Working with WWF (World Wildlife Fund)

Kasiisi Project and KFSSSP Unites with WWF

 To Bring 40 Students and 11 Teachers from Two Districts in Uganda

 To Learn About Wildlife Conservation

11-14 August 2011

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is an organization doing great conservation work around the world.  I grew up supporting their causes and looking forward to every newsletter they mailed. Last week, as Wildlife Club Officer of the Kasiisi Project and KFSSSP (Kibale Forest Schools and Student Support Program), I had the pleasure to work with WWF.

Two months ago, Hellena, the Environmental Education and Communications Officer of the Kyenjojo District for the Albertine Rift Forest project visited the Kasiisi Project to organize a Wildlife Clubs (WLC) exchange weekend.   We named it Wildlife Club Camp.  From 11-14 August, 40 Wildlife Club students from Kibale and Kabarole Districts, along with their WLC patrons came together to enjoy the conservation education resources in Kibale National Park.  It was a great experience organizing and preparing the activities and I had so much fun with the students and staff.

The weekend was a success, even with a morning of rain.  Based on the amount of smiles seen, engaging questions and answers from the students, written and drawn documents, and the comments from all school staff, this Camp needs to be replicated, and the need is there. I would love to be involved in this again in the future.  Seeing the students and the teachers’ minds filling with knowledge, and giving them opportunities to express themselves in the interest of wildlife conservation was priceless.

I enjoyed choosing creative, hands-on conservation activities that expand the mind. In fact, hands-on activities are proven to help increase learning. Here I have listed the activities and the lessons learned for each, in order of occurrence:

Activity 1 – Ball Name-Game

Description: Stand in a circle, when the ball is thrown to you, say your own name, then throw it to someone else.  After 5 minutes, throw the ball to someone else while you say their name.

Lesson: Learn the names of the students and school staff.  A bonding game was needed because the students all came from different schools and didn’t know each other. 

Activity 2 – Human Camera

Description: Pair up, one person wears a blindfold and is lead to (a) natural object(s) outside. Put the face close to the object(s), remove the blindfold for only half a second.  The blindfolded person is lead back to the room to draw what they saw.

Lesson: A bonding game of trust- the person being lead needs to trust the leader. Also, nature is interesting when you see it up-close.

Activity 3 – Draw “What do you think you will see in the forest?”

Lesson: To learn what expectations the students have about the forest, and what they think they know about the forest. To be compared with “What did you see in the forest?”

Activity 4 - Forest walk in Kibale National Park, mid-day

Description: Go on a forest walk with a knowledgeable guide, researcher, or field assistant. Most attendees had never been in a forest or a National Park.

Lesson: What is it like being in the forest? What animals will you see, or not see? What does it smell like and how tall are the trees?  A Ficus tree is very interesting and important for many animals in the forest including chimpanzees.  Why do we hope not to run into elephants? (They charge)

Activity 5 – Visit to Kasiisi Primary School

Description: Kasiisi P/S is the Kasiisi Project’s model school.  Among many projects, it has a library full of books for literacy groups and all other genres including conservation and science.

Lessons: Learn how to use a library and research animals found in Kibale National Park.  Show Kibale District students and staff that if they save their forest, they can have nice schools that are supported by organizations which bring in money. If they can bring tourism, they will benefit directly and indirectly. There was cultural exchange - Kibale District students performed a traditional song and dance for Kasiisi Primary students.  Primary schools Kanyawara, Kiko, Kigarama and Rweteera had a chance to see Kasiisi school.

Activity 6 – Women’s Community Dance Troupe and Drama (Skit)

Description: One of the income generating activities that this women’s group enjoys is performing traditional song and dance, with drums and costumes.  But they also include dramas, or skits, about conservation that have a strong message.  The Kibale District students, who were chosen to attend this Wildlife Camp, won dance competitions for their schools, so they were invited to also perform.

Lesson: The drama was about how snares and poaching are illegal. Cultural exchange. 

Activity 7 – Video Documentary on “Jungles”, Planet Earth

Lesson:  To bring the attendees again “into” the forest but with a closer view of life.  Most had never seen these kinds of images before, as TVs and especially videos, are not common in these rural districts.  There was a section on chimpanzees at the end which got everyone’s attention.  So we played it a second time slowly and paused to discuss every moment.

Activity 8 – Draw “What you saw in the forest”

Lesson: Attendees could compare what they learned and see the changes in their expectations. Camp leaders can also use this as an evaluation tool about what they learned.

Activity 9 – Tree hand-painting activity

Description: Paint the palm and fingers of one hand with green (water-based) paint and the underside of the forearm with brown paint. Place your print on a piece of cardboard and it looks like a tree.

Lesson: Each hand print is unique just as each tree is different from the next, even if they are the same species. Attendees take home their prints, and should plant a tree at home.  The print also reminds each household that trees are important. When all trees are held together, they make a forest.

Activity 10 – Arts and Crafts about nature

Description: Use donated arts and crafts from Holland, like stickers of animals and buttons, letters to spell your name, colorful ribbon, glitter paint, and colored pencils to make a poster about nature to take home with you.

Lesson:  To expand the mind about nature in an abstract way, and have fun with new art supplies.

Activity 11 – Visit to Kibale Fuel Wood Project

Description: Four stations were set up including: how to make a rocket stove, how to plant a nursery bed, how to make re-useable material into bricks of charcoal, and learn more in the museum, like touching skulls of different animals.

Lesson: To learn about all the above through hands-on experience and demonstration.

Activity 12 – PowerPoint Presentation by a Chimpanzee Researcher

Lesson:  To learn how Chimpanzees are similar to humans and why they and the forest are worth saving, and what YOU can do to prevent poaching and deforestation.

Activity 13 - Forest walk in Kibale NP, early morning

Lesson:  Animals have different life and light cycles. You will see certain animals in the forest at certain times of day, like the butterfly in mid-day when it is warm, and the monkeys in the trees in the morning when it is cooler.  Even though our human senses may not see or hear many animals, they are there.  In fact, below our feet, the soil is teeming with life.  Then we ran into an earthworm crossing the path.

Acknowledgements:

I’d like to thank Hellena and WWF for inviting us to be involved.  I’d also like to thank Caroline Riss and her family for the art supplies donation and assisting with preparations. Margaret Kemigisa gave much time and energy to provide our group with dance, drama, and the Fuel Wood Project, and was very flexible around the rain.  Ronan Donovan gave a great demonstration on how to use binoculars, and lead a wonderful tour of the Kibale forest.  Jessica Barth gave an exciting presentation on Chimpanzees and their similarities to humans and Matt Barth for his assistance with technology. Joseph the Headmaster helped fill in any translations or assistance needed throughout the entire weekend, made everyone feel comfortable in a new place, and brought an influential, positive energy during every activity.  Thanks to Francis Rwabuhinga, my assistant, and Robert at Kigarama, Richard at Kasiisi, and all other schools’ WLC Patrons for their support and interest in their students’ learning.  Thank you Makerere University Biological Field Station for your wonderful room and board!