Botswana

Children in the Wilderness

Children in the Wilderness has been operating in Botswana since the inception of our programme in 2001. CITW Botswana runs eight Eco-Clubs in the north of the country around the Okavango Delta and Maun.

Thanks to the extraordinary funds raised by the annual Nedbank Tour de Tuli mountain bike event, which takes place in the Greater Mapungubwe Transfrontier Conservation Area (GMTFCA), CITW is able to run our life-changing programme in villages in Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe surrounding the GMTFCA. As such, we also have six Eco-Clubs in the Bobirwa sub-district which with we work.

Our newest addition to the CITW Botswana Family, is a ‘city school’ in Gaborone.

Read all about what’s happening on our programme in Botswana below, or sign up to receive our monthly newsletter.

Botswana

NEWS

21st May 2020
Outdoor Classroom Day – 21 May 2020
Our vision at Children in the Wilderness is to support sustainable conservation through leadership development and education of rural children in Africa. Our educational programme includes aspects of environmental education and life skills development, as we believe that both of these are crucial in forging an enduring path for informed, dedicated and passionate next-generation leaders...
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Josephine BesticBobirwa, Botswana, GMTFCA, Malawi, Namibia, News, Rwanda, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe
30th April 2020
Supporting Botswana Community Partners During COVID-19 Lockdown
Further to their core commitment to driving community empowerment in Botswana, Wilderness Safaris and Wilderness Air have donated essential supplies worth P33 000 to its long-term Vumbura Concession partners, the Okavango Community Trust (OCT), in collaboration with the Ministry of Health. Wilderness Safaris also donated food hampers and hand sanitisers worth P27 000 to 80...
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Josephine BesticBotswana, News
29th April 2020
Make Your Own Fabric Face Mask
As part of South Africa’s Level 4 lockdown regulations, it will be mandatory to wear a fabric mask in public from 1 May, 2020. The video has templates for three sizes Regional Programme Manager Janet Wilkinson has shared her tips, and a very useful video, for making your own washable, reusable face masks by hand....
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Josephine BesticBobirwa, Botswana, GMTFCA, Malawi, Namibia, News, Rwanda, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe
28th April 2020
Food hampers donated to Botswana’s Sankoyo community
Wilderness Safaris Botswana has donated food hampers and hand sanitisers worth P27 000 to the Sankoyo community, based in the Santawani Concession in the south-eastern Okavango Delta. Like many communities, the Sankoyo have been negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to village elder Kgosi Gokgathang Moalosi reaching out for help. With assistance from...
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Josephine BesticBotswana
22nd April 2020
Celebrating Mother Earth Day – 22 April 2020
“When we heal the world, we heal ourselves” – David Orr Eco-Club campers in Hwange International Mother Earth Day is celebrated to remind each of us that the Earth and its ecosystems provide us with life and all the things we need to survive. Eco-Club campers creating a map depicting the ecosystems of Namibia It...
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Josephine BesticBobirwa, Botswana, GMTFCA, Malawi, Namibia, News, Rwanda, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe
16th April 2020
Shashe Primary School Eco-Club – Hands-on in the Vegetable Garden
Up until Botswana’s 28-day lockdown from 2 April 2020, Shashe Primary School’s Eco-Club members were very hands-on in their vegetable garden! The Eco Club members were happy to be in the garden and getting their hands dirty. They have already completed a clean-up campaign of the grounds, and started preparing the garden plots and beds,...
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Josephine BesticBotswana
18th March 2020
Be Safe | Be Smart | Be Kind
The littlest Eco-warriors involved in our CITW programme are learning the three steps necessary to make the world a better place. 1. Be SAFE (and keep your hands clean)2. Be SMART (and keep yourself informed)3. Be KIND (and care for others) Particularly relevant at the moment is Point 1: to encourage hygiene and for the...
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Josephine BesticBobirwa, Botswana, GMTFCA, Malawi, Namibia, News, Rwanda, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe
27th February 2020
Bobirwa Cluster Eco-Club Activities
The Bobirwa Cluster schools Eco-Club activities last week involved many lessons from the curriculum which the Eco-Mentors worked through during their training at the beginning of the month. These are Mabolwe Primary School children Making a Tippy Tap with Aunty Katie Balone, Uncle Khumo Dingalo and Bolokanang Rutang. These are Gobojango Primary School children learning...
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Josephine BesticBobirwa, Botswana
19th February 2020
Children in the Wilderness in five minutes | 2020 video update
Children in the Wilderness is a non-profit organisation operating in Botswana, Malawi, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. CITW is supported by ecotourism company Wilderness Safaris to facilitate sustainable conservation through leadership development and education of rural children in Africa. Insight, care and commitment are required to conserve Africa’s pristine wilderness and wildlife areas....
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Josephine BesticBobirwa, Botswana, GMTFCA, Malawi, Namibia, News, Rwanda, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe
17th February 2020
Prepping for an Eco-Club Annual Camp
Eco-Mentor volunteer Angelica Mills shares a glimpse into how we prepare for the children before an Eco-Club annual camp. As she says, all made possible through Bobirwa Programme Coordinator, our beloved “Aunty” Tanya McKenzie’s amazing hard work and dedication! “Quirky smiles. I love watching the children experiment and pose with their favourite mentors. We take...
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Josephine BesticBobirwa, Botswana
14th February 2020
Bobirwa Eco-Clubs in Full Swing
Following on from the enormously successful Eco-Mentor training last weekend, our Bobirwa Eco-Clubs have all held environmental lessons, and introduced their school heads and children to the wonderful, lockable trunks packed with amazing educational goodies. Enjoy this selection of activities from Gobojano, Motlhabaneng, Lentswe-le-Moriti, Mabolwe, Semolale and Mathathane primary schools – from lessons on hygiene...
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Josephine BesticBobirwa, Botswana
11th February 2020
2020 Eco-Mentor Training at Tuli Safari Lodge
Eco-Mentor training plays a crucial part in the CITW programme. One of the main focus areas of this training is on the teachers and community members who volunteer their time to run the Eco-Clubs in the schools. Practical activity: web-of-life lesson The purpose of the training is to prepare the teachers to facilitate these weekly...
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Josephine BesticBobirwa, Botswana
10th February 2020
CITW Bobirwa Annual Camps 2019
The 2019 annual Children in the Wilderness (CITW) Bobirwa December camps hosted a total of 32 children between the ages of 9 and 13, with an equal representation of boys and girls. The participating learners were from two schools neighbouring Mashatu Game Reserve, namely Semolale and Gobojango primary schools. The first camp commenced by welcoming back...
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Josephine BesticBobirwa, Botswana
28th January 2020
Looking forward to the 15th Nedbank Tour de Tuli – Riding for a Purpose in July 2020
This life-changing four-day cycling adventure raises funds for Children in the Wilderness – a programme that is helping to educate and inspire the next generation of African environmentalists and ecologically conscious leaders. It traverses unspoiled wilderness areas in the three African countries that contribute to the Greater Mapungubwe Transfrontier Conservation Area (GMTFCA). Its reputation as...
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Josephine BesticBotswana, GMTFCA, South Africa, Zimbabwe
15th January 2020
NEDBANK TOUR DE TULI WINS INTERNATIONAL TOURISM FILM FESTIVAL AFRICA AWARD
January 2020 – Children in the Wilderness (CITW) recently announced that the 2018 Nedbank Tour de Tuli promotional video has won the Best South African Film in Sports Tourism category at the International Tourism Film Festival Africa awards. “We are delighted to have won this award at the first International Tourism Film Festival Africa...
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Josephine BesticBotswana, GMTFCA, News, South Africa, Zimbabwe