uMhlanga eco-champion (12) raises over R100 000 for conservation
uMhlanga's Romario Valentine has fundraised for various wildlife initiatives, including the Mouse-Free Marion Project.
AS an advocate for wildlife and the environment, uMhlanga’s Romario Valentine has achieved much at the young age of 12.
Not only was he the youngest ambassador for the environmental non-profit organisation (NPO), Ocean Sole but he has also participated in more than 490 beach clean-ups, has been featured in an internationally published book, What A Wonderful World, and last year, he added published author to the list with his book, Protect Our Planet: Take Action with Romario and Eco-Projects and Green Tips.
But it has been the fundraising work he has conducted for coastal species as well as the Umgeni Bird Park that has really caught the eye.
This year, he surpassed R105 000 in terms of fundraising for various bird-related causes since the Covid-19 lockdown.
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It all started with raising funds for the Umgeni Bird Park in 2020 which was one of the City’s biggest attractions affected by the lack of income from visitors during the pandemic.
He then raised funds for Birds of Eden (African Grey and Parrot Aviary) and then set his sights on the Birdlife South Africa Mouse-Free Marion project.
Over the festive season, the Reddam House Umhlanga Grade Seven learner relaunched the campaign for Marion Island and has just surpassed the R50 000 mark through his BackaBuddy page.
Marion Island is one of the two Prince Edward Islands in the southern Indian Ocean and home to an array of seabirds – 28 species in all that breed and nest on the island.
“In recent years, the birds have been under threat from mice that were accidentally introduced to the island in the 19th century. I work closely with Birdlife South Africa, and when I learned about the Mouse-Free Marion Project, I wanted to help. The project aims to eliminate the rodents that pose a significant threat to bird species on Marion Island, an essential part of the marine ecosystem.
“It has been phenomenal seeing how the word has spread for my fundraiser and how generous people have been. I’m truly honoured to receive all the support from everyone, and I firmly believe we can only make a change when we work together. I believe it is my mission to protect our planet and leave a legacy for future generations to come. I’ve been lucky enough to sponsor more than 20 hectares on Marion Island as every R1 000 raised through my BackaBuddy campaign will contribute to sponsoring a hectare, ultimately contributing to the preservation of Marion Island,” he said.
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He added that he hopes it will encourage other young people to become Earth guardians. “I believe that if children get involved with protecting the environment from a young age, it will help them become better citizens and leave a positive legacy for future generations,” he explained.
Romario also thanked his parents for their unwavering support of his passion for protecting the environment.
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