Club

She sat under trees in Monde Village outside Victoria Falls talking with the “wonderful and passionate Mentors” of Sisonke Boys Club and Sisonke Girls Club, the girls’ group that started during the pandemic. Then the girls and boys had separate discussions with Peech.

“I was so amazed by the confidence of the young girls, with how open they were and how wise,” she said. “Some of these girls have experienced real hardship, but have learnt so much from it and are determined to live a better life.”

It was obvious, she said, that Mentors are role models and are constantly building girls’ self-confidence.

Peech met with Mentor Mercy Sibanda of Girls Time in Victoria Falls and club members aged 14-16. Mentor Mercy asked them to write the title of an essay about where they want to be in five years. “I was so inspired to hear how each of these girls is determined to get through school, NO MATTER WHAT, even if they have to do their exams again and again,” she said.

Mentor Procedure, Girls Time Club

The girls are set on landing a good job, then coming home to help others in their community. “They want to be a part of a better Zimbabwe,” she said.

And Peech wanted to hear more, so she returned to Girls Time to hear from the older girls.

“They all stood up and shared what impact this group had on their lives. It was beautiful to hear, how confidence had been built, skills learnt, friendships made in a safe space (where you can) be heard, a place where you can dream of a more empowered life ahead,” she said. “I loved every minute of it.”

After meeting GSGC Mentors and youth, Peech said she is more optimistic about the future of Zimbabwe. “I’ve never heard young people speak with such confidence and determination, and GSGC has had a huge part to play in that,” she said. “These girls are ready to take on the world, and I am so excited by it.”

Supporting these young people is an investment in the country, said Peech, who earned a bachelors degree in International Hospitality and Tourism Management from Oxford Brookes University in England.

“Having spent time with these passionate Mentors and enthusiastic young Zimbabweans, I feel so strongly that this is a vital place to start to empower young people to be the best versions of themselves,” she said. “They are the future, and they truly deserve all the support they can get. I cannot wait to see what becomes of each of these bright girls.”