HEEED Malawi

HEEED Malawi

Company (11-100 employees)

Africa/Blantyre

HEEED (Health, Education, Environment and Economic Development) is located in the village of Chembe, Malawi, within the Lake Malawi Eco-region –an area formally recognized by WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) as one of the Global 200 regions with a sensitive ecosystem worthy of conservation. Lake Malawi National Park (LMNP)- lies within the Lake Malawi Eco-region and was designated by United Nations in 1984 as a World Heritage Site – in recognition of the high fish species diversity and biological importance of its fauna. Lake Malawi is home to more than 1000 species of fish found nowhere else in the world. The formally pristine Lake Malawi is severely over-fished, threatening to drive to extinction many endemic and endangered fish species.
A dramatic increase in deforestation is another threat caused by the fuel needs of the rural communities lying within and around LMNP. With an increased population competing for diminishing natural resources, the task of conservation and environmental education has to include a comprehensive programme that addresses social issues related to the local population. Nowadays, conservation of natural resources, health, environmental and economic development, are all inextricably intertwined. Since 2001, WWF and HEEED have been seeking sustainable solutions for the people living adjacent to Malawi’s two beautiful National Parks: Liwonde and Lake Malawi National Parks.

HEEED continues to promote the original goals set by WWF Finland. Specifically, The Chembe HEEED Centre is a 0.6-hectare area located just behind Cape Maclear EcoLodge, which is also run by HEEED. Within The Chembe HEEED Centre lies the Panda Garden – a demonstration garden and centre for environmental education activities that seeks to empower the local community to take responsibility for their own health and the health of the environment, while promoting their own, sustainable economic well-being.