Mbweni Ruins Restoration

The Historic Ruins of the St Mary’s School for Girls (freed slaves) founded in 1874, have associations with Sir John Kirk. Kirk (1832 – 1922) was instrumental in the ending of the East African Slave Trade and was Zanzibar’s first scientific botanist. He was resident of the island for 20 years from 1866-1886.

Near Mbweni Ruins is St John's Anglican Church, another thought-provoking reminder of the colonial missionary era. The caretaker-guide is a direct descendant of a freed slave who became the UMCA's first African deacon (junior priest).

Our aim is to restore the ruins to their old glory and revive it as an education center. We will also integrate the old church.

Mbweni Botanical Garden Restoration

The gardens around the Mbweni ruins are beautiful, and they are being revived to become even more majestic. The garden is mature, with a wide variety of fine tree specimens and other interesting plants, including coral rag forest on the cliff and mangroves on the shoreline. Its mature and jungle atmosphere is only found in a few other places in Zanzibar and Pemba.

Some of our planned activities include general maintenance and cleaning of the gardens, creating a space for local flora and fauna, creating a space for quiet learning about the history of the garden and what is needed to be nature positive, creating a space for art, installations, and performances related to the history of the garden, and sharing knowledge of good plant care and management with other landowners and hotels.

Together we will deliver research, design and planning, carrying out a comprehensive survey of plants in the garden to create an up-to-date plant list, training Mbweni gardeners in immediate garden recovery and the importance of key species, a garden map, vision and plan for the future, and more.

Mangrove Beach Restoration

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​5,200 Seedlings of Mangroves Replanted at Mbweni.

This effort helps the Wanawake Mazingira Group and a number of partners in assuring the desired goal of 10,000 Mangroves for 100 years of carbon offset.

Mbweni Mangrove forest is a vital periurban forest just at the edge of Dar es Salaam and Coastal region, and there is a degraded area as a result of El Nino of the late 1990s, where a lot of waterlogged at the mangroves and nearly 2 acres died.

We are restoring the degraded part of Mbweni mangrove forest with 10,000 Mangrove seedlings through community-based restoration, since March 2018 and up to the moment we have restored 5,200 seedlings.

Chumbe Island Preservation

With Eden, we are initiating a series of conservation projects to preserve the marine and natural surroundings of Chumbe Island.

To protect the biodiversity of the East African marine region and the preservation of Chumbe’s important function as a fisheries nursery ground, we would first enforce a 55-hectare Coral Reef Sanctuary and a 17-hectare protected forest reserve, as well as strengthen marine and park authority patrols around the area to safeguard the wildlife from the prevailing risk of wildlife poaching.

Zanzibari community members from neighboring fishing villages will also gain knowledge and practical insights in nature and wildlife conservation through Chumbe’s extensive environmental education program which will positively impact compliance to marine protected area regulations.