Support Dix's Community Projects in Sankuyo Village

Hi! Our names are Lucía Lobón, Jodie Tsih, and Annabelle South and we are a part of the spring 2024 semester students of Round River Conservation Studies Botswana program. We are raising money for our instructor, Dikatholo “Dix” Kedikilwe so he can support and foster growth within his community of Sankuyo village. Dix is an integral part of the Sankuyo community and is constantly striving to support his fellow community members as well as uplift and educate future generations.

The funds of this project will further Dix’s project of:

1) Creating Sankuyo village’s first library

2) Supporting his chili pepper farming initiative

The library will be an educational space for Sankuyo children to learn about their culture, the animals that inhabit their community, as well as be exposed to conservation resources and literature. The goal of the library is to educate children on the importance of conserving the Okavango Delta for the vegetation, wildlife, and communities within it. The chili pepper farm, which is already operating, produces chilis to use as an elephant deterrent to protect people's land and, thus, livelihoods from destruction. While this project is already underway, Dix needs funds to invest in technology, such as a borehole and a shade net, in order to produce enough chili peppers to distribute to the entire community.

Above: Dix educating students about the Leopard Tortoise, one of Botswana’s 'Small Five' animals (Spring 2024)

About Dix

Dix was born and raised in Sankuyo village and is a member of the BaYei tribe which is the predominant tribe within Sankuyo. As he grew up within the Delta Dix had an incredible index of knowledge and was so incredibly patient and supportive as we, students, adjusted to life in the Delta and constantly threw questions his way. Not only has he been incredibly impactful on Round River students but he is also a board member of the Sankuyo Tshwaragano Management Trust. The Trust acts as a governing board for the Sankuyo village where community members can discuss advocacy, budgeting and finance, community based natural resource management, wildlife monitoring and evaluation, organizational development, proposal writing, and more. The Trust offers every community member a voice to comment, air concern, as well as propose future plans for the community. As Dix has a leadership role in his community one way he figures of giving back is through his community library. We’ve attached Dix’s instructor profile from the Round River website so you can further get to know Dix and his role in Round River and beyond. Click Here

The Future Library and its Educational Programs

While in Botswana, we had the privilege of visiting Dix's property in Sankoyo where the foundation of the library is. The library would be a safe space for all children within Sankuyo but specifically for children whose parents work in the tourism industry who are gone for full days with tourists. The funds from this page would go to buying children's books, completing the building on the structure, painting the walls (Dix hopes to employ a local artist to paint a colorful mural on the inside for the children), as well as taking children on educational camping trips into the bush. These camping trips will require food, vehicle rentals, and the hiring of an extra staff member to assist with cooking, teaching lessons, and general childcare.

Above: Dix in the foundation of the library

Above: The library's exterior

The Chili Pepper Farm and Community Initiative

We also visited Dix's farm on the same property, where he grows chili peppers to use as elephant deterrent. Human-wildlife conflict is a major issue for many communities like Dix’s, and as a result he is extremely passionate about finding creative solutions to mediate the negative effects. Elephants are one of the most significant issues for Sankuyo and other villages as they destroy property and ruin community members’ livelihoods in the process. This makes it difficult for communities to be invested in conservation as they experience destruction by wildlife first hand and thus view it as more of a nuisance than anything. Dix’s idea allows the farmers in the area to take on a non-violent approach at deterring the elephants from trespassing and ultimately destroying their crops. By putting chili peppers on their land, elephants are consequently warded off as they dislike the spice chili peppers give off. However, chili peppers are very water dependent and considering Botswana’s dry climate, which is exacerbated by climate change, the lack of constant rain makes it hard to reliably grow the peppers. As a result, Dix requires a borehole to keep up the water supply to his peppers. Boreholes however, are very expensive and depending on the depth can cost upwards of 55,000 Pula (around 4,230 USD). This, in addition to paying someone who can care for the peppers regularly, as they’re very temperamental, presents itself as a significant financial barrier to completing the project. Dix also will require funds for more shade net for the green house. One goal of the farm, aside from producing chili peppers, is to create and distribute weekly care packages of vegetables for elderly people, orphaned children, and disabled community members.

Above: Dix giving us a tour of his garden where chili peppers are grown, amongst other vegetables

Above: Additional farmland on Dix's property

Above: Dix planting chili pepper seeds with community members.

In Summary

The chili pepper program as well as the children’s library are tangible solutions Dix is enacting to the very complex issues that have been hindering his communities and others within the Delta. What Dix is doing is transformative not only for his community but also of the wildlife that he is extremely passionate about. Dix’s library and chili pepper projects work hand in hand to ameliorate the animosity between wildlife and humans in Sankuyo as well as educate future generations to preserve a positive relationship between the two. As individuals that cannot offer their help in a hands-on approach, we implore that you join us in helping Dix fulfill his projects fiscally so that his community can continue to grow as well as shift their mindset in regards to the animals they share the land with. Below we’ve attached more photos, from Dix, that detail his project and the years of work he has already put into it.

We thank you for your support!

The Spring 2024 Round River Botswana Students