Although I am a RAP (Rural Aquaculture Promotion) volunteer, I care deeply about all aspects of the environment. Therefore I readily agreed to co-facilitate Southern Province’s first Camp TREE (Teaching Respect for Everyone’s Environment) with my friend Beth, a LIFE (Linking Income Forestry and Environment) PCV. While working together, Beth took charge of raising funds by writing a Peace Corps grant while I was responsible for organizing and officiating the day-to-day camp activities. Furthermore, our duties included finding a venue, organizing transport, purchasing goods and foodstuff, and aiding volunteers with their sessions. The fruit of our labor yielded the opportunity to interact extensively with sixteen children (nine girls, seven boys), eight mentors, three Zambian facilitators, and six PCVs for five days, collectively focusing on environmental science and conservation. The appreciation the children and mentors have shown for their newly gained knowledge of Zambia’s natural wildlife and environment made all the planning and difficulties worthwhile.
We held Camp TREE in Itezhi-tezhi thanks to Musungwa Lodge, right on the boarder of Kafue National Park. Travelling almost over 200km each way (taking respectively seven and twelve hours from and to Choma) organizing reliable transport was the most difficult detail of camp planning. Our many stops along the way included: two flat tires, crossing the Kafue River on a pontoon, three stops for engine maintenance, and three cases of motion sickness due to bad roads. While difficult to reach, the beauty of the lake and natural environment of the surrounding area was instrumental to our lessons on conservation, the water cycle, and climate change. Most rural children in Zambia do not get to see the wild animals that Africa is famous for unless they live near a national park, as big game has been poached or displaced due to development. Our trip into Kafue was a once in a lifetime opportunity for everyone involved, adults and children, American volunteers and Zambian nationals alike.
During the three full days of camp, as two days were almost exclusively travel days, we kept everyone very busy! Jam packed with sessions, lessons and games we somehow managed to give the kids a break every now and then. In sessions we covered topics such as the water cycle, bush burning, soil improvement and crop rotation, trees and seeds, climate change and deforestation. It was so gratifying to see the children actively participating in sessions, growing in confidence, answering questions, and talking about the topics on their own after sessions were over. They loved participating in our hands-on lessons, asking questions and discovering new things. We branched out during lessons by taking nature walks guided by staff from the lodge, planting a tree nursery, touring the nearby hot springs and viewing the Itezhi-tezhi Dam, and by playing educational games (I also killed a three foot long spitting cobra by cutting it nearly in half with a hoe, which could also be considered a hands-on activity, but that’s a story for another time). One night we also had an extensive conversation about gender equality, which was just as much for our male mentors as it was for the children. And of course, it was wonderful for the volunteers to grow closer to our Zambian counterparts and children during meals, breaks, and activities.
Our most exciting activity was visiting the Elephant Orphanage Sanctuary located in the Kafue National Park. While travelling through the park we saw many animals such as baboons, vervet monkeys, elephants, waterbuck, kudu, warthogs, and many species of birds. At the sanctuary the pupils saw and learned about orphaned elephants and the effects of poaching on Zambia’s elephant population. Many of the children were moved when they saw the young, orphaned elephants. The sanctuary staff explained the importance of native wildlife in Zambia and about the benefits that big game and other animals bring to the country. Three members of staff told the children what kind of schooling they need to go through to become animal behaviorists and conservationists, and a ZAWA (Zambia Wildlife Authority) officer shared how he used to be a poacher himself until ZAWA worked to educate, train, and hire poachers to protect the wildlife. Afterwards, we asked the children if they would be interested in doing this kind of work and over half of them put their hands in the air with huge smiles on their faces. It is always a fantastic feeling to introduce the pupils to positive role models, especially those who have also come from rural villages.
Planted inside these children are the seeds of change, giving them inspiration for future careers in environmental science, hydrology, food security, policy making, as ZAWA officers and conservationists. I can’t say whether or not any of these children will pursue these paths in the future, but at least they have a foundation for these new interests. Plus, we all had a lot of new and fun experiences along the way! However, I am certain that we have shaped and influenced both the pupils and mentors to live a more conscientious life in regards to respecting the environment, using conservation farming practices, and gender equality. We had great conversations on each of these topics, discussing how these issues currently impact their everyday lives and how they see it changing their futures.
The children and mentors in turn will influence their communities to care for and respect the environment as they spread their new found knowledge in their villages, either in everyday interactions or hopefully by starting environmental clubs at school and holding community meetings. Planning and executing the first Camp TREE in Southern Province has been one of the most successful and rewarding projects of my Peace Corps career. I now have an even greater appreciation of Zambia’s wildlife and natural beauty after seeing it through the eyes of the pupils whom I have had the privilege to teach. Another fantastic and unforgettable experience under my belt in beautiful and zany Zambia!
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