By Anna Tolan | Founding Director
I'm proud to report that over the last few months our project to empower young Zambian eco-leaders went extremely well - but we couldn't have done it without the help of all our wondeful supporters!
In addition to the usual 39 Conservation Clubs that we ran each fortnight in local schools we also rana number of additional activitIes that help add a touch of sparkle to the progamme.
The highlight was the Student Conservation Awards in October. This vibrant all-day event was held for all our Conservation Club students who showed outstanding performance during the year. The event allowed them to come together to celebrate their achievements and all the positve benefits conservation brings to the area. They received certificates of recognition and prizes during the event. It was attended by 256 individuals including the students, teachers and Chipembele staff. There was lots of singing and dancing, drama performances and poems about conservation, face painting and some silly sports along with refreshments and a cooked lunch for all. In these times of so much negativity in the world it was such an uplifting and joyful event for everyone.
Our Nature Nights programme involved taking 2 groups of 12 Conservation Club students for a three-day camping in the grounds of the Wildlife Camp. There they learnt about animal and plant species identification, wildlife behaviour and astronomy. They also gained knowledge and enhanced their skills in bush survival, communication, leadership, teamwork, critical thinking and more.
To enhance our student understanding of conservation, we took our Conservation Club members from 30 schools on Field Trips in an open safari style vehicle into South Luangwa National Park to learn about wildlife by direct observation. Many of the students have never been inside the National Park before or seen the array of animals that it holds. These trips are a vital part of helping the students understand the importance of conserving wildlife at first hand. We conducted 52 trips in 2024, of which there were 330 girls and 302 boys. Each trip was accompanied by a professional safari guide, a Chipembele Educator and a teacher.
We hope to be able to continue these activities in 2025 but full funding is far from in place. Please help us to continue our work with a donation, no matter how small. Every donation counts and helps our students become the passionate and informed eco-leaders Zambia needs!
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