Grade
5 learners embark on a tour of a lifetime.
Fourteen Grade 5 learners selected from
five different primary schools in Swakopmund, embarked
on the tour of a lifetime last week. This group of young
learners, accompanied by three teachers from Mondesa Youth
Opportunities (MYO) travelled from the coast to visit Okonjima
Lodge and the Africat Foundation, some 50 kilometres south
of Otjiwarongo.
For most of the learners, this was their
first trip away from home and the experiences they had
over this past weekend will last a lifetime. Some expressed
surprise at the fierceness of an upcountry thunderstorm
and for others, the fact that the bush is so alive with
all manner of creatures and plants, was enthralling and
amazing all at the same time.
The annual camping weekend for young people
is a joint initiative of MYO, Okonjima and the AfriCat
Foundation as part of their respective environmental education
programmes. Sue Wagner, one of the teachers from MYO explained
that the offer of these trips are also a motivational tool
amongst learners, as only those individuals who do well
at school and who have excellent behaviour and attendance
records are eligible for a place on the tour. Competition
between learners is strong to earn one of the coveted spots.
Despite the intermittent rain and misty
conditions, the group enjoyed every minute of their tour,
evident in their appreciative singing and dancing for their
guides at the campsite. Besides their extensive bush trips
to see animals in the wild, including giraffes, leopard
and cheetah, the learners were treated to extensive explanation
of the work of the AfriCat Foundation in creating awareness
of and tolerance for large carnivores on Namibian farmland
and also games involving radio-tracking and cheetah masks.
The Okonjima tour guides questioned the children continually,
testing their newly-gained knowledge of tree names and
animal species, an activity they particularly loved. On
the last day of the trip, Okonjima also sponsored a visit
to the nearby REST (Rare and Endangered Species Trust)
facility where they saw a lappet-faced vulture, Cape Griffon
Vultures, a white faced owl and a Bateleur eagle.
MYO is a non-profit
after-school enrichment programme for 120 learners from
the Mondesa and DRC areas of Swakopmund. "We cultivate positive thinking and
high self-esteem in our learners. We are planting the seeds
for a future generation of emotionally healthy, driven,
and forward-thinking leaders. Our larger aim is for these
future leaders to help break the cycle of poverty and help
build a stronger Namibia," stated Sue Wagner.
When asked what
they'd enjoyed most, the answer from the group was a
unanimous: "No Miss, we
can't choose a best - we loved EVERYTHING," before
breaking out into another lively local rendition of the
classic ballad Guantanamera.
|
