Conservation Education

Thanks to your support, DSWF has continued to fund vital conservation education work to children and adults across Africa and Asia throughout 2022 furthering public awareness and fostering peaceful coexistence with wildlife.

Key Statistics and Highlights from 2022

• 50 teachers from 25 schools in Zambia have led conservation club activities
• 119 children participated in four-day snow leopard eco camps in Mongolia and Kyrgyzstan
• 194 children from 10 schools in Zambia have taken part in Discovery Days at the Wildlife Discovery Centre
• 390 children took part in the environmental awareness education program in Guinea
• 679 children received eco lessons in Russia
• 1700 children attended bush camps and conservation clubs in Zimbabwe
• Go Wild, an educational show about local wildlife issues in Nigeria, reached 1.8 million viewers
• 3.3 million people reached by the ‘Guardians of the Wild’ campaign in Vietnam to encourage pangolin protection

Conservation Education in Zambia

The community outreach program in Zambia continues to deliver sustainable and meaningful education, empowerment and engagement activities to villages bordering the Kafue National Park and at the Wildlife Discovery Centre in Lusaka National Park.

The New Ngoma School bordering the Kafue National Park continues to deliver positive outcomes. In April, a donation of 20 desks to the school replaced the logs and branches that the students had previously been using as seating. This gesture – a direct benefit of conservation - has strengthened our partners relationship with local stakeholders, as well as the community. Due to the ongoing work in this area local communities are now showing more interest in protecting wildlife and the environment.

In addition, 50 teachers from 25 other schools in the communities contiguous to the Kafue National Park have continued to lead conservation clubs in the last six months. As conservation is not currently part of the national curriculum, the conservation clubs fill this gap, and the educational resources which DSWF funds provide are distributed to children living on the borders of the national park. The education that the clubs provide ensures the children understand the ecological and economic importance of the wildlife they live alongside.

After the opening of the Wildlife Discovery Centre in August, a series of Discovery Days were launched in September, welcoming students from low-resource schools for a day of immersive and engaging conservation education in the heart of Lusaka National Park. DSWF funding has enabled the purchase of a bus that provides free transportation to the park for the students and teachers, helping ensure the centre is truly accessible to all. So far, 194 children from ten schools have been able to attend the Discovery Days. These kids would previously would not have been able to access and experience conservation activities first hand.

With your support DSWF will continue to invest in future generations, building on our own legacy to protect and fight on behalf of wildlife so the youth of today can become the leaders of tomorrow and act with the knowledge that protecting the environment and wildlife is essential to the health of our planet.

Stay up to date with our work and how your generous support is making a difference, receive exciting wildlife conservation stories and hear about forthcoming campaigns, fundraising initiatives and events: Stay In Touch