Teach 300 Kruger Youth about Conservation

Dear Donors

2014 has kick-started with great enthusiasm and uplifting new projects with our schools.!

In this remote poverty stricken area, most of the learner’s first languages are either Tsonga or Sepedi, and most of them speak very little to no English. Through our English empowerment education, we nourish the learners’ creative writing skills based on the conservation knowledge they’ve obtained. Through teaching them the valuable skills of art and performance art (acting, posture, articulation, projection of voice etc) in a playfull and explorative environment whilst compiling a performance piece, they discover unknown talents and new abilities which boost their self-confidence tremendously. This they showcase with enthusiasm in front of international visitors to the Global White Lion Protection Trust (WLT). These theatrical pieces showcase not only their artistic talents, but portray their interpretation of the environmental knowledge they have obtained through the project. It is a powerful cross-cultural experience; not only broadening the horizons of the learners, but the horizons of well travelled international visitors.

As the learners’ environmental conservation knowledge broadens and grows, so does each learner’s self-esteem and hope for his or her future.

Chi Nguyen, GlobalGiving!’s In-Field Representative recently visited 3 of our schools; a Primary School, a crèche and an orphanage, and was blown away by the “LionPower” (as she termed it) of the children (see her project report).

• This year we have appointed a warm-hearted and enthusiastic young man, Vusi, as part of our Global White Lion Protection Trust team who will assist driving the school projects. Your donations assist in a percentage of his monthly salary as well as covering fuel for transport to-and-from the remote locations of the schools.
• This year we are adding 6 schools to our LionStar Eco Cubs project.
• In addition to teaching the learners about their White Lion Heritage ,we are incorporating the theme ‘Nourish through Knowledge’. We will be teaching learners on the importance of maintaining their endemic environment: the importance of trees, Indigenous Trees.
• Through this program we are launching a waste clean-up in and around the schools and community, creative re-cycling usage of this waste, teaching the learners and educators on permaculture, assist them in creating vegetable gardens, plant indigenous tree seeds, create new poetry and drama pieces through this new obtained knowledge and skills, create new craft and puppets through the re-cycling program.
• By end this year, we aim to plant 100 000 young and strong newly grown Indigenous trees, (which the learners have nourished themselves from seed throughout the course of the year), in-and-around the schools and local district.

Your donations are making it possible for us to further develop this powerful project of re-connecting our children, our future leaders, with nature. Through this process they re-connecting with their own LionHearts, recognizing that it does not matter how desolate their circumstances may seem, but that each has the potential to rise above and Roar their Truth and Pride into the world and create their own future.

Thank you for your continued support!

Lion Roars

The LionStar Eco Cubs Team

Links:

• LionStar Eco Cubs Community Education Conservation

This postcard is written by Chi Nguyen, our In-the-Field Representative for Southern Africa. Chi will be traveling to the nine countries of Southern Africa, visiting and assisting our current partner organizations.

On Wednesday, April 16th, I had the privilege of visiting Global White Lion Protection Trust's several project site locations, a few being a primary school, a creche, and an orphanage. At the first school, we were able to witness a beautiful display of song, dance, and play from the children, demonstrating all that they have learned about the importance of conservation. They showed that we must respect the lives and habitats of the white lion and all of its friends in the kingdom, and they left nothing but smiles on every audience member's face when the play concluded. It was quite the production - the children were well-versed in their parts and in their knowledge of conservation. It was pure pleasure to see the children so engaged and excited to show all that they have learned.

After we visited the primary school, we were able to see a creche where the children were just waking up from their naps and were eager to play with all the volunteers. After touring the creche, we left the sleepy environment for the orphanage, where our vehicle was bombarded with smiling children. We hadn't walked two steps out of the car before they all surrounded us, asking our names, where we're all from, and other such various questions. They showed us to their main hall, where we all engaged in a bit of dancing before breaking for some biscuits and fruits.

By the smiles on their faces, you wouldn't have ever suspected that any one of them were orphans. They were so blissfully happy with the visitors, the dancing, and the cookies. They looked like any other group of children you might run into in any other part of the country. It was enough to bring tears to more than one member of the visiting group.