Education South Africa Project #65259

Help Communities in South Africa Create a Future

by Care for Wild Rhino Sanctuary NPC

Project Report | Mar 14, 2025
March 2025 Report

By Petronel Nieuwoudt | Founder & CEO

Empowering Future Leaders

On January 9, Care for Wild welcomed eight aspiring facilitators to assess their ability to work with children for the Open Learning initiative. With 25 young participants, the day was filled with engaging activities, nourishing meals, and the distribution of school stationery to 17 children. The event not only identified promising facilitators but also left the children eager for more.

Supporting Education in Noordkaap and Verulam

On January 10, Care for Wild extended a helping hand to vulnerable children in Noordkaap Village and Verulam Pre-School, providing essential school stationery to 25 children from Grade 1 to Grade 7. The gratitude from the community was heartwarming, as the event alleviated financial pressure on parents and set the stage for a successful school year.

Nourishing Young Minds at Sheba Primary and Drop-In Center

On January 17, Care for Wild delivered five bags of butternut and two crates of green peppers to 350 students at Sheba Primary School, supporting their feeding scheme. Later that day, 109 children at Sheba Drop-In Center received the same donation, strengthening community bonds and enhancing nutrition.

Bringing Fresh Produce to Shiba Daycare

On February 11, Care for Wild delivered 29 kg of vegetables to Shiba Daycare Center. The cooks, Ntokolovu Zulu, Makwakwa Thabethe, Simphiwe Sambo, and Ester Magagula, prepared wholesome meals with gratitude and joy. Care for Wild aims to expand this initiative by planting more vegetables to support local preschools and daycare centers.

Wildlife Education at Shiba Primary School

On February 12, Care for Wild and Wits University students provided lessons in wildlife education, English, and mathematics to 62 Grade 3 and 4 learners. With the help of a facilitator, language barriers were overcome, and the joy on the children’s faces was a testament to the program’s success.

Launching the Open Learning Academy

February 19 marked the introduction of the Good Work Foundation’s Open Learning Academy at Fairview Primary and Shiba Primary Schools. While the program was welcomed with enthusiasm, the lack of functioning tablets posed a challenge. Care for Wild is now working to secure additional equipment to ensure smooth implementation.

Sinqobile Primary Joins the Digital Learning Revolution

On February 20, Sinqobile Primary School eagerly embraced the Open Learning Academy, set to launch in Term 3. The school’s excitement has inspired Care for Wild to expedite resource acquisition for an earlier rollout.

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Nov 14, 2024
Nov 2024 Report

By Petronel Nieuwoudt | Founder & CEO

Exciting developments and updates throughout our community projects.

In March 2020, the first macadamia trees were planted at the Lomshiyo Community Farming Project. After four years of intense hard work ensuring the trees survived the cold, heat, and droughts, the first crop was recently harvested.

This year, a remarkable 1.5 tonnes of macadamia nuts were harvested over two days! After leaving the farm, the nuts go to a factory for meticulous processing and to ensure their quality and suitability for consumption. The process commences with husking, where the outer husks are removed. The nuts are then dried in ovens to reduce moisture content and obtain the correct oil percentage. The outer shells are then removed, followed by the separation and sorting of kernels based on size, colour, and quality. Once processed, the nuts are packaged and shipped for distribution.

This project, run in partnership with the Lomshiyo Community, is an ever-growing and developing agricultural farming initiative, providing invaluable training and employment opportunities for local people. The successful harvesting of the first crop is a testament to the commitment invested in the project over the past four years and we are very excited.

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Inspired by the global celebration to honour the life and legacy of Nelson Mandela, the Care for Wild team visited vulnerable families in our local community to deliver food parcels, fresh vegetables, clothes, and warm blankets to over 100 young children and the elderly.

This year, Mandela Day brought the message “Combating poverty and inequality is in our hands'' which is a message consistent with the values that Care for Wild upholds each and every day.

By providing training and employment opportunities, educational and recreational activities, sports projects, and our Junior Rangers program, we are helping to address many local socio-economic issues. By working together, our local communities are becoming stewards of the environment and guardians of their heritage.

What an amazing day and what a privilege to be able to make such a difference.

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Care for Wild has been leading a vital rabies vaccination program to protect local communities and their dogs. Through our community outreach initiative, and funded by Wildlifevets.com, local community owned dogs were vaccinated against rabies, and several goats also received health checks.

Rabies is a deadly zoonotic disease transmitted through bites or scratches from infected animals, primarily dogs. Vaccinating dogs in community settlements helps reduce the risk of rabies transmission to humans, saving lives. Vaccination campaigns create a buffer that prevents the spread of rabies, reducing the likelihood of outbreaks. This is particularly important in rural areas where medical facilities and rabies post-exposure treatments are limited. By vaccinating dogs, we are directly preventing the spread of this deadly disease, safeguarding human health, and reducing the risk of outbreaks. This initiative not only protects domestic dogs but also strengthens public health systems and promoteas a safer environment where people, pets, and wildlife can coexist.

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In October, Care for Wild made deliveries to local communities of cabbages and freshly picked spinach from Care for Wild's own vegetable gardens

Lomshiyo Farm provided 100 cabbages which were distributed to Sheba school and kindergarten.

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Sixty-four children from three local communities recently visited Care for Wild for an exciting soccer tournament and netball match. Alongside the sports, the children also took part in hula hooping activities and dancing, creating a day filled with joy, laughter, and so many smiles.

This event is an important part of a larger project designed to provide a safe and welcoming space for children to engage in sports, build friendships, and simply have fun. Care for Wild is a place where they can feel secure, receive a good, nutritious meal and enjoy themselves in an environment proving a solid foundation for their futures.

Thank you to everyone who help make these projects possible.

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