Wildlife project to help get youth involved

THE YOUTH should be activists of wildlife preservation, but a lot of them are apathetic towards it.

These were the words of Joy Jarvis, head of education at Green Wall of Africa (GWA), a non-profit organisation dedicated to uplifting and empowering the youth of South Africa in environmental issues.

In an attempt to get young people involved, a first of its kind initiative aimed at getting youth actively involved in the advocacy for wildlife preservation was launched on Tuesday at the Katlehong Arts Centre in Ekurhuleni.

Named Youth Against Extinction, the programme is aimed at educating South African youth in township and rural areas. The project will take a particular focus on activism endeavours against rhino poaching and shed some light on holistic issues related to wildlife preservation.

“We are teaching young people about wildlife and why it is so important to preserve it. Ultimately they must go out into communities and teach their peers in their own languages on the same message,” said Jarvis.

Last month, Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa said 749 rhinos had been poached countrywide this year, surpassing 2014’s count of 716 at this time of the year.

GWA hopes to roll out the project to other provinces once it has achieved some success in Gauteng.

GWA chairwoman Irene Hysamen said the project provides unemployed youth with a chance to participate constructively in the community.

“We give them the knowledge and some of them could end up in the field of wildlife conservation. We just have to make them see how wildlife can be useful to them,” she said.

Four primary schools and one secondary participated in the launch, with hundreds of pupils blocking off Sontonga Street in Katlehong, carrying placards bearing messages against rhino killing.

Grade 9 pupil Asarela Ntsolo was elated at being part of the project, saying “it is important to protect the rhino because it’s a member of the big five, and this brings a lot of tourists to our country”.

Baliswa Mbono, a Grade 4 pupil at Tshabalala Primary School, echoed her counterpart’s sentiments, saying “we must save the rhino. If we kill it, tourist will not come anymore”. – Staff Reporters