Supporting and protecting the wildlife and community

About our society

Established in 1992 in response to the growing economic problems in Zimbabwe, HCS has been working tirelessly ever since then to help Hwange National Park in any way it can. As a charity our principal aims are to help and protect the wildlife of the Park and maintain and improve its infrastructure.  The Park is an important source of much-needed tourism revenue and this in turn provides jobs and income for many local people, enabling them to support themselves and their families.

We therefore also give assistance to the people working in the Park as we recognise that their hard work and commitment  is a vital part of running a successful wildlife area.  Provision of clothes, uniforms, medical supplies, vehicle maintenance training and school equipment are just some of the things we’ve helped with.

HCS is run by a small committee of unpaid volunteers operating from their own homes. Unlike many larger charities, we have no overheads such as office rent, wages, etc., allowing us to use every penny raised for the benefit of the Park and its wildlife. We go to great lengths to ensure everything we donate is channelled through totally reliable sources on the ground who are personally known to us so we can be 100% certain that all donated goods and/or funds reach their intended destination.

The projects we get involved in are many and varied but all share the common themes of being down-to-earth, sustainable and of long-term benefit to the Park. We think long and hard before committing our hard-earned funds to ensure maximum long-term benefit.

In the past we have donated equipment such as dart rifles, range finders and immobilising drugs for anti-poaching and wildlife relocation work. We’ve donated digital cameras, camcorders and night vision binoculars to help with vital wildlife research work. 

Current efforts are strongly directed towards improving the game water supply within the Park and to this end we have donated everything from a multitude of new pumps and engines, solar panels, spare parts and money for diesel to the basics such as tools, picks, shovels and even bags of cement!  Sadly, the current economic climate in Zimbabwe has given rise to an escalation in wildlife poaching and we are now finding that more and more of our funds have to be put towards trying to combat this scourge.

Take a look at our project gallery