Children in the Wilderness Limpopo Valley – Mashatu Tented Camp
April 2010

The Tour de Tuli is an annual, multi stage mountain bike event, whose main objective is to raise funds for Children in the Wilderness.

The event has been held every year since 2005, and for the past couple of years it has traversed the Greater Mapungubwe Transfrontier Conservation Area (GMTFCA). Our aim is two-fold: a) to give cyclists the opportunity to cycle through pristine wilderness areas; and b) to raise funds for Children in the Wilderness. As a direct result of the Tour de Tuli, we have created a new Children in the Wilderness programme (an extension of the programmes already held in Botswana, Malawi, Namibia, the Seychelles, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa): Children in the Wilderness – Limpopo Valley.

Children in the Wilderness – Limpopo Valley:

On the 7th of April 2010, Mashatu, in Botswana’s Northern Tuli Game Reserve, hosted 16 children for the first Children in the Wilderness – Limpopo Valley programme.

These children came from Mothabaneng Village, only a few kilometres from the western boundary of the Northern Tuli Game Reserve. They spent five nights as guests at Mashatu Tented Camp, learning about the benefits of environmental and wildlife conservation, and understanding the links between conservation and tourism and job creation.

Children in the Wilderness – Limpopo Valley aims to reduce the conflict between the communities and the wildlife in this region, by instilling a better understanding of wildlife and the role it plays in creating sustainable community income. There is a structured programme, with learning activities, specifically designed to get this message across. One of the activities on this programme involved the children going out onto the reserve with the resident lion and elephant researcher to track lion. Not only did this cause great excitement, it also gave the researcher the opportunity to explain what role lion play in maintaining the health of an ecosystem, and to give the children some tips in dealing with wild animals. The children also went on an outing to the Limpopo Valley Airport, where they learnt about what it takes to run an airport, and the various job opportunities associated therewith. They also got to observe the air traffic controller co-ordinate the arrival of a charter flight and ride on a fire engine. Our hope is that these adventures will show them the extent of opportunities available to them, and inspire them to strive harder for a brighter future.

This programme was made possible by the Tour de Tuli cycle event.

We aim to expand this programme throughout the Greater Mapungubwe Transfrontier Conservation Area, so that we can host children from neighbouring communities in Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa. Children in the Wilderness aims to develop future environmental leaders who are inspired to care for their heritage and become true custodians of their wilderness areas.

For both the children and their mentors, this camp was a hugely rewarding and successful experience. The amount of support and assistance from Mashatu greatly enhanced the experience and alleviated many of the difficulties inherent in hosting a first camp.

Feedback from the Children:
“Wilderness areas are important because they bring tourists to our country” – Thato, 10
“When you are a poacher your work is not good” – Sylvia, 11
“Wilderness areas are important to us - we can know now to look for animal tracks and I will never forget about the protection of wild animals trees and birds” – Casly, 12
“Wilderness areas are important to us because we will get jobs and we want to increase the number of animals” – Oliver, 12

For further information, please contact Tanya McKenzie on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

From the Project Coordinator Reflecting on 2009

“My goodness first we had no pupils and plenty of teachers, now we have plenty of pupils and not enough teachers! Thank you, thank you.” Comments from Moses Mpofu, Headmaster of Ziga Primary School.

I can remember thinking at the beginning of 2009 ‘How on earth are we going to make a difference?’ But looking back, we HAVE made a difference. This was so apparent in the comparison of Mpindo and Dete children’s appearance, general health and wellbeing at the Children in the Wilderness camps in November 2009 to that of 2008‘s waif-like, hungry children. We have fed 430 children each school day for the whole of 2009 – what an accomplishment, Thank you, thank you to all our most generous donors.

Zimbabwe is on the up, with the dollarization of our currency. Food and goods are more readily available, visitors are returning to our beautiful country, the wheels of industry are beginning to turn and there is a sense of cautious optimism throughout the country.

