Children in the Wilderness is a non-profit organisation supported by ecotourism company Wilderness Safaris, which aims to facilitate sustainable conservation through leadership development and education of children in Africa.
Insight, care and commitment are required to conserve Africa’s pristine wilderness and wildlife areas. If we are to ensure that these places continue to exist – in this generation and those to come – we need the rural children of Africa to understand the importance of conservation and its relevance in their lives. Hence, our Children in the Wilderness programme: an environmental and life skills educational programme for children, focusing on the next generation of decision-makers; inspiring them to care for their natural heritage and to become the custodians of these areas in the future.
This is achieved in a variety of ways – from hosting Eco-Club programmes at local schools, to running camps at Wilderness Safaris and partner camps, for the children within the rural communities that live on the edges of the wild areas of Africa.
Our training aims to develop local community members, including local teachers and Wilderness Safaris camp staff by upgrading their skills in environmental understanding and enabling them to better implement school and village environmental projects and initiatives.
Throughout the year, we operate Eco-Clubs in rural schools in the communities with which we work. They follow a structured curriculum, providing all learners interested in the environment a chance to meet, learn, discuss and expand their knowledge of environmental issues. Children participating on the camps are selected from Eco-Clubs.
A Wilderness Safaris or partner camp is closed for a few days each year, and 12 to 30 children between 10 and 17 years old are hosted in the camp for a four-day educational and fun-filled programme, including lessons, games, practical sessions and wildlife activities.
The Youth Environmental Stewardship (YES) Programme focuses on children with commitment and potential who have been identified in Eco-Clubs and on annual camps as showing leadership and an interest in conservation and on leadership qualities.
Children from our programme who are doing well academically but whose parents are unable to afford to send them to school are afforded the opportunity to complete their schooling through our scholarship programme.
Providing funding for students from our programme who are doing Environmental or Conservation courses at tertiary institutions.
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It is our vision to develop sustainable conservation through leadership development.
By exposing children to their natural heritage, Children in the Wilderness aims to create a network of learning sanctuaries that uplifts and cares for our children and conserves our planet. In this way, we hope to inspire the children to care for the environment so that they can become the custodians of these areas in the future.