Conservation Education Camp hosted in the Okavango Communities
The aim of our kid’s camps are to educate on the value of the surrounding ecosystems and the essential role the next generation play in its future. After a few years of pausing the camps, it was exciting to see the Botswana Great Plains team, led by Gobo, back in action in December 2021. A range of exciting lessons were shared both in the classroom and in the field from the Okavango Delta water system, waste management, tree planting, wildlife crime and prevention and living with elephants.
The Conservation Kids Camp team moved through the Okavango Community Trust villages with their sessions and reached 180 children in total with ages ranging from 12-14. Our Great Plains Earth Academy in Seronga was the base for preparations and for housing our GPC staff throughout the camp.
Walking with Rangers
Somalia, head ranger at Rhinos Without Borders, took the students on a ‘patrol walk in the bush’ experience that is a large part of conservation work. He shared his vast knowledge of understanding the signs in nature from bird sounds, wind direction, what to look out for etc.
The Importance of Trees
The session, lead by Mpho, included understanding the value of trees in our ecosystem and how they operate. Through a practical outdoor session the students learnt how to plant a tree and look after it so it grows tall. Mpho sourced indigenous trees suitable for the Seronga area including fruit trees as a preference. The kids were given the chance to plant a tree themselves in their home communities to nurture and look after.
Looking after our Environment
Great Plains has been working on waste management for years with our initiatives such as the Glass Crusher depot and Composter. Educating the youth in these practices of recycling and reusing waste is vital for the future. Letso inspired the students to remove waste and rubbish from our natural environment and be creative in what we can do with these materials to our benefit such as making bricks etc.
Time for Fun & Games
Each day had a great element of outdoor fun with games including The Egg & Spoon race, The Apple Wall and The Water Balloon Teamwork game. The camps were a huge success thanks to the enthusiasm and hard work of the Great Plains staff that took place so thank you to those individuals for inspiring the next generation!