When planning for 2010 I have had to check myself and not run before I could walk, as there are so many projects in need of funding and attention. I have learnt on this Children in the Wilderness journey that we need to be careful not to create a dependency syndrome. Communities and schools need sustainable projects and we need to help them help themselves. They are willing - we need to give them the tools. This is the way forward for Children in the Wilderness and its children’s programmes in 2010.

“Thank you, you have now helped our children, please help us help ourselves – we want to work.” said the Headman of the Mpindo Community.

The success of Children in The Wilderness Zimbabwe and all its projects is solely due to the wonderful response we have had from our Donors. 2009 was a very difficult time for Zimbabweans and for the world in general, the support that we have been given is truly commendable.

I hope that when you read this Newsletter, you will see that funds were well-spent and sincerely appreciated by the communities that benefit from them.

I will be highlighting our previous fundraising efforts and plans for the future; please stay with us and any canvassing for further funding will always be appreciated. Help us take care of our planet and nurture the disadvantaged children

Thanks must be extended to our generous sponsors: Makila, AAC, Pharmacie Laurent Taleux, Richard Kirkland, Marice Ossin, Terence and Ilana Ossin, Lisa Ruch, Liora Glazerson, Tamara Friedman, David Frankel, Barbara and Barry, Schoub, Adina Port, Suzanne Wright, Karen Wilson, Roleen Katz, Andre Steynberg, Keith and Maureen Vincent and Angeline Mhlanga

The majority of our funds come from private donors and sponsorship, but we have a number of successful fundraising initiatives within our organization namely:

Tour de Tuli – This is a four-day mountain bike cycle ride through Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa. Funds are raised through entry fees and sponsorship. Children in the Wilderness Zimbabwe’s contribution is to host the cyclists with true Zimbabwean hospitality, good food, good humour and comfy beds, for two of the nights.

This has gone a long way towards financing 2010 Children in the Wilderness camps for the disadvantaged.
“Riding the Tour de Tuli is incomparable to anything I have every done on a mountain bike, so to say I was blown away by the entire event would be an understatement of immense proportions. It was an amazing privilege to play cricket for my country for 11 years, but it was an even bigger privilege to ride through some of the most amazing country side that the Tour de Tuli had to offer.” Jonty Rhodes, Springbok Cricketer

Voluntourism – All over the world there are young people who wish to make a difference. Wilderness Safaris offers a means to do this and an opportunity to discover Africa at grass-roots level. Our volunteers pay to participate and these funds go to Children in the Wilderness. We take in young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 for one to three months at a time where they experience a well-balanced environmental and community-based programme.

Anna Orban “I don’t know of a better way to get a sense of country than this volunteer programme. We saw life in Zimbabwe through the eyes of children, through national parks workers, through camp managers, and socialising with other young volunteers and Zimbabweans.”

“Highlights of our experience were seeing disadvantaged children experience things for the first time. Eating an apple! Seeing a plane! Fishing! Despite some being children of game wardens, seeing lions and herds of sable were new experiences for them. It has made me really appreciate the taste of an apple!”

Self- Funding
Children’s Camps – our aim here is to expose children from more affluent communities to the wilderness environment. They, along with the disadvantaged children, will be the custodians of our flora and fauna in the future. The emphasis at these camps is on environmental awareness, conservation, team building and leadership skills. They pay to participate in a five-night, six-day programme. The funds raised go to the Children in the Wilderness camps for the disadvantaged.

In April 2009 we had our first pilot camp. We hosted 16 children from Harare schools between the ages of 9 and 12 and the children’s response was outstanding. We feel confident that this is a programme that we can move forward with.

We aim to create a stewardship partnership with children from both programmes, which we feel sure will create life skills for all the children involved, and most importantly will produce leaders and caretakers for the wildlife sector.

Village and School Visits – Guests from Wilderness camps within Hwange National Park are offered, as part of their activities, visits to schools and communities on the boundary of the park. These visits to the schools are interactive and a marked improvement in the confidence and fluency in English by the children visited has been noticed. The local community benefits with the selling of crafts and curios and Children in the Wilderness receives funding from these visitors either in the form of donations on the spot, or upon returning home when many of them become regular sponsors.

