On July 1, Cinderella Ndlovu will be one of the remote presenters for the African Studies Initiative Summer Institute on Climate Change and Sustainable Development. This is the second year Extension has worked with the College of Liberal Arts, Institute for Global Studies in training and supporting teachers wanting to include African content into their classes.
This April, a team from the University of Minnesota Extension Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships (RSDP) traveled from Minneapolis to Bulawayo, Zimbabwe to participate in an international exchange program years in the making. Their host in Zimbabwe, Cinderella Ndlovu, worked with RSDP during her time as a Mandela Washington Fellow in 2024.
A history of connection
The seeds of this exchange were planted several years ago when IREX, a global development and education organization, reached out to Okey Ukaga, the former RSDP Northeast executive director, about hosting Mandela Washington Fellows. The program, administered by the U.S. Department of State, brings young African leaders to the United States for a six-week seminar, followed by an additional four weeks of professional development experience with a U.S. organization.
Ukaga embraced the opportunity. Over the years, Fellows have traveled to Minnesota to participate in the professional development experience with RSDP. During their time, they learned about community-University partnerships across Minnesota by working one-on-one with RSDP staff, meeting with rural leaders, attending regional board meetings, and touring projects, farms and rural grocery stores.
“Global exchanges like the Mandela Washington Fellowship open our worlds to each other.” Ukaga explains, “We all have a view of the world from our perspective. It’s like standing on your front porch. You can describe what you see, and it is correct. But it isn’t the only one. Someone standing in your backyard would most likely see and describe something different. Global exchanges help us see, experience and understand the world more holistically.”
Today, John Vreyens, director of Extension Global Initiatives, continues Extension’s engagement through the Professional Development Experience. He replies to requests for educators to mentor Fellows and supports our team hosting the visitors. Collectively, ideas or programs are explored for adaptation for Fellows to take back to their home countries. The University
conducts a leadership institute for a cohort of Fellows annually.
The Mandela Fellows aren’t the only ones who gain valuable insight and experience.
When former Mandela Fellow, Kolawole (Kola) Olaniyi from Nigeria, worked with RSDP, they joined Constance Carlson, current RSDP assistant statewide director, on a road trip across western Minnesota, visiting rural grocery stores and farms.
“I remember how personally and professionally informative it was to spend time with Olaniyi,” recalls Carlson. “We had many hours in a car together, sharing our experiences and talking through our sustainability challenges and solutions.”
A new opportunity blooms
During her professional development experience with RSDP, Ndlovu toured crop test plots, participated in a hazelnut field day, shared clean energy resources in a manufactured home park, dipped her toes in Lake Superior and volunteered at the Minnesota State Fair.
Ndlovu also traveled with Carlson to Round River Farm in Finland, Minnesota, which is owned by David Abazs, the current RSDP Northeast executive director, and his wife, Lise. While touring the farm, she learned about Abazs’ work designing and launching the nationally recognized forest-assisted migration project, an effort that caught Ndlovu’s attention for its work on tree seed collection, tree planting and farmer collaboration.
In Zimbabwe, Ndlovu leads Green Hut, a nonprofit dedicated to environmental sustainability through education and hands-on training. Ndlovu is a recognized leader in her country for her efforts, which include a tree seed collection and planting program involving local farmers, students, schools and government agencies.
“The time I spent learning with my RSDP colleagues, volunteering with CERTs and visiting David’s farm deepened my understanding of sustainable development and honed my leadership skills,” explains Ndlovu. “I wanted to bring this experience to my Green Hut colleagues and community.”
After Ndlovu returned to Zimbabwe, she collaborated with Carlson and Abazs on a Mandela Washington Reciprocal Exchange grant, a follow-up program that supports U.S. participants to travel to the Fellow’s home country to further their collaboration.
To their delight, the application was accepted.
A transformative visit
Ahead of their visit, Abazs and Carlson worked with Ndlovu to develop a multi-day workshop designed to share sustainable farming practices and urban food production via presentations, stories, hands-on demonstrations and tours. The workshops were also designed to encourage farmers, students, volunteers and government representatives to connect and foster new collaborations.
On the first day, 45 participants attended sessions on urban food production, forestry, seed collection and tree planting. Abazs initially was unsure what he could share that Zimbabwean farmers would find valuable.
“Our trees, climate, and soils are so different,” says Abazs. “So, I shared what I knew: the story of my farm and my community engagement work through RSDP. It must’ve hit a chord because I was answering questions and exchanging insights all week!”
On the second day, the RSDP team worked side by side with workshop participants, filling tree bags, planting avocados, building a compost pile, and grafting trees at a local school. This was followed by a day of touring a community garden, a hydroponics system and water treatment demonstration plot, a food research company developing products from native trees and a mushroom farm run by a local farmer.
The fourth day challenged participants to form teams and develop their farming business plans, drawing on what they’d learned and experienced.
On the final day, participants came together to discuss their plans. Abazs and Carlson sat with groups, listening to the ideas, making connections and lending insight based on their experiences. After the final presentations of all the plans, everyone celebrated their week together, exchanging contact information, taking group photos, and sharing lots of hugs.
Shared purpose, global impact
On their final evening in Zimbabwe, Abazs, Carlson, Ndlovu, and the Green Hut team gathered for a celebratory dinner reflecting on a week that had been years in the making and will no doubt shape their futures for years to come.
“Working with Ndlovu’s team and getting to know the workshop participants, I saw how connected we are—even across continents and oceans,” Carlson said. “We share many of the same challenges, but more importantly, we share the drive to work together on solutions.”
As Abazs put it, “Throughout the week, Cinderella reminded everyone: there’s a difference between planting a tree and growing a tree. I know we planted something special on this trip, and I’m committed to helping it grow.”
Hear from Cinderella Ndlovu
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