Stronger Communities, More Wildlife
A school visit, a football final, and the work that makes the wild possible.
Some of the most important days in the Luangwa Valley don't happen on a game drive.
A few weeks ago, we spent time in the communities around Mfuwe — visiting a local school, and hosting a football championship organised together with our friends at Project Luangwa. Both events were sponsored by The Bushcamp Company, and both were reminders of something we believe deeply: the work we do with the communities of this valley is some of the most important work we can do.
A Championship Day in Mfuwe
The football final drew a wonderful crowd — players, families, teachers, and supporters from across the area. Before the championship match kicked off, owners Brooke and Corby Robertson were there in the crowd, and Corby spoke briefly to everyone gathered.
His message was a simple one, and it is the message that has guided our work here since our ownership began several years ago — and what The Bushcamp Company has stood for since its founding: stronger communities, more wildlife.
The two are not separate goals. They never have been. South Luangwa cannot remain wild unless the people who live around it share in its value — and the communities of this valley cannot thrive unless the wilderness that sustains its tourism economy is protected. Supporting and working alongside the communities of Mfuwe and the wider valley is not something we do on the side of running safari camps. It is what we are passionate about, and it is part of why we are here.
Our thanks to Project Luangwa for partnering with us on the day, and to every player who left everything on the pitch.
Why a School Meal Matters More Than You Think
Earlier in the trip, we visited Chiwawatala School, where The Bushcamp Company supports daily meals for students.
Across the schools we work with, we are currently helping to provide meals for thousands of children every school day. It is one of the simplest things we do — and one of the most important.
The headmaster of Chiwawatala School put it in a way we won't forget:
Sometimes, kids only walk to school just for the meal — or they would otherwise skip school.
Think about what that means. A plate of food is not just nutrition. It is attendance. It is a child in a classroom who would otherwise not be there. It is a girl or boy staying in education long enough for education to change the course of a life. In a valley where opportunity can be scarce, a daily meal is quietly one of the most powerful conservation tools there is — because educated, healthy communities are the communities that can choose a future with wildlife in it.
Alongside the meal-a-day programme, we currently support more than 350 students with scholarships covering school fees, uniforms and books — carrying students through their education from primary school onward.
Never Forget the Elephants
There is also a new landmark standing at Chiwawatala School.
We have relocated our large elephant art piece to its new permanent home at Chiwawatala School, carrying the words "Never Forget the Elephants."
We thought carefully about where it belonged, and a school felt exactly right. Conservation and community are so interlinked in this valley that separating them has never made sense to us — and if South Luangwa's future has elephants in it, it will be because the students walking past that sculpture every morning chose a future with elephants in it. It now stands where the valley's next generation of custodians will pass it every day, on their way to the classrooms — and the meals — that make that choice possible.
Keyrings for Conservation — and a Thank You to Our Guests
Much of this work is made possible by something small enough to fit in your pocket.
Keyrings for Conservation continues to be a substantial part of our conservation and community efforts. Through it, and through the contributions our guests make during their stays, safari directly funds school meals, scholarships, clean water, and wildlife protection across the valley.
So to every guest who has stayed with us, bought a keyring, contributed to the fund, or simply cared about this place after going home: thank you. You are part of every meal served, every scholarship awarded, and every borehole drilled. What you experienced on safari and what you helped sustain are the same thing.
The Work Continues
A football final ends. A school term ends. The work does not.
Stronger communities, more wildlife — it fits on the back of a football shirt, and it is also the measure we hold ourselves to, season after season. We are grateful to the communities of Mfuwe and the Luangwa Valley for the partnership, to Project Luangwa and our other partners on the ground, and to our guests, who make all of it possible.
We will keep you updated — there is much more to come.
About The Bushcamp Company
The Bushcamp Company is the largest safari operator inside South Luangwa National Park, Zambia, with eight properties in the park: Mfuwe Lodge, The Villas at KuKaya, and six intimate bushcamps — Bilimungwe, Chamilandu, Chindeni, Kapamba, Kuyenda and Zungulila — set within an exclusive-use wilderness area in the park's remote south. Founded in 1999, the company carries forward South Luangwa's walking safari tradition through some of the most experienced guides in Africa.
The Robertson family's connection to the Luangwa Valley goes back decades, and today, as owners of The Bushcamp Company, Brooke and Corby Robertson lead its long-standing commitment to conservation and community in South Luangwa. Since inception, the company and its affiliates have contributed more than US$7 million to community and conservation programmes in the Luangwa Valley — including clean water, education, and daily meals for thousands of schoolchildren. Learn more at bushcampcompany.com.
