Parque Nacional da Gorongosa Moçambique

Portuguese Secretary of State Lays Cornerstone for Center for Environmental Education

Aug 23, 2007 - Gorongosa National Park

Gorongosa National Park had another important visitor: the Portuguese Secretary of State for Foreign Business and Cooperation, João Gomes Cravinho. Secretary Cravinho spent some of his official visit to Mozambique laying the cornerstone for the future Center for Environmental Education at Gorongosa National Park. With four classrooms, two dormitories, a kitchen, and bathrooms, the education center is financed by IPAD (Instituto Português de Apoio ao Desenvolvimento - the Portuguese Institute for Development Assistance) and the Carr Foundation, with each group contributing 500 million Euros. Located near Chitengo Camp, the Education Center will be finished in the middle of 2008. The Education Center will provide environmental education training and development to approximately one hundred thousand people who live in the areas surrounding Gorongosa National Park.

The "renaissance" of Gorongosa "is a project of extreme importance for the region in which it is located" and "is fundamental" for the realization of Millenium Development Objectives in Mozambique, announced Secretary Cravinho. "It is an ambitious project, but one that can be realized," said the Secretary. Secretary Cravinho emphasized that the Education Center would contribute to "a sustainable economy" in the region that, last year, burned approximately 80 percent of its land with frequent fires. The fires are carried out by the local populations in order to enable them to plant gardens, open pathways, and hunt animals. The Carr Foundation has "to change this behavior by providing alternatives," indicated the Gorongosa National Park Administrator, Baldeu Chande.

The President of IPAD, Manuel Augusto and the Portuguese Ambassador to Mozambique also participated in the ceremony, along with diverse representatives of the managing staff of Gorongosa National Park.

Following the cornerstone ceremony, IPAD and the Carr Foundation signed an accord that will enable approximately 15 Portuguese-educated youth to intern at Gorongosa National Park. The Carr Foundation currently manages Gorongosa National Park in close partnership with the Mozambican Ministry of Tourism.

The youth, trained in subjects considered by GNP to be priorities for the communities living near the park and for its environmental restoration and conservation projects, will be chosen from a pool of applicants and will stay at Gorongosa for six to twelve months. In addition, the youth will receive about 400 Euros per month from IPAD.

During the visit the attendees, which also included representatives from a variety of Portuguese and Mozambican media, had the opportunity to visit the community of Vinho near Chitengo. They observed first-hand the enthusiasm of the residents of Vinho for the new facilities built there by GNP: a health center with a maternity ward and housing for nurses, and a school with five classrooms, an information center with access to the internet, and housing for the school Director.

Gorongosa National Park provided all attendees with excellent accommodations and with the opportunity to appreciate, after the official business was concluded, some of the wildlife species living in the unique landscapes that made this Mozambican Park famous.