Day Three: School Visit Giraffe-Themed Conservation Education, Juma
September 9, 2017
The Wild Nature institute has developed a new children's book, which is the core to their giraffe-themed conservation education project. Juma the Giraffe is the second in an ongoing series of children’s educational materials produced by the Wild Nature Institute that teach ecological and social lessons, build national pride in Tanzanian wildlife, and motivate children to learn about their natural world. Juma the Giraffe is a story about how every individual is unique and special, both on the outside and on the inside.
Together with the help of The living Desert, the Wild Nature Institute developed a packet of giraffe-themed educational materials for students and teachers. The materials are reaching approximately 5,000 primary and secondary school children aged 4 to 16 throughout Tanzania. Today I traveled with Monica and her team of educators to five schools to see the curriculum being taught. We visited with some of the local secondary teacher and students. We had an opportunity to ask questions about their knowledge of giraffe and other mega herbivores in Tanzanian. We’re happy to learn that the teacher training we supported paid off. The students answered our questions and presented a program on giraffe ecology and conservation, which made us all proud.
With the help of The Living Desert’s financial contribution, WNI also developed a poster highlighting the wonderfully weird physical features of giraffe, and have created an accompanying lesson plan for secondary school children. It’s been wonderful to see the posters displayed and being used in the classrooms. You can see the same posters and lessons displayed at our School House/Conservation Station starting October 1st, at The Living Desert’s Giraffe habitat.
