Providing Outreach to Local Communities

Dear supporting friends,

Wow, time went by so quickly… it is already September, can you believe it?!

The past few months were filled with a broad range of activities in the Eco Clubs and as pictures say more than a thousand words, I will let them do the talking ;). However, there are some exciting developments I am very eager to tell you about.

At first we are thrilled to inform that learners from the local primary schools are also finding their way to the environmental clubs. We welcome everyone who is keen to learn about animals and the environment, so we are very happy to have them!

Remember that I told you last time about the wallet we made from an old milk carton? Well, this lesson got a follow-up as we made wall art using old cardboard and ‘treasures from nature’ (i.e. stones & twigs). This all is nice and fun to do, but actually serves a greater purpose. We aim to make the students aware of the great possibilities of recyclable materials. In the local villages the communities face a large litter problem, which is a shame, since we all know that it is very important to live in a clean environment.

As another part of DAKTARI’s Outreach Programme, we are helping the communities with implementing rubbish management. Once this is done, it is more likely for visitors to stop by in the villages (which are located along main roads). At that very moment, the children can sell their 100% homemade curios, primarily made out of things that are considered as rubbish. All in all, crafting with recyclables now will pay off in the long run! And oh, we are also working on a ‘building with rubbish’ project with the learners but I will tell you all about that in the next report :). 

Last but not least I would like to raise awareness for a very special day for us. Wednesday the 16^th of September, GlobalGiving is offering an opportunity that you do not want to miss! Every online donation will be 30% matched. $70 000 in matching is available, so be prepared! Matching begins at 9.00 AM EDT (South Africa: 3.00 PM – Europe: 3.00 PM – UK: 2.00 PM). On this day, your donation will even have a bigger impact on the underprivileged children; you can make the difference!

As you might know, in the past we already organized some environmentally oriented day trips and game drives for those underprivileged students that improved most in the clubs. These trips are essential in making the learners more conscious of their heritage and to take care of it: they provide the much needed practical component in addition to the theory covered in the lessons. Most children have never been able to see African wildlife, even though they live very close to numerous nature reserves. Your support will be amazingly appreciated in order to offer these excursions.

Let me end by giving a huge shout out to all of you generous donors. It is because of YOU that the environmental clubs can exist and flourish. On behalf of all underprivileged learners: ke leboga kudu (means ‘thank you very much’ in the local language; Sepedi)!

Best regards and until next time,

Toine Vos, Eco Club teacher and Outreach Programme Coordinator

Links:

• DAKTARI Outreach online
• DAKTARI on Facebook