Born Free/Shamwari Education Blog – Aug 2009
I have shamefully been getting behind with my blogs so this morning I made it my top priority to send one off. And boy do I have lots to blog about - so make sure you catch up with the September blog here!
On Friday 28/08/2009 we had the draw for the raffle I was talking about in my previous blog. The winner was a student, Louise Allan from Rhodes University in Grahamstown (approximately 58km from Shamwari). She is doing her PhD in Marine Biology and her boyfriend who joined her is doing his PhD in Entomologyso this is was the perfect holiday for these to avid nature lovers. They came the first weekend in September and had a blast! Overall we sold 211 tickets and raised quite a bit of money bringing us one step closer to getting a classroom for Kinkelbos Farm School.
- The winner of the raffle Louise Allan and her boyfriend Ben - having a great time at Shamwari
Hendrik Kanise Combined School has recovered from their invading pig episode and they have had their second harvest! We have had some problems with insects eating their cabbages but we planted marigold and wild garlic between the cabbages which seems to have done the trick (remember it is an organic garden so NO PESTICIDES ALLOWED). This year has been a good learning curve for everyone and by next year the school and I will be organic vegetable growing pros!
- Hendrick Kanise learners hard at work in their vegetable garden
I was approached by the principal of Sandisulwazi High School to help with the major teenage pregnancy problem the school has. This year alone there have been 8 pregnant girls. So I rose to the challenge and did some investigation as to why these girls were falling pregnant. I found out that the girls were either uneducated regarding the female body and contraceptives or they would get pregnant to receive the government grant. The South African Government gives single mothers a grant of R250 a month (+/- £19.50), barely enough to raise a child! So we got all the girls together in assembly with no boys, teachers or parents allowed and we had a female doctor, a sister from the family planning clinic and myself address the girls. The doctor spoke about the female body and all the changes they would be experiencing in theirs now. She also answered any questions they had. The sister from the clinic spoke about the different contraceptives available and how to use them. I did a survey with women with children in their town to determine the costs of raising children. I then relayed this information the girls and also discussed the responsibilities involved in raising children and how it will affect their lives. All in all it was a great success and everyone learnt something even Abagail, my manager, and myself…
- Some of the girls taking part
The accountant at Shamwari’s head office and some his friends who were all having birthdays close together decided to have a joint party. This was a party with a difference… it was a Christmas party in August but instead of bringing gifts for the birthday people, people brought old clothes, toys and food which was given to us to distribute. We got tons of clothes and food to share with the poor communities and it was a really kind initiative!
- At the Paterson Clinic
On a sadder note, we had a VERY special visitor in August, a teenage girl suffering from a rare type of cervical cancer. The Reach for a Dream Foundation, who fulfills the dreams of children with life threatening illnesses, asked us to help fulfill the dream of this girl. Her dream was to have a picnic with her family in the bush. Reach for a Dream also told us that she loves animals and would have loved to become a vet but her grades had dropped because of all the school she has had to miss during chemo treatments. So we decided to make this a day she would never forget. It was one of the best suprises ever. She had no idea what was going on when we picked her and her family up at the Reach for a Dream offices and each activity we did with her was a surprise - she never knew what was coming next… it was really exciting for me too! So when they got to Shamwari they went on a game drive and during the drive the ranger stopped and behind a bush a beautiful picnic was laid out for them with really delicious food. After that we took her to Shamwari’s Rehabilitation Centre where she got to feed a baby zebra, warthogs and elephant. To end off her day we took her to our Julie Ward Centre were she was given a behind the scenes tour of the sanctuary and she helped to feed some of the cats. What we tried to show her is that you can still work with animals without being a vet. We sent her home with loads of goodies from Shamwari and us. It was a wonderful day even though at times we all had a big lump in our throat. She is such a bright, loving, positive girl who reminded us all that life and our health are precious gifts we so often take for granted…
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