Tag Archives: South African teenagers

Teenage pregnancy support in the Waterberg, South Africa

July 11, 2025Africa, Charity, Community projects, Healthcare, Limpopo Province, Nonprofit, South Africa, The Waterberg Trust, Uncategorized, Vaalwater, Vulnerable Children, Waterberg, YouthAfrica, Charity, Limpopo Province, minstering to the hungry, Small but effective grass-roots project helping rural people in the Waterberg, South Africa, South African teenagers, Supporting teenage mothers, WaterbergSophie Neville

School nurse Sister Grace supporting teenage mothers

School nurse, Sister Grace writes to say that 53 individuals in 11 family units remain in need of food parcels and other essential items. These include school-aged mothers, child-headed homes, the unemployed who have no source of income, unemployed foreign nationals, or huge families struggling to meet daily demands.

After completing home visits and assessments, Sister Grace buys food that is distributed to the beneficiaries. “Those who are faced with an urgent situation are assisted accordingly.”

Thanks go to all those who donated to TWT’s Food Parcel Appeal back in 2020. Thanks to careful purchasing and management, we are still drawing on the funds raised. The scheme has worked exceptionally well. Many desperately needy people have benefited and thousands of meals have been provided.

If you would like to help, even in a small way, financial donations can be made via The Waterberg Trust’s Justgiving page or as specified on our Donate page here.

A food parcel financed by The Waterberg Trust

Prices for essential commodities fluctuate, but Grace shops around for the best deals. “I also buy baby clothes for teenage moms and donate clothes to needy children and adults.”

A school-age Mum receiving guidance and support

“All the pregnant girls I interact with are in between the ages of 15 – 18 years. They do have knowledge about where to access free contraceptives but are reluctant to go and seek for help due to unknown reason.”

A school-age Mum in South Africa receiving essential supplies — A school-age Mum receiving essential supplies

CHALLENGES: Most problems are complex and differ from one household to another

Alcoholics choose to spend money on beer rather than food
Child-headed homes lack parental guidance
Poverty
Gender Based Violence leads to sexual and physical abuse
Unemployed parents and youth
Increased number of teenage pregnancies

Some local community members remain employed on road construction on the R33, or on surrounding lodges and farms, while others run small scale businesses and earn extra income to support their families.

WISHLIST: Baby clothes, wool and sanitary products

60 pupils from Leseding sent to Lapalala Wilderness by The Waterberg Trust

March 17, 2018Africa, Charity, Community projects, Education, Limpopo Province, Nature Conservation, Nonprofit, Peer Education, South Africa, The Waterberg Trust, Waterberg, YouthAchievement, activity holiday, Africa, Charity, Donate, Education, Game reserve, Handling feared reptiles, Lapalala Wilderness, Limpopo Province, make a difference, Making a Difference, Nature Conservation, Obstacle course in the South African bush, photo of termite mound, raft-building in South Africa, South Africa, South African teenagers, Southern Africa, Transformed Lives, WaterbergSophie Neville

In February 2018, The Waterberg Trust enabled 60 local teenagers from Leseding Secondary School in Vaalwater to attend a week’s residential course on environmental awareness at Lapalala Wilderness School in the Limpopo Province of South Africa.

The students were given a grounding in nature conservation and experienced the beauty and importance of South African wildlife.

This python was very much alive as was the chameleon that the young people also handled.

27858732_1LWS wildlife 2

The idea was to take away fear of culturally reviled animals and teach students how to handle reptiles and creepy crawlies they might encounter. When they return to the township of Leseding, the teenagers are given a mentor who they can text if they find a snake in