The project’s Community Development Officer visits local schools to teach children about conservation of natural resources, including wildlife. He emphasizes sustainable use and permaculture, as well as teaching children about wildlife in general and the long-term negative effects of poaching. For the permaculture part, he helps each school develop efficient gardens and orchards, right on the school campuses, that give children the opportunity to participate directly in basic agricultural methods that are most effective in the local climate and soil conditions.

This in-school programme is currently offered to the same fifteen schools that are in the free bush camp programme. The combined effect of the two programmes is very effective, one reinforcing the concepts taught by the other.

The Community Development Officer works with grades 4-6, depending on the sizes of the classes and the wishes of the headmaster. His goal is to visit each school two to three times a term. Also, about once a term, he gives a lesson for the whole primary school - usually centred around a nature documentary that teaches ecological concepts. His programme for grades 4-6 reaches about 1,800 students, but with his whole school programmes, he is in educational contact with a total of about 4,200 students.

The Community Development Officer is also very active with community gardening projects, and often arranges for meetings with the adults of each community, whenever he visits a school.

Updated: 09 September 2007