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Our future generation need guidance to develop into competent adults who can work constructively and collaboratively to improve their communities and society as a whole. A community follows the value and passions of its members. It is vital that the communities boarding natural areas are knowledgeable of the environment and its associated difficulties, develop a conservation philosophy and transition into a society that is protective of its natural heritage by providing the necessary skills to make informed decisions and take responsible actions.
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The Bush Babies school program is an environmentally based education program currently offered to 10 schools in local communities surrounding the Greater Kruger National Park. The program is run weekly for a period of 1 hour throughout the course of the academic year. With previously disadvantaged learners between the ages of 12 – 17 years old, conservational issues are discussed and incorporated into the existing school curriculum.
Although the focus seems to be on our children, the Bush Babies program also impacts its co-workers, supporters, learner’s families and communities. Public schools who join our programs benefit in similar ways to their pupils in terms of community building experiences that cannot be taught in classrooms. The true impact is already being seen as our learner’s attendance has shown a marked increase on Environmental Education days. Families of the top learners are invited to an annual graduation ceremony to rewards those for their hard work and passion through the year, bring families, students and their schools closer together to celebrate the power of knowledge.
With a collaborative effort from the community, schools and their leaders there are always solutions. In addition to coalitions and learning centers is the belief that learning can happen in every part of the community and that the entire community has a responsibility to provide educational opportunities. Learners must jump in and pass on the information they learnt in order benefit their communities in a way that has a positive outcome on the environment.
Although the focus seems to be on our children, the Bush Babies program also impacts its co-workers, supporters, learner’s families and communities. Public schools who join our programs benefit in similar ways to their pupils in terms of community building experiences that cannot be taught in classrooms. The true impact is already being seen as our learner’s attendance has shown a marked increase on Environmental Education days. Families of the top learners are invited to an annual graduation ceremony to rewards those for their hard work and passion through the year, bring families, students and their schools closer together to celebrate the power of knowledge.
With a collaborative effort from the community, schools and their leaders there are always solutions. In addition to coalitions and learning centers is the belief that learning can happen in every part of the community and that the entire community has a responsibility to provide educational opportunities. Learners must jump in and pass on the information they learnt in order benefit their communities in a way that has a positive outcome on the environment.
Mini Bush Babies Program |
Bush Babies School Program |
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This course is aimed towards learners in grade 2 or 3 aged between 7 – 9 years, it is a one day course that educates the learners about conservation on a less formal teaching approach, with the aim to make it more hands on and as vocal as possible. Activities such as making Drawings of their understanding of the environment, puppet shows about the poaching of rhinos and elephants and singing and dancing introduces these younger children to conservation in a fun and light hearten manor that they can easily understand.
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The Bush Babies are well known for the environmental education program it offers to 10 local schools on a weekly basis. Children are between the ages of 12- 17 years (Grade 6 – 7) and the program is interlinked into the school curriculum. This program offers in depth introductions into Conservation, ecology, the big five and the importance of rhino's over the course of the academic year.
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School Holiday Program |
Nature Guardians |
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Offered four times per annum to learners whose parents are employed within the reserve. The program runs for 4-5 days and can host a maximum of 20 children at a time. The program material is very similar to the school program only more hands on. On the last day of the program the learners are rewarded with an excursion to practically experience what they learnt in the classroom theoretically.
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Nature Guardians are hand picked senior Bush Babies whose purpose is to maintain the natural appearance of their schools, ensuring that the all pupils practice the environmental ethics of keeping their school clean and litter free. The group meets once a month to identify conservational issue within their communities and come up with solutions to practically solve them.
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Environmental Bush Camps |
Dress me to Learn |
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Environmental camps are a reward to the top achievers of the school program throughout the course of the year and whom must obtain 70% or higher to qualify. The camp introduces the learners to a new look at what conservation is about and entails a camping experience in a big 5 area of 2 nights and 3 days. Learners are taken on a boat cruise, game drives, bush walks and sleep within the secured camping site situated in Balule Nature Reserve.
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Dress me to learn is a new initiative to buy a ‘needy’ child school shoes and/or uniforms for learners. This was implemented as most of the learner’s school shoes are torn or broken due to the long distances they have to walk to get to school. It is believed that learners getting new shoes will boost their confidence not only personally, but also within the learning environment as they will no long fell self-conscious of their dress code.
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Elders in the ParkThis program is developed for the grandparents of the bush babies’ learners aged 60 years and above. It is specially developed for the grandparents that have never been into the Kruger National Park although they have lived on its boundaries their entire lives. Sharing indigenous knowledge of the local surroundings, with the help of the learners we can locate which grandparents to select.
This initiative is sponsored by Global March for Elephants and Rhinos.
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If you would like to donate towards any of the Bush Babies programs or initiatives you can do so here referencing the name of the program you would like your donation to be allocated to. |
