Uplands rhino ambassadors create awareness
A group of children recently had a great time learning more about rhinos and the dangers of poaching at Uplands College.
Twelve pupils of Uplands College attended the World Youth Rhino Summit in September last year and returned home, excited about raising awareness about the plight of the rhino. They decided that the best way to do that is to educate children living close to the Kruger National Park.
The delegates started with the SMILE initiative, a project where a group of student-teachers give English lessons to Grade 4 learners of Maqamela Primary School on the Uplands campus.
They got a helping hand from Mr. Chris Daniel, author of Bongi’s Quest. The book is about a young rhino that goes on a journey to find out what happened to the horn that was taken from his uncle. The delegates purchased 100 copies of the book in Siswati, with an English translation, to use a base for their learning.
The SMILE learners’ first lesson was on March 4 and the children were fascinated by a life-sized cast of a rhino. It was immediately enveloped by children curious to find out more about this strange animal.
The children gathered on the story carpet in the drama centre, where the Uplands pupils started chatting to them to find out what they knew about wildlife. The group said it was wonderful to see how many children knew what the big five were and very satisfying to teach those that didn’t about it.
To the delight of the learners, Daniel paid them a visit dressed as a rhino. He spent half an hour teaching the children about poaching and the importance of rhinos. The children were then surprised with the copies of Bongi’s Quest, which was read to them in Siswati by Mamma V, a member of Uplands’ outreach programme.
The grade fours then signed a pledge to be Rhino Warriors and tell someone if they ever heard or saw something related to rhino poaching.
“As they boarded their buses, clutching their books, we felt that we had brought joy to the lives of others but, more importantly, we had made a start in saving the lives of our rhinos,” one of the Uplands Ambassadors stated.
The rhino lessons are planned for once a quarter and Uplands says it will continue for as long as the school can sustain them. The aim is to reach 100 Maqamela pupils each year.
Once the lessons have been refined, the school would like to present them to community schools in areas directly linked to the wildlife industry.
For more information or to book lessons for a school, contact Uplands College on 013-751-3141.
