For Chrispine Mutanuka and Henry Kapijimpanga, the decision to learn to kayak is an easy one: it’s a way of bettering their lives and providing for their families.

“The river is like a ladder. People can climb it to make a better life for themselves.” —Mukuma Makaye, Porter, Zambezi River

As porters, Chrispine, Henry, and their teacher, Mukuma Makaye, carry the boats of visiting tourists in and out of the Zambezi Gorge, a roughly 30-minute hike that goes almost straight up. But soon, even this job—and their path upwards—could be gone, submerged under the reservoir of a controversial dam that threatens to displace them from their homes, take away their livelihood and vanish a globally renowned river.

Near the River, a film by Darby McAdams, highlights those who stand to lose the most if the Batoka Gorge Hydroelectric scheme floods the rapids of the Zambezi River.