CAMP FOR GIRLS
Include environmental conservation in school curriculum
Okavango Wilderness Safaris is lobbying for the inclusion of environmental conservation education in the school curriculum as well as greater investment into it.
Programme coordinator at Okavango Wilderness Safaris, Moalosi Lebekwe lamented the fact that Environmental Science Education (ESE) is non-existent in Botswana largely due to challenges such as lack of resources - largely because training in the subject would need to be held outdoors.
Speaking to The Midweek Sun this week, Lebekwe, said that taking care of the environment is not a highly prioritised engagement but is a critical aspect of development.
Okavango Wilderness Safaris hosted a camp for 30 girls under its foundation, Children in the Wilderness – Botswana, at James Sausage Tree Camp in Etsha.
The camp was sponsored by the American Embassy to the tune of 25, 000 US dollars
(approximately P288, 000) for a period of one year.
The camp was held under the theme, ‘Conservation Science Camp for Girls in Rural Areas,’ and the participants, school girls from Ngambao Junior Secondary School in Seronga, were trained and equipped with skills in environmental conservation.
Lebekwe noted that the project is geared towards luring girls in rural areas to pursue Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) related subjects and or career trails.
“We noticed that many girls are struggling with certain subjects, particularly maths and science. One of the other reasons that young girls are also deterred by other challenges in their lifestyle such as welfare challenges, for example,” he said.
Lebekwe explained that the aim of the camp was to motivate girls to branch into environmental and STEMbased tertiary degrees and career trajectories.
“The five-day camp gave girls exposure to various training in the fields of environment, science, and STEM facilitated by an all-women experienced team of ecologists and educators,” he said.
He further noted that in schools, the challenge with pursuing STEM subjects is that there is sometimes a lack of resources. He however reiterated that there is a need to increase numbers in the fields of STEM.
“We wanted to start by testing grassroots and reaching out at junior schools, where they are at a phase where they will be determinant of senior subjects.”
Lebekwe said beyond that, they also wanted to bring together the girls in order to address issues related to their social and economic lives such as poverty and teenage pregnancy among others.
“We wanted to inspire them to improve and make choices that correlate with them having higher ideals for their lives,” he said. He noted that they focused on tourist-based areas because that is where the need for environmental protection is needed the most.
Lebekwe is passionate about including ESE in the schools’ curriculum because he not only appreciates its importance and relevance but also learned how integral it is to development when living overseas.
“I noticed that all Governments take environmental conservation seriously, and they determine the future of work”.
He said camps such as the one they recently held, are aligned to the National Development Plan (NDP) 11 which speaks of the need to protect environmental resources, as well as the Vision 2036, which advocates for sustainable and optimal use of our natural resources, with the hope that by then, it will have transformed our economy and uplifted our people’s livelihoods.
January 19th Zodiac
Being a Capricorn born on January 19th, your personality is characterized by intelligence, discipline and loyalty. Your mind is one of your greatest tools and you use it to effectively solve problems and meet challenges. Your strong mind is met with equally strong discipline and attention to detail. These qualities are admired by your friends, family, peers and coworkers, but it may be your loyalty that is appreciated the most. Those closest to you would gladly admit that you are extremely dedicated in relationships. You may struggle to recall a situation where you did not have your loved ones’ best interests at heart.
January 19th Career
Your natural abilities will afford you several opportunities for successful careers, although narrowing your choices down to one may be easier said than done. Your communication skills and attention to detail would be a great fit for positions in management or supervision. Similarly, you may gain satisfaction helping others in education, philanthropy or advising. You may find a career in creative expression to be the most rewarding, which may lead you to writing or poetry, much like Edgar Allan Poe, who was also born on January 19th. If you are musically inclined, you may express yourself lyrically, which was the case for Dolly Parton, another of your celebrity birthday twins.