Blog for category 3 Children in the Wilderness - Zimbabwe Virtuoso Camp - April 2010
| Children in the Wilderness - Zimbabwe Virtuoso Camp - April 2010 |
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| Monday, 17 May 2010 07:42 | |
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The Lasting Legacy of Virtuoso’s Children in the Wilderness Camp
Apr.26.10
Virtuoso’s Senior Manager of Destination Sales, Mary Kaye Zanatta, recently returned from Zimbabwe, where she and her husband assisted at a camp to provide local children with life and conservation skills. The following is her first-person account of the benefit she saw and the impact the camp had on her.
More than 350 Virtuoso Clients donated $12 each when booking Wilderness Safaris travel last year. Their generosity resulted in the first Virtuoso-funded Children in the Wilderness Camp, which took place April 12-17 at the Ruckomechi Camp in Zimbabwe. Eleven children from Rutendo, a local village, attended and benefited from this powerful program.
Children in the Wilderness runs camps in Southern Africa to teach local children about life skills, team building, conservation, local wildlife, nutrition and health, HIV/AIDS awareness, and the geology and geography of the region. The mission is to facilitate sustainable conservation through leadership development. The programme aims to bridge the divide that exists between communities and wildlife through focusing on the next generation of rural decision-makers.
The hope is that the skills the kids learn will benefit them as well as their family, friends and communities. Everything in the curriculum is meant for them to grow upon and benefit them in their lives - today and in the future.
One insight that will always stick with me is how everyday things for us may mean a lot to others; a daily shower, a box of new crayons, a desk to write on, new clothes to wear (or even clothes that aren’t falling apart), three meals a day, or even a bed to sleep on. The joy that these kids had during the week with not only the gifts they were given, but the experiences and opportunity they received, is priceless.
Another lasting impression was the reaction from the children’s teacher, Enock, during the week. Every day he thanked the staff for the amazing opportunity for the kids. The last night he gave a lovely thank-you speech and almost brought everyone to tears. He praised the program for giving hope to the kids, and said he looks forward to going back to the families and letting them know what a great programme it is and filling up future camps.
The Children in the Wilderness programme doesn’t end when the kids leave camp. There is follow-up for years after. Whenever a Wilderness Safaris staff member is in the area, they will go to the kids’ school to check up on them and report back to the Children in the Wilderness leaders. There are also scheduled checks throughout the year to see how the kids are progressing. For the kids that the programme sees as having growth potential, not only as a possible team member at Wilderness Safaris (some have become guides or staff at the camps), but in their communities, Wilderness Safaris will support them with their education.
Sadly, many of these kids do not go to school past the age of 13 because their families cannot afford to send them to go. Through Wilderness’s charity events and the generosity of clients, many of the Children in the Wilderness participants will go on to high school. My husband and I are going to support one or two of the kids that we met for their high school years.
I want to express a big thank you to all of the Virtuoso Members who asked their clients if they would donate to this wonderful programme; South African Airlines for offering complimentary air so I could attend; my colleague, Melisa Lunt, whose father-in-law donated the t-shirts you see the kids wearing with the Virtuoso logo; and of course Wilderness Safaris for inviting me to share in this amazing philanthropy that they have established for the children of Southern Africa.
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