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Botswana Tsutsubega

The Tsutsubega community live on the southern edge of the Okavango Delta, north of Maun, an hour and a half from the nearest main road. This area is home to around 1000 people in 124 homesteads, but there is very little in the way of public services or job opportunities. This area is a prime area for human-wildlife conflict; the communities’ cattle are predated, and their attempts to grow crops are often hampered by elephants and other large herbivores, particularly in the dry season when these animals leave the delta in search of food and water.

We began working with the Tsutsubega community in 2019 to find ways together to help them develop sustainably and benefit from the wildlife they live alongside.

Access to water:

Their homesteads are on the periphery of seasonal floodplains, but these plains do not always flood. If they do, it’s only for a couple of months of the year, and the water is not clean. So, when our team, led by RAS Partner Shane Hedges, Reneé Hedges, and RAS Partner Michael Turner, started working with this community, access to clean water was the community’s main priority.

With your help, we installed a solar pump borehole for them in a location they requested and got permission for. However, the borehole water here was only suitable for washing and watering their cattle and crops. They were still very grateful for this, especially when the alternative meant walking long distances to fetch water.

Then, in 2023, with your support, we partnered with Africa Foundation (now called Wild Impact) on a larger project to put in four boreholes a number of water-carrying hippo rollers into the community. See a video of the handover ceremony here and pictures below. Thanks to your help, this community got access to clean water and many other life-changing opportunities that water brings. Thanks go to Wild Impact, Shane Hedges and The Okavango Express for the images below.

 

Food Security and Sustainable Income from Farming Enterprise:

With the help of our Royal African Foundation Family, we and Wild Impact partnered to support the Tsutsubega community and their neighbouring Gogomoga community to develop clusters of their existing exposed crop fields into secure vegetable farm enterprises that are now giving them food security and a sustainable income source.

Now:
• A secure, solar-power fenced communal farm has been established, protecting crops from wildlife and enabling consistent, year-round production.
• A solar-powered borehole system now supplies water directly to the fields, which is especially important in their drought-prone region.
• Over 66,000 seeds have been propagated, producing more than 4,200 kilograms of food, including maize, spinach, baby marrows, and cucumbers.
• Two local women are employed as agriculture facilitators and are now leading the successful farming initiatives in their own community.
• Sales have begun to local buyers such as Mr Veg and & Beyond’s Training School, and they hope to continue to grow this business to sell to nearby lodges soon.

For many residents, this project has meant not only food and income but also a renewed sense of purpose and pride.

“Thanks to the project, we have become more resilient to the challenges posed by our harsh climate. We are now able to cultivate crops throughout the year, ensuring a steady supply of food and income. This shift has been invaluable in helping us adapt and thrive.” (Mr Philemon Kapinga)

“This project has given us more than food — it has given us purpose and pride” shared Teseletso Makgetho, one of the local farmers.

We want to extend our heartfelt thanks to all those who supported these projects and these communities, who are at the frontline of conservation on the southern edge of the Okavango Delta.

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