We surpassed our $24,000 goal and have raised a total of $28,00 to install and maintain four new hybrid water pumps in and around Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe. These solar-diesel pumps will provide sustainable and reliable water sources for wildlife and drinking water for local villages.

With the help of Wildland Adventures travelers, we raised $6,000 from the built-in donation from their Water for Hwange Safari. We were also awarded a $20,000 grant from the Adventure Travel Conservation Fund. Plus, an additional $2,000 from the help of all of our GoFundMe supporters.

Why these pumps are important:
Hwange National Park, lying an hour south of Victoria Falls, is unique among "Africa's Great Parks" in that it has no major rivers within its boundaries. When this park was created in the 1920’s, its borders failed to include reliable year-round water sources, a major ecological oversight. Ted Davison, the first Warden in the park was faced with a growing number of human-elephant conflicts during Zimbabwe’s annual dry season when thirsty herds migrated outside the park and into surrounding communities in search of water. He thoughtfully established a network of windmill-driven pumps within the park which provided reliable water during the dry season and in turn, kept the elephants and other wildlife from straying into local villages. The wildlife of Hwange flourished under his legacy of protection and year-round water supply. Diesel generators replaced the windmills but now those generators have aged, begun to fall into disrepair and need to be replaced. Modern technology has made solar-diesel hybrids more affordable and the best solution for providing the water resources for both wildlife and the surrounding communities.