The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Zimbabwe and Wild Horizons, part of the Tourvest Group, have entered into a partnership to strengthen community resilience and transform access to education, clean water and sustainable livelihoods in Victoria Falls. The collaboration brings UNICEF’s expertise in child-focused development together with Wild Horizons’ deep community presence to create a scalable model for climate resilient schools that directly benefit children, teachers and surrounding communities.
Gary Archer, Chief Executive Officer of Wild Horizons, says, “This partnership is focused on taking meaningful and tangible action for our children and communities. Combining UNICEF’s technical expertise with our community ties, we are creating a model that delivers real, meaningful and lasting impact.”
To formalise the collaboration, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by Archer, and the UNICEF Country Representative, Etona Ekole, at the end of October. Part of this sees three schools being supported by Wild Horizons – Mkhosana Adventist Secondary, Sizinda Secondary, and Ndlovu Secondary. Key interventions include the solarisation of boreholes to provide reliable clean water, installation of drip irrigation systems to support nutrition gardens, refurbishment of toilets and hygiene facilities, provision of menstrual hygiene management amenities for girls, and an ICT lab upgrade at Sizinda Secondary. The projected completion date is 31 December 2025.
Elaborating on these interventions, the WASH initiative prioritises access to clean water to enhance hygiene practices and menstrual health management, significantly reducing absenteeism, especially for girls. In Zimbabwe, 41% of schools report that girls miss class due to menstruation, which is often linked to inadequate hygiene facilities, making these initiatives particularly impactful. Globally, these interventions have the potential to halve absenteeism among girls. The rehabilitation work done through the partnership at the Ndlovu maternity ward will also improve maternal and child health outcomes.
Additionally, the nutrition and climate resilience aspects of the UNICEF and Wild Horizons partnership are critical. Zimbabwe faces ongoing child nutrition challenges, with economic instability and climate events only adding to the issue. Chronic malnutrition affects 26.7% of children under five, and the prevalence of acute malnutrition has risen in rural areas to 4.9%. The initiative will see the development of school nutrition gardens equipped with drip irrigation systems connected to solar-powered water systems to strengthen food security and educate communities on climate-smart agriculture.
The programme will also include technical expertise and training from Wild Horizons, designed to provide the youth with skills in water and solar technologies that will create additional employment pathways.
Importantly, this partnership has a positive ripple-effect into other organisations, agencies, institutions and government – it supports the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education’s Clean Green Zimbabwe Initiative and contributes to the country’s broader climate mitigation and adaptation agenda. It also aligns with the Zambezi River Basin Initiative, which spans eight countries and benefits more than 41 million people.
By establishing a proof of concept, the UNICEF and Wild Horizons model has the potential to scale across the 40 schools already supported by Wild Horizons. It can also be replicated across other provinces in Zimbabwe, complementing UNICEF’s ongoing programmes across the country with partners including KOICA, UK Aid, TUI Care Foundation, and Welthungerhilfe (WHH) as the main implementing partner.
“We believe in the power of partnership – this is how we build resilience and opportunity,” says Archer. “When development organisations and the private sector work together, we can create measurable impact that extends far beyond one community.”
As part of the ‘One Tourvest’ ethos, this initiative reinforces the group’s belief that travel can be a force for good. Driving this is Tourvest’s commitment to connect people, places and purpose – creating shared value through sustainable tourism and long-term community investment. The UNICEF and Wild Horizons partnership reflects that vision in action, building stronger futures for children and communities across Victoria Falls (and potentially beyond).
