The Zulu Village Project
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 The
Isandlwana Lodge (ee-san’-dla-wanna) is in a village of the
same name in one of the most rural areas of KwaZulu, South
Africa – precisely where the British suffered one of their
worst military defeats in colonial history, at the hands of
the Zulu impis (squadrons of warriors).
One of WILD’s long-serving directors, Ms Magalen Bryant,
conceived and built the Lodge with her friend Ms Pat Stubbs.
The story of these two dynamic “retired” American women
creating this tourism lodge in rural South Africa has become
a living part of local Zulu story telling. Pat remains
on-site as the hostess and manager, undaunted and with
charming Georgia humor still (almost) fully intact!
 As
the Lodge swung into business in 1999, so did the Zulu
Village Project (ZVP). WILD’s role was to raise money, train
local staff and implement a replicable program that fostered
self-reliance, enhanced traditional culture and instilled
environmental awareness and practice….and then hand it over.
Carol Batrus arrived on-site with her dog Mack in 2000, and
by mid 2003 had accomplished her goal of program creation.
She handed the reins over to local staff headed by the
inimitable Elizabeth Dhlamini, “Miss D.” The anecdotes,
tribulations, successes, and principles involved are enough
to make a book, and in fact they did. Carol’s story is an
amazing one, and is available in her striking and humorous
memoir,
When Elephants Fly: One Woman’s Journey from Wall
Street to Zululand.
The villagers named the project “Impumelelo yeSandlwana” –
“Success for the People of Isandlwana.” When referring to it
in Europe and the US, we still say the Zulu Village Project,
for obvious reasons!
 Under
local leadership from Ms D. and a team from the village,
along with outside coordinator (Samantha Terblanche) living
near Durban, the ZVP has expanded and strengthened. WILD
continues to provide funding and planning expertise as: the
organic gardens expand; the chicken production starts; the
first fruit orchard is planned; soil erosion projects are
completed all over the tribal district; the micro-lending
program is functioning with 100% payback; a potable water
system is installed in the entire district; the traditional
youth dance group is winning awards all over the province;
many, diverse trainings are conducted…and more.
Ms D. is now reaching out to other local communities and
sharing their model…you can help them do this!
Here’s a quick, inside look. Click here for:
Start up report from Carol Batrus
(January 2000)
 I
live in Isandlwana, the site of the famous Zulu
victory over the British in 1879 and traditional
home of the Mangwe-Buthanani Zulu clan. The 100
square kilometers of Kwa-Zulu Natal Province is open
grassland with 20,000 people, including a small
village surrounding an Anglican mission. With the
exception of the four buildings in the mission
complex, the tribal area has no phones, electricity
or running water. Most people live in mud and thatch
rondavels (round huts). Internet highway? Walk to a
home site (muzi), and if the person you want is
there, great…. if not, well, try again later…time
makes no difference.
Our project is in conjunction with The Lodge at
Isandlwana (a tourism initia-tive owned by Magalen
Bryant and Pat Stubbs, two remarkable American
women). "Isandlwana - Action for Community and
Tourism", or I-ACT, will provide training and help
develop sustain-able projects to improve the
environmental, economic and physi-cal health of the
people and their land. I work directly with the
tra-ditional tribal ruler, iNkosi (Chief) Mazibuko.
In 1999, the iNkosi was sent to the US to attend a
two-month training program for leaders from
developing nations, where he studied English,
government, and computers. It was his first trip
outside his province.
The young iNkosi is a thoughtful, progressive leader
anxious to create what he calls "transformations" in
the tribal government, such as including women - not
an easy concept for either the Tribal Council (all
older men), or tribal women who have little time or
cultural support to participate in the governing
process. To assist him we are in the process of
selecting a development trainee from the tribe.
Contrary to traditional norms, the communi-ty agrees
that the development trainee should be a woman.
Their reasoning is -- if you want to get something
done, as opposed to talking about it, you need a
woman to do it. I like that.
My counterpart will learn about computers,
management, leader-ship, and resources outside the
community, with the end goal of having her assume
responsibility for coordinating community
development. If the projects are to succeed, the
local people must be in control, with direct input
and a vested interest in the outcome.
With the input of respected advisors we have
identified a number of near and long-term projects
that are either in process (such as developmental
help for the traditional dance group, English
language tutor-ing for women, soil reclamation) or
in plan-ning (such as supply of clean water, a
Community Conservation Area, medicinal plants). But
it's early days yet. The Tribe has been on this land
for many generations….our project is a mere 12
months old. Stay tuned.
-Carol Batrus |
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