Our aim is to send teenage school children from the Waterberg in South African on a course in wildlife conservation at Lapalala Wilderness School to broaden their horizons, present them with career opportunities and raise awareness about the vital importance of the Unesco Biosphere Reserve where they live.

Would you be able to help?

A donation made through the Big Give will be doubled until 9th December 2025. Even small donations are a great encouragement and will make a big difference.

We have reached our challenge target but this remains a great way to donate and means we will be able to apply for a higher amount of matched funding next year.

Situation:

The Waterberg plateau in Limpopo province, South Africa is an unspoilt wilderness of great and valuable biodiversity. It has been awarded UN World Biosphere status.

Within this area are several impoverished communities. The Waterberg Trust works to uplift school children, providing healthcare and environmental training, in order to improve the life chances of individuals and thereby protect the environment.

Solution:

By providing a 5-day residential environmental training course for a classroom of teenagers, individuals will gain an understanding of their biosphere and its value to them, their communities and the world ecosystem. Follow-ups are conducted by the trainers back in the school classroom to maintain interest and deepen learning. This is often the first exposure these young people get to understanding wildlife. Some go on to have careers in nature conservation or work in hotel and catering management on game reserves in the area.

The Waterberg Trust has sent a number of groups to Lapalala Wilderness School in the past. As you can see from the photos above, this has always been a great success.

Lapalala Wilderness School is a long-established NGO or charity in it’s own right that has been changing the lives of young people in South Africa for 34 years.

You will find The Waterberg Welfare Society page here on the Big Give website under Waterberg Welfare Society Trust

Help us to make another course happen! All donations received via Big Give will be doubled until their deadline on 9th December.

Their match funding partners, or“Champions”, make everything possible. It’s a simple idea. When the public donates to one of their campaigns, they ask their Champions to match donations to help make an even bigger difference, as explained here and in the video below.

Many thanks to all our donors! We are deeply grateful.