On the 2 February every year the world commemorates World Wetlands Day. In celebration of this day, WESM along with the ICS volunteers conducted an awareness campaign at Mulanje Mission School, educating the students on wetlands and their importance within local communities.
ICS volunteers, Mphatso Mkundika and Fiona Bushfield, did a presentation on wetlands to an audience of 337 students in the school hall, of which 127 were boys and 110 were girls.
ICS volunteers: Mphatso, Fiona, Patrick and Alana, joined on stage by a student from Mulanje Mission School
Participation was high and many students interacted with the volunteers by answering questions at the end of the presentation which was a very positive response for the team.
Mulanje Mission’s wildlife club patron, Mr. Manyozo, congratulated the students for their great participation and told them that the subject of wetlands is an important topic to learn. He emphasized that “this will help the students in their day to day life and also they will use this information in preparation for their examination”.
Wildlife Club Patron Mr Manyozo introduces the ICS volunteers to the school
Malawi has three well known wetlands which are namely Lake Chilwa, Vwaza Marsh and Limphasa Swamps. There are also smaller areas of wetlands within Malawi and indeed the Mulanje District. All of these areas are known to support agriculture activities by providing a source of water for irrigation in Malawi. They also help maintain good water quality and attract tourists, which is a huge benefit to the country.
Written by ICS volunteer Jessica Lameck