Children’s Camps
Looking back, seeing the Wilderness through eyes of wonder!

One of most exciting sponsorships from the Village and School Visits has come from the Science Institute of America. They are donating Science Programmes and Kits to our schools and are sending two teachers over the American summer period to come and train our local teachers. The joy of science is coming to the Wilderness!

Challenges –
2008 - One of the biggest challenges was selecting children. Attendance was poor at the schools (see Education Rehabilitation Programme). Logistics – fuel for vehicles, and getting food and educational equipment to camps due to unstable currency and the general malaise of Zimbabwe

How we uplift the children - Every year Wilderness Safaris closes the doors of two of their camps to full paying guests for four weeks and allows Children in the Wilderness sole use. Children come in groups of 20 for 6 days. Using environmental education, therapeutic recreation, and good old-fashioned fun, Children in the Wilderness opens up the minds of children, increases their self-esteem, builds and strengthens their capabilities to cope with life's challenges and educates them with the life skills necessary to realise their greatest potential.

Looking Back – First Years 2008/2009
In January 2008 Wilderness Safaris Zimbabwe launched Children in the Wilderness Zimbabwe.
2008: Two camps hosting 20 children each, location Linkwasha, Hwange National Park. Participants: Children from Mpindo Primary school and Dete Children’s Home.
2009: We planned to have four camps of 20 children each, three at Makalolo and the first one at Ruckomechi. The first three went off well with children from Mpindo, Ziga and Main Camp Primary schools and Dete Children’s Home. Unfortunately the Ruckomechi one had to be postponed to April 2010 because of inclement weather.

Children’s’ Camps
2010 Plans – another year, a chance to make a difference…
• Host 100 children this year – April - two camps in Mana Pools National Park, November - three camps in Hwange National Park.
• Spread our network and include two new schools into the system. One from each of our catchment areas.
• Establish our follow-up programme which will focus on tracking the progress of every child that has experienced a Children in the Wilderness camp since inception. (See Education)

School Projects
Zimbabwe used to have one of the best education systems in Southern Africa; however with the instability of Zimbabwean politics, education has paid the price. Good teachers have immigrated looking for greener pastures and the ones left behind lack the motivation (due to appalling teaching conditions -no materials to perform their duties satisfactorily, and very poor remuneration). It was decided that instead of establishing a Follow-up Programme from the first Children in the Wilderness camps, Children in the Wilderness Zimbabwe would be better off going back to the source and helping the children in their communities and in their schools. From this came the birth of our education rehabilitation programmes.

Education
Rehabilitation, hope and optimism …
Teacher Support - As stated by headmaster Moses Mpofu, the schools were now full of students, but sadly poor remuneration for teachers had taken its toll and Ziga and Mpindo were struggling to find dedicated teachers; at one stage there was only a headmaster. Children in the Wilderness Zimbabwe decided that the school was nothing without the teachers. Out of desperation (as we could not find teachers) we pulled in the help of ‘O’ and ‘A’ level school leavers from the community to come and teach under instruction from the headmasters. We supplied the wages. The system worked perfectly. We found qualified teachers started reappearing and we continued to assist with salaries (supplementing the government wages to make the remuneration more attractive). Teachers who were also supported were coming to work despite country-wide strikes. Visits to the schools were a joyful occasion with singing and clapping and hugs of gratitude.

Plans for 2010 - We will endeavour to support the teaching body throughout 2010. Plans for this are twofold:

• Teacher incentive programme to continue but on a bigger scale – the schools are dysfunctional if we have no teachers.
• Teacher Training and Workshops – we have various plans to improve and update the teachers’ skills. One very exciting programme is to bring science alive in the wilderness. This help is coming from the American Science Institution

Improvement of Facilities and Educational Tools – The main focus for 2009 was to feed the children and help the teachers. But we did manage to do a full survey of Mpindo and Ziga schools to establish the enormity of the rehabilitation of these schools’ facilities. This incorporated the buildings, classroom equipment, textbooks and stationery. We also managed to supply lap desks to the children in both schools 100 for each school.

