Daktari Bush School

¿Qué es esto?

DAKTARI Bush School & Wildlife Orphanage is the educational project, which combines the education of underprivileged children and a wildlife orphanage, is a registered non-profit organisation located at the heart of the Limpopo Province of South Africa! This exceptional experience provides volunteers with the unique opportunity of not only caring for some of South Africa’s most iconic species, but also of using these animals as a tool to inspire a generation of underprivileged schoolchildren to become passionate about wildlife conservation.

You, alongside the other volunteers, will be in charge of leading the lessons as well as the activities, which the children are involved in. These include a lot more than just teaching the children, as the program is diverse and dynamic. Be it doing bush walks, learning about the negative aspects of poaching, or discussing the importance of respect, you will always be busy! Members of the project’s team will guide you and help you whenever needed, so you will never be alone!

100% of your payment goes to the Organisation!

Highlights
Educate underprivileged children about the environment, anti-poaching and important life skills.
Care for injured and/or orphaned wildlife and help us give them the second chance they deserve.
Get involved with local communities and learn about South African culture.
Go on trips and excursions and discover the beauty of South African beyond the gates of our camp.
Become a part of the DAKTARI Family, make friends for life and memories you'll never forget!

Environmental Education: Teaching the Children
DAKTARI provides environmental education to underprivileged children. The students are in Grade 8 (12 to 14 years old) and come from villages near DAKTARI. Every Monday morning DAKTARI welcomes 8 children for five days. The goal? To provide a close and engaging learning experience that motivates students to care for their environment and protect South Africa’s wildlife.
The program is completely taught by volunteers and they get a detailed teaching program before they arrive so that they can learn the material. The lessons include outdoor activities, educational games as well as social talks.

What makes our Teaching Program different?
The children get to spend a full week at our camp with our volunteers and get to have fun, as well as learn a lot! Because we only take eight children each week, they benefit from one-on-one attention and participate in every lesson. Each day has a mix of lessons, activities, and animal interactions.
The teaching program is very hands-on. The children get to see the animals up-close at our wildlife orphanage and interact with the animals every day. The lessons are interactive and practical and the children leave here with a passion for learning.

Wildlife Orphanage
DAKTARI’s Wildlife Orphanage is home to many animals that have no chance of being released into the wild. For instance, some of them are injured and need constant care. Others were hand raised, therefore they cannot survive in the wild. However, we release animals when possible. They play an important role as they are fully part of the environmental education program. Most importantly, these animals serve as ambassadors of their species for the children.

Working with the Animals in the Animals
Each morning and each afternoon, the children assist volunteers and staff in cleaning enclosures and feeding the animals. You will also interact with our most friendly residents that roam free in our camp. You may also have the opportunity to renovate or build new animal enclosures with our staff!
By actively taking part in animal care and by learning so much about animals during their stay, the children are inspired to protect the wildlife. It would be impossible to achieve our mission without the animals in our care.
Community Projects
At DAKTARI, we created a community program to increase our impact to a larger number of people. Therefore, we are able to actively engage with the nearby local villages. We achieve this thanks to our two main programs: the Wildlife Campaigns and the Eco Club. We also organise tours for volunteers in the villages. The goal is to empower local people and encourage ecotourism.

Eco Clubs
We are proud to run a voluntary after-school club for Grade 9 students. The ECO CLUB takes around 30 students at a time for 6 weeks. These voluntary clubs are very popular and the kids are celebrated with a big ceremony at the end of each cycle!

Wildlife Crime Campaigns
Every other month, DAKTARI takes the time to raise environmental awareness in primary schools, with Grade 7 students. This is a first chance to prepare the children for our on-site environmental education program as it introduces them to such topics.

Typical day
Monday through Friday you will be teaching a group of eight children, ages 12-15, about the environment, the importance of protecting wildlife, and about social issues like safe sex and substance abuse.

Your day starts at 7am and lessons begin at 9am. Classes are finished around 4:30pm and then we have group talks with the kids about social issues. Don't worry, we do make time for fun too! You will play games with the children, join them in the pool, and dance around the bonfire to their favourite songs. You also work with the kids to feed and care for the animals at DAKTARI.
Twice a day you will also help our staff care for the animals around camp. This can be anything from feeding an animal with a bottle to cleaning their enclosures or picking up a hammer and renovating their homes.

To get an impression of what the life of a volunteer at DAKTARI is, check out the video below!
https://youtu.be/PrVswQF57rU Life of a Volunteer

Weekends and time off

The children leave DAKTARI on Friday afternoon, the week-end is then your time off. You can go to Hoedspruit, the nearest town to buy souvenirs and have lunch at a restaurant, or plan an excursion to discover the wonders of South Africa. We are happy to help you plan a trip to the Kruger National Park or the Blyde River Canyon.

Requirements

Intermediate level of English
18 years old minimum
No teaching experience is required
Volunteers from all over the world are welcome
Smile and enthusiasm!

Rates for 2021

Period Euros (€) GBP (£)
1 week €590.00 £530.00
2 weeks €990.00 £870.00
3 weeks €1,470.00 £1,300.00
4 weeks €1,700.00 £1,500.00
5 weeks €2,000.00 £1,760.00
6 weeks €2,300.00 £2,020.00
7 weeks €2,600.00 £2,280.00
8 weeks €2,900.00 £2,540.00

We do arrivals and departures to/from DAKTARI on Saturdays only

What’s included in your fee?
Transfer to/from Hoedspruit town or Hoedspruit Airport on Saturday only
3 delicious meals a day
Water, tea, coffee and juice
Accommodation with linen and towel
Daily laundry
WIFI in common areas

What’s not included in your fee?
International Flights
Transfer from Johannesburg to Hoedspruit
Travel insurance
Sodas and alcoholic drinks
Excursions

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