DAKTARI Bush School & Wildlife Orphanage provides supplementary environmental and life skills education to Grade 8 learners in the nearby underprivileged communities. Every Monday morning DAKTARI welcomes eight children to the camp to spend five days attending lessons and doing activities aimed at building their knowledge of the environment.

Each lesson is taught by international volunteers who pay DAKTARI to be a part of the program as teachers and animal care providers. The volunteers receive the teaching program, a comprehensive manual with instructions for teaching each lesson. They are also taught how to properly care for animals by our staff. This structure allows volunteers, who do not have teaching or animal care experience, to take part in the program.

To further inspire the children, they interact with the animals at DAKTARI’s wildlife orphanage. The animals live in enclosures throughout the camp or live free in the bush surrounding camp. Twice per day, the children assist our volunteers and staff with animal feeding and care. Whether it is a hungry squirrel or a curious marmoset monkey, each child is able to see an animal up close, in a safe and fun environment.

After their time here, students from two of our partnering schools, Maahlamele and Rakgolokwana, have the opportunity to attend an Eco Club at their school taught by DAKTARI’s Outreach Manager and volunteers. The Eco Club is voluntary for any student still interested in learning about the environment and the local wildlife. Lessons are designed to reinforce the concepts taught at DAKTARI and foster the students interest in protecting their natural heritage. Students and volunteers undertake community projects, such as rubbish clean-up days or tree plantings, to show how the lessons can be applied at home.