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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