community engagement report 2021

While community engagements and official programmes were disrupted in 2020 by Covid-19 restrictions, momentum has been regained in early 2021. Three Chiefs’ Meetings were held in 2021, two hosted at Jacana and one held at the office of the Locality Chief. In them, the Chiefs expressed their gratitude that employment has been maintained during the COVID-19 pandemic and for the Sanctuary’s assistance with the provision of boreholes and potable water. Management has requested that the Chiefs continue to engage with their communities to reduce illegal harvesting, fishing, and poaching and they confirmed their agreement. 


The Sanctuary donated to the Locality Chief masks, water containers and soap in efforts to help curb the transmission of COVID-19. Reading glasses continue to be collected by homeowners and distributed to the elders of the Sanctuary’s local communities on an annual basis. The Machuquele clinic upgrade was finalised by the Health Department and the Sanctuary, with Sanctuary owners contributing paint, linen, beds, mosquito nets and torches.

Regular payments to the Sanctuary’s formal fishing councils (CCPs) are being maintained to compensate fishermen for complying with the designated no-fishing zones. There is compliance and cooperation from local CCPs in this regard, with incursions by Vilanculos fishermen only. The Chingonguene CCP utilized MZN 100 000 from their no-fishing compensation in 2021 to carry out maintenance at the Chingonguene School as well as build a basic room to house an additional teacher.

During the month of June 2021, a self-funded South African student with a background in Community Development visited the Sanctuary to carry out a one-month internship to assist Sanctuary management with a study of community living standards, with a particular focus on comparing the living standards of community members who are employed by the Sanctuary versus those who are not, and highlight identified social issues in neighbouring communities to help guide and inform future community projects. 

The Sanctuary assisted with transportation for the execution of several health programmes throughout the Sanctuary’s communities and schools, including vaccination, contraception, and deworming programmes. For the period January to July 2021 a total of 4517 vaccinations were given to children for tetanus, measles, mumps, and rubella. A further 2812 children received Vitamin A supplements, and 4006 children were dewormed.

The Sanctuary had planned this year to convert a further two community hand pumps to solar borehole pumps with storage tanks; however, the community Chiefs requested assistance instead with funding repairs of twenty boreholes previously supplied by both government and the Sanctuary. This will be completed in August.

The Vilanculos Police Commissioner visited the Sanctuary and Queuene community to review potential sites to establish a police station in the community. In June 2021, the District Director for Education Services visited the Sanctuary with three technicians to inspect all schools throughout the Queuene district. The Sanctuary assisted with transport, accommodation, and catering for this visit.