I grew up in Mutorashanga in Zimbabwe’s countryside. My parents are farmers who run a small-scale tobacco farm. Growing up, we were in constant conflict with baboons and monkeys that raided our crops, thereby threatening our food security and our livelihoods. I used to hate these animals. At university, when I was reading biology, I found myself taking modules related to wildlife management and human-wildlife conflict. I started to develop a keen interest in wildlife conservation and coexistence with wildlife. I aspire to come up with a model that maximizes benefits to wildlife, while reducing the negative impacts of living with wildlife for the community where I grew up.

My main professional interest is with environmental education in communities and schools. In the last two years I have been living and working in Nyaminyami District, one of the least developed areas of west Zimbabwe, where I have been instrumental in developing and implementing environmental education activities that emphasize the importance of conservation and environmental protection. For our school programme, my team and I were able to successfully introduce environmental concepts into the curriculum, ensuring that the next generation is equipped with the knowledge and passion to protect our planet.

I am very excited to meet like-minded peers from different countries at Oxford, and I am hoping to learn much from them so that I can implement new ideas back home.