Plans for 2010
• Repair the school buildings and facilities at Ziga and Mpindo.
• Supply textbooks – Maths, English and Reading - to Ngamo, Mpindo and Ziga so that there is a textbook per child for each subject.
• Assist the communities to repair and build benches and desks for the classrooms.
• Repair boreholes at both Mpindo and Ziga and restart the school vegetable gardens at Ngamo, Mpindo and Ziga.
• Formalise the Secondary School Sponsorship Scheme. At the moment we are funding a couple of gifted children who have completed their primary school and are unable to continue to secondary school due to lack of funds and parental support. Through the school visits by our guests a number of donors have come forward to assist with this. We are looking at finding further funding for more children.
• Research the possibility of building, equipping and running a practical training college focusing on environmental and hospitality skills in the Tsolotsho Community in order to provide a tertiary education for school leavers.

 Children in the Wilderness Malawis' 2009 camps were held at Mvuu Camp in Liwonde National Park and at Chintheche Inn on the northern shores of Lake Malawi. Both hosted two weeks of camps each.

Mvuu Camp: 36 children from Naifulu on the eastern side of the Park and Nanthomba on the western side came for the first week. In the second week, a group of 18 came from one of our partnering organisations, the Steka Orphanage in Blantyre. Steka is an organisation that takes care of street children in and around Blantyre (Malawi’s largest city). The children are counselled and taken care of in typical parental fasion. Children in the Wilderness accepted the partnership with the aims of helping such children to discover more of their hiden potentials and live to acomplish their desired future.

Children in the Wilderness + Steka Child = Responsible Leaders in the Making

Chinteche Inn: 24 children from around Chintheche came for the first week, followed by 28 children from the Baylor Teen Club in Lilongwe in the second week. The Baylor Teen Club is made up of children from the Baylor Hospital in Lilongwe, children who have serious medical challenges in one way or another. Children in the Wilderness is partnering with the Baylor Teen Club so that it can help in building hope for the future of these children, hope that may have been ignored in a village atmosphere.

Children in the Wilderness + Baylor Child = Motivated Leader in the Making

In total the 2009 camps hosted 106 children between the ages of 10 and 16 years, with an equal gender split during each camp.

The Camp curriculum was as follows:
• Wildlife and Natural Resources Conservation
• Permaculture / Sustainable Agriculture
• Human / Children’s Rights
• HIV/AIDS and General Hygiene
• Future Planning and Staying in School
• Art and Craft / Culture
• Informal Time and Problem Solving

All the learning activities were geared at building respect for oneself, each other and the environment; raising self confidence; and building, recognising and nurturing potential and self-esteem.

“I am a leader when it comes to explaining about the life of crocodiles to my friends. I will go home shining with this knowledge and information. I have learnt it and it will be part of my life forever!” Meria Wilard (Steka Orphanage) 10 yrs: Grade 5

 2009 Follow-Up Programmes

Over the last four weeks we have done three follow-up days with schools in Kafue and South Luangwa, visiting a total of 36 children. The follow-ups were done by our South Luangwa Kalamu Lagoon General Manager and Children in the Wilderness Camp Coordinator, Petros Guwa and his team, and our Shumba Camp Managers and Children in the Wilderness Kafue Camp Coordinators, Robert and Ingrid and their team. Our main focus of the follow-up days with the children was to revisit some of the environmental and conservation lessons they learnt during camp, assist in setting up or further developing vegetable gardens at the schools and checking on the general wellbeing of the children and playing some games and having fun. Some excerpts from the trip reports and pictures are outlined below.

Chilingozi School
From the twelve children at Chilingozi Basic School in Malama Village that we had hosted last year at Kalamu Bush Camp, we only managed to see seven of the children. There were three girls and four boys. Of the three girls, one had not returned to school, the other one had moved to different area where she was staying with other relatives and the one girl had been married and had a baby. We managed to see her and the newborn baby at her home and they are both doing well.

