Jonathan M. Sears, PhD. Associate Professor of International Development and Political Studies, engages in conversation with a local community member in Zimbabwe.

Researching climate change adaptation governance: a journey into rural Zimbabwe

As part of the LINCZ project, I spent a month in Zimbabwe talking with people about how their communities are adapting to climate change in their daily lives, and how they collaborate among the actors and organizations involved at the ward, village, and district levels.

Daily research activities 

In June 2024, I met with colleagues from Mennonite Central Committee Zimbabwe's partners from Score Against Poverty and Brethren in Christ Compassionate and Development Services. Then, we visited communities in the Mwenezi District of Masvingo Province and the Gwanda District of Matabeleland South Province of Zimbabwe. There, we spoke with local stakeholders about the challenges and opportunities in responding to climate change in their communities.

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Rachel Krause using a sweep net to collect river invertebrates in the Mtshabezi River in Gwanda District.

Wetland sampling in zimbabwe: photo essay

What makes a wetland a wetland? Tales flowing through the lens in Zimbabwe

Water is often seen as the source of life, and some cultures even say that water is life. This isn't by chance—our bodies, like all living things on Earth, are filled with water. Life exists here because we have liquid water, and without it, life can barely survive.

The wettest parts of terrestrial areas are called wetlands, and these take many forms, from flowing rivers, streams, and creeks to stagnant ponds, lakes, and sloughs. Some are permanent, while others come and go with the seasons.

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A rhino grazes near the roadside in the landscape of Zimbabwe. (Photo taken by Jodi Dueck-Read.)

Building research partnerships in Zimbabwe

"Don't expect to see animals on our trip into town," the driver told me as we sped along the narrow road between the airport in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe and Elephant Hills Resort where I would meet two Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Canada workers.

I had just arrived in Zimbabwe for the launch of the LINCZ project, where CMU is a research partner supporting MCC and developing relationships through research with MCC Zimbabwe partner organizations: Kulima Mbobumi Training Centre, Brethren in Christ - Compassionate Development Services and Score Against Poverty, and Zimbabwean institutions: including the National University for Science and Technology and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility at Bindura University of Science Education.

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"Towards a more just, equitable, and sustainable society"

MSC hosts 14th annual Social Justice Fair

The University of Winnipeg's Riddell Hall buzzed with conversations about equitable community, human rights advocacy, and peace and justice work on February 5. The crowds were gathered for Menno Simons College's (MSC) 14th annual Social Justice Fair, put on by MSC's Student Services.

This year, 34 organizations that work in the fields of International Development Studies (IDS), Conflict Resolution Studies (CRS), and social justice work participated in the event.

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MSC professor awarded grant to continue community meth response training

Dr. Jobb Arnold, Assistant Professor of Conflict Resolution Studies at Menno Simons College (MSC), has received a grant of $5,000 from the City of Winnipeg's inaugural Community Safety and Crime Prevention program.

Winnipeg is experiencing a methamphetamine (meth) crisis of proportions larger than the city has ever seen, and Arnold is tackling the issue head-on. He developed a community meth response training resource and ran the first sessions with it over the fall of 2019 for organizations like the Addictions Foundation of Manitoba and some of the city's crisis social workers.

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