On the flanks of Mount Namuli sits the small but mighty town of Murrabué.
In years past, it wasn’t uncommon for the October skies to be filled with grey smoke and to have ash falling on the thatched houses of the community.
The autumn in Murrabué is the fire season. Whether wild fires were started because of lightning strikes, people sparking a blaze by using fire to catch small rodents (a traditional hunting technique), or from a land-clearing, the skies burned orange and black for days on end.
A few weeks ago, Dona Rosita Faustino was tending to her hives along the Malema River when she noticed the smell of smoke on the wind.
Running out of the forest, she saw a fire quickly spreading downhill towards her – moving faster and faster because of the wind. She did everything she could to contain the flames using branches and giant leaves from local banana plants.
Fortunately, her swift actions saved her community’s hives and a good piece of their forest from burning to the ground. In Dona Rosita’s language, Lomwe, the name of her town means courage — something Dona Rosita embodies like none other.
Courage is something we all need in today’s climate. Courage to press on, courage to believe in better, and courage to play our part in the solution.
As you consider the impact you’d like to make in the last few months of 2020, I’d like to invite you to give to Legado.
Giving is an act of courage — it reflects our collective hope in the future and our willingness to participate in bringing it forth.
Your gift will go directly to investing in programs like wildfire management, beekeeping, seed saving, community planning and more in places like Mount Namuli where Legado works. Furthermore, with your help, we will continue our support of thriving futures for the Sky Islands around the world and the people who call them home.
Whether it’s putting out a bush fire on the side of a remote mountain, voting your conscience, or making a gift, your courage will help to change the world.
Thank you for standing with us in hope and in courage,
Majka Burhardt
Founder + Executive Director, Legado