TO DO Award 2011 Manda Wilderness Project - Nkwichi Lodge, Mozambique
In the North of Mozambique, on the Eastern shore of Lake Malawi, there are 16 villages with about 20,000 inhabitants which are all directly or indirectly part of a small, regional development concept called MANDA WILDERNESS PROJECT – NKWICHI LODGE. It is a tourism and development concept based on three pillars: environment, tourism and development. MANDA WILDERNESS stands for the 120,000 ha Manda Wilderness Community Conservation Area which is been declared a protected area by the local people, in cooperation with the Mozambican Government. The communities can use and manage it on their own, as they possess secure land title deeds. To that end, they founded a communal entity called Umoji (Umoji means: »We speak as one«). NKWICHI LODGE, in turn, stands for the generation of income, jobs, and training. Today, the ecolodge built in 2003 after careful consultation with representatives of the surrounding villages is far and wide the only company that helps 52 now well-trained local people to earn a regular income. The lodge is situated at one of the most beautiful parts of the beach. Here, the water of Lake Malawi is crystal clear. Surrounded by a forest that is rich in flora and fauna, it is just like the luxurious safari lodges in East and South Africa, and yet it is not regarded as a foreign object. Just to the contrary: for most of the local people NKWICHI LODGE symbolises the promise of a better future. What also plays a decisive role is the Manda Wilderness Community Trust – the third pillar – that works here and builds infrastructure, e.g. schools, small clinics, and a farm for training and demonstration.
Adress
Manda Wilderness Project – Nkwichi Lodge
Niassa Provinz
Mozambique
Skype: nkwichi.lodge
Phone: +44 2032863181
E-Mail: info@mandawilderness.org
Web: www.mandawilderness.org