Above: Our Conservation Education Program is carefully crafted to nurture and inspire our country’s future conservationists by providing them with meaningful and inspirational experiences in conservation.
“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” — William Butler Yeats.
The same can be said for conservation education. Every week, your support of our Conservation Education activities helps us ignite a flame of curiosity for conservation in many of the children who live alongside wildlife in this vital and fragile Victoria Falls eco-region.
Now we’re asking you to help us stoke this flame even bigger.
We have some exciting news: a generous well-wisher has donated USD 20 000, and we aim to match this in order to sustain the incredible impact that this program is having.
WHAT IMPACT ARE WE HAVING?
Conservation Club:
We’re delighted to share that in April this year, we launched our very first VFWT Conservation Club, which comprises 20 primary school children in Grades 5 to 7. Children with a strong interest in nature and conservation are selected, and each month we engage them in activities such as bird identification, tree planting, nature walks, game drives, and conservation career talks.
Our town may be home to some of the most spectacular nature experiences in Africa, but sadly, many locals don’t have the means to enjoy these experiences like overseas visitors do. Since April, our club members have already visited our very own Victoria Falls waterfall, seen baby crocodiles up close, gone on a day safari, and learned about tracking animals. At the same time, we’ve given back: we’ve conducted a wide litter sweep, planted trees, and even learned what it takes to be a firefighter! As you’ll see from the video and photos below, this club has been life-changing for the children and their families. Help us invest in the future conservation stewards for our community.
Each club costs USD 6000 per year. Help us raise an additional USD 6000 to enable long-term change and expand this club to include senior school students, they will make an impact in our community very soon, and we need them on our side!
On-site visits
Every Friday, twenty students and two teachers participate in our Conservation Education Program through engaging, interactive visits (which I introduce in the video below). For the 1000 children who visit us each year, these experiences often spark a deeper empathy for our natural world. In many cases, the impact is practical, as students share newly acquired strategies for minimizing human-wildlife conflict with their families. For others, the experience is transformative, inspiring future botanists, conservation educators, environmental lawyers, wildlife veterinarians, and various other conservation advocates. Join us to help transform change and inspire eager young minds.
Eco-Clubs:
But the spark doesn’t end there. We also run Eco-Clubs at five rural schools in communities living alongside wildlife. These clubs are critical for rural schools where children were failing their science and agriculture exams. Now the Eco-Clubs meet after school and offer fun, interactive activities once a week that enhance students’ learning in subjects aligned with the national science and agriculture curriculum while also deepening their understanding of wildlife and conservation. Excitingly, we’ve already seen improvement in exam results at some of these schools.
Your support can help us double our impact. Help us to nurture these passionate young Zimbabweans into future conservation ambassadors and help inspire careers in conservation and eco-tourism.
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In the words of David Attenborough, “No one will protect what they don’t care about; and no one will care about what they have never experiened.”
We invite you to join us in providing the children of this landscape with experiences that will ignite a lifelong love of nature!
For Wild Africa,
Nancy Mutungwazi
Conservation Education Officer
