Nholwasi Community Project
Inspire children to care for their natural wildlife and heritage
The word 'Nholwasi' means 'to build and work together', and this project provides the opportunity to do just that.
To inspire local children to become guides, wildlife rangers or conservationists is vital in the sustainable approach to conservation. Working alongside an established African charity, you will become mentors during bush camps and assist in developing leaders within local school groups with one main goal - to bridge the divide that exists between communities and wildlife.
- Work alongside an established charity in southern Africa to reach their goals.
- Assist in the provision and development of vegetable gardens and sustainable food provision in local schools.
- Join the Tuli Conservation Project and develop bush awareness, tracking skills and identification of key species to assist with bush camps.
- Become a mentor at bush based learning camps in the Tuli Wilderness.
- Assist in the local school wildlife club, teaching about various species and mentoring on walks and game drives in the African bush.
Conservation Value
Inspiring children to develop a positive attitude to these wild, rugged lands and a wish to protect their environment and wildlife for years to come is a vital step in sustainable conservation initiatives. Nholwasi Community Project provides a future for conservation in southern Africa and develops leaders inspired to care for their natural heritage and become the custodians of these fragile lands in the future.
Nholwasi video
Video of volunteering at the Nholwasi Community Project
Volunteer with local kid
Volunteer and kids
Playing with the local kids is half the fun of Nholwasi
Learning telemetry
In their holidays the children take part in bush camps where they learn conservation skills, such as telemetry tracking
Wildlife viewing
A big part of the work with the local children is to introduce them to their native wildlife and inspire a sense of pride in their natural heritage.
Nholwasi kids
Local school kids excited about the activities ahead.
Classroom in need of renovation
Many local schools are in very poor condition.
Education in the field
Local rangers teach the children how to interpret animal tracks.
School kid
The local kids really appreciate their improved schools
Preparing veggie garden
Volunteers teach the school kids how to plant vegetable gardens
Craft session
Art and craft sessions are part of the summer camps with the kids.
Vegetable seedlings
The kids then take responsibility for their gardens
traditional dance
Kids performing a traditional dance
Children In The Wild
To inspire local children to become wildlife guides, rangers or conservationists, is a long term aim of ACE. Working alongside a remarkable charity, you will assist in meeting the goals and aims of the charity and provide assistance in their wildlife clubs at school and during bush camps. Many children walk miles to school every day in South Africa, eager to learn and gain knowledge to provide a brighter future for themselves and their families.
Based in the magical Tuli Block of southern Botswana, you will assist in providing a consistent presence within the local community and their wildlife club and become a mentor during children’s bush camps.
Improving the school environment and facilities
This can involve working in the local village schools during your placement, on dedicated projects, focussed on providing better working conditions for both the children and the teachers. This can involve tasks such as
- Vegetable food garden establishment and maintenance
- Painting and improving the condition of classrooms, providing a more inspiring learning environment
Work alongside established children's charity in southern Africa
- Children In The Wilderness works within the local community and schools to support their wildlife club in inspiring children to care for and protect their environment.
- Volunteering with Nholwasi Community Project, you have an important part to play in assisting this passionate charity to reach specific goals through both funding and physical help at the project.
Bush camps in Tuli Wilderness
Children In The Wilderness camps allow rural children to appreciate the wildlife and habitats that surround them, develop an interest and passion for conservation and develop leaders to become custodians of these fragile ecosystems in the future. The camps always include topics such as sustainable living, fresh bush facts, new skills to discover in the bush and workshops based on environmental education. You will assist the camps in the following ways
- Assisting with teaching ecological subjects. In a fun way, technical skills, awareness and literacy are transferred using the natural environment. Children learn to put into practice what they have learnt and to propagate principles beyond the reserve boundaries.
- Integrate into the team running the course and become a mentor for the children at the camps. You often get to learn as much as the children about the unique environment you are working in during these camps!
- Assist the charity in providing lectures on key species in the Tuli block including elephants and predators, and ensuring the learning is adapted to bush living and is dynamic and creative for the children. This will of course require you to have been involved in Tuli Conservation Project and develop your knowledge on the species being studied and key conservation components.
- Travel to the local village schools and assist the Wildlife Club with information about wildlife and the conservation efforts of Tuli Conservation Project and the researchers who work in the area.
Children in the Wilderness Camp Dates
Discover Tuli's rich and diverse wildlife and ecology at least a week prior to the children arriving for their bush camp, where you will become a camp mentor.
- 31 March - 5 April 2012
- 27 November - 2 December 2012
- 3 December - 8 December 2012
Hear from other volunteers who've visited Nholwasi Community Project
Katie Ridley, November 2011Just wanted to say a huge THANKS for the amazing time I just had at the Tuli conservation and Nholwasi projects (got home today). The wilderness was truely spectacular, we saw so much. The children at the CITW bush camp were really lovely and we had so much fun singing, dancing and taking them on game drives. For anyone thinking of joining these projects - you must! You definitely won't regret it and will come back with so many stories to tell. Thanks again ACE for allowing me to have such experiences :)
Sarah CampionBeing part of one of the camps run by CITW was a great experience. The weekend was non-stop! We were up at 6am for wake-up games, and went right through until bed time. We played games, sang songs, went on game drives, did team building activities, arts and crafts, and had educational sessions. The game drives were fantastic! We saw lion, giraffe, and a cheetah which had just made a kill!It was incredibly moving to see what some of the children had written and you realise how much they benefit from these camps.
Laura LoftusI'm a student studying animal welfare and volunteered alongside my University group with ACE in February 2010. They organised for us to volunteer for the day at Matikinya Primary School building desks. I loved the trip and hope to organise another one for my college work experience with ACE.
Kezzie MoynihanIt was amazing and the most worthwhile thing I have ever done. Working in the school was totally real and everything you did has an effect on someone's life. The rewards were obvious form the start.
Guinevere ShortHow do all the learners seem to know exactly what is going on? When I found everyday a complex maze of lessons and random bells – highly organised chaos. My lasting memory of my time at Lumukisa is how much potential, energy and personality is contained within. I found the grade R class challenging to say the least. Forty-three five year-olds running amok while taking great delight in our confusion and sense of impotency. How in heavens name do teachers get them from illiteracy to literacy, it blows my mind. On the other hand I fell in love with the Grade 4 class. I took delight in discovering the individual characters within the class. I found these lessons highly rewarding and entertaining. I sorely missed taking their lessons when a new teacher had been employed. A thought I have been pondering since... do i retrain to be a teacher? I would like to take this oppurtunity to wish everyone at Lumukisa Primary all the best for the future. What I have gathered seems disproportionate to what I gave. I have learned that out of so little, so much can be achieved. That in some cases less is more. Thank you.
This page has been tagged with...
Project Location
Apply Now
Click here to find out how you can apply to join one of our conservation placements in southern Africa.Sign Up
Click here to sign up to "Bushwire" - Our low volume and incredibly informative newsletter from the African bush. All you need is a working email account!Ethical Volunteering
Find out more about our responsible travel policy and commitment to reducing carbon emmissions within our company, as travellers ourselves and how we help you as a volunteer to do the sameRead
Click here to download a copy of our brochure in PDF format or to request a printed copy to be sent to you in the postOur Brochure