It was very interesting to note that the kids still remembered a lot about the camp we held last year and of great interest was a conversation with Stella (Stegado) whose ambition was still to be a guide and she said was really motivated by the guides’ knowledge and care of the environment. She mentioned an incident where she confronted one of the villagers for killing animals and told him it wasn’t right. She repeated that she wants to work for Wilderness Safaris as a guide in the future.

We had a short session on conservation and were very impressed with the kids’ knowledge of the subject. Most of them have now joined the school’s Wildlife Club and had participated in the school tree-planting of indigenous trees and also knew the different names and uses of the trees they had planted in the school yard. We went on to look at the school vegetable garden where we sowed some different seeds with the kids’ participation. Most of what’s grown at the school is used to feed the kids that stay at the school as their homes would be too far to commute on a daily basis.

We took in lunch and drinks which we had after the gardening session. We then followed this with a game of volleyball, which had been a highlight on the camp held in November last year.

Before we left the kids we sat and spoke to them about how they were faring after their time in the camp last year. We realised that the majority of them had done very well in school at the end of last term; however most of them will not be in a position to continue their education and go on to secondary school due to them not being able to pay the school fees. The fees for a term at secondary school including uniform and books does not come to more than K100 000 (USD22) but for most of these kids who are living with extended family this money is not readily available to them and many will not be able to achieve their dreams.

We asked the kids what they thought about the day and our visit, and they were all giggles and smiles and interestingly said they were so happy that they had so much food to eat and this reminded them very much of the time they were in camp last year. We thanked the Headmaster Mr Mwale who had helped us in preparing this day and the kids who had stayed back at the school with us. It was a very hard moment when we said our good byes.

Jifumpa School
The whole of Jifumpa Basic School was very curious about what we were doing with the children during our visit so we constantly followed around by a big crowd. The children all still had their t-shirts, gift bags, lap desks and even some of them their name badges. So even after two years they still treasure their gifts!

In total we had 13 of the 18 children present. The other children had either moved to other villages or were off school due to being sick.

We started the follow-up with some of the CITW games and songs. Very quickly the children were in the right mood again and they still remembered a lot of the songs we did. We followed with explaining what CITW is about and that it is not just something in Jifumpa or Kamakechi but that the programme runs in 7 different countries and that there are lots of 'Children in the Wilderness'. After this we showed them the promotion video on our laptop. After the video we had a quiz with questions about conservation, wildlife and the National Park. The three teams all scored very high and it was lots of fun.

After the quiz we moved to a classroom where we had lunch and drinks. After lunch the children made beautiful drawings about camp.

We ended the day with playing soccer, the Children in the Wilderness team against the school team. The whole school was present to watch the game.

Before we left we handed over the seeds, fertiliser, books and other presents to the school and the children. They appreciated it very much and told us that they would finish the vegetable garden.

Kamakechi School
The next day the welcome at Kamakechi was amazing. We could hear the screaming and singing before we arrived already and when we entered Kamakechi school the road was blocked with all children. When we stepped out they all jumped on us and they didn't want to let go anymore.

In total we had 16 of the 18 children present. The two that were not there had moved to different villages.

We followed the same programme as the previous day with the difference that this group had prepared some poems for us about conservation and protecting nature. The other difference was that they did not make a drawing but they decorated their new lap desks in stead.

They showed us the vegetable garden which is called the CITW garden and were very happy with the seeds and fertiliser.

The Kamakechi follow-up was a big success and we think we got the biggest welcome ever. There were even some parents and care takers present to meet us.

We will be doing a follow-up at Kabulwebulwe School shortly and will be running our 5th Children in the Wilderness Camp at Lufupa from 29th October – 3rd November with 24 children from Jifumpa and Kamakechi Basic Schools.

Thank you to all of you for your generous donations in 2009 which have helped fund both the camps and the follow-up days.