Help 125 SA kids to care for their environment

The Daktari Eco-Clubs in going from strength to strength. The funds raised are helping the team facilitate more school visits and empowerment opportunities for the most promising eco-club students. With an average attendance of 55 students at each eco-club visit, the program is becoming more popular with the students. Remember, attendance is entirely optional and requires a student to voluntarily stay at school up to two hours after the final bell rings. The message is spreading.

In the photo, Samantha Kieswetter, a long term intern with GVI is facilitating a lesson with one of the eco-clubs. There were 65 students in this class!

Here is a short letter from Grace Mulumba who, through the help of the Daktari Outreach program, achieved a full scholarship to the excellent Southern Cross School in Hoedspruit. Without the funds supporting the outreach program, the opportunity would not have been possible.

Dear all,

I wanted to say 'Thank You' to everybody who is sponsoring and supporting me. I'm so blessed with everybody caring about me. I love my new school and learning a lot. I struggle a bit with Afrikaans, but I get some extra after school lessons now from Meneer Spike.I'm doing really well in my other subjects. I absolutely love maths and science and I'm learning so many new things every day.

What I like the most about my new school is that everybody is equal, not only by skin colour, also for the ones who are the son or daughter of an important person, it doesn't matter. The teachers are very nice and really want us to learn. Only now I see what the differences are with my previous school, I hope I will have the opportunity to finish my school here, because I really don't want to go back. I tell all my friends and family at home, that if they work hard that they might have the same great chances as me in their future.

Please click on the link (in previous post) and watch this short video that I made for you so I thank you a bit more personal.

Thank you,

Grace Mulumba

Links:

• GVI Charitable Trust website
• Follow us on Twitter
• Volunteer on this project with GVI

The Daktari eco-club is going strong with students continuing to learn about the value of wildlife conservation. Top performers have been able to experience animals in their natural habitat which is a huge incentive and reward. The clubs seem to becoming more popular as turnouts to meetings increase.

Rhino poaching, as a cause for critical concern at the moment, is a consistent topic. Numerous poachers come from the communities within which these children live. By instilling an appreciation for the Rhinos, eco-club students are able to avoid the temptation of practicing poaching and are able to spread the message within their communities.

The eco-clubs continue the English, etiquette and general communication lessons as started when the children were originally at Daktari. This has helped a number of students get through interviews at prospective jobs and for seeking scholarships at universities and high schools. 

The funds received from our donors have covered 8 weeks of eco-club costs, including fuel and stationary for the club members, as well as handouts at all the lessons. A new projector was purchased which will be taken to all meetings at each school to present powerpoints and showcase pictures and videos concerning the conservation of South African wildlife. A portion of the money was also used to pay for transport so that some children could go on a professionally led game drive in a local Big 5 reserve. 

Thank you for all your support for the students at the Daktari club, we hope that we can continue to connect with more children through the outreach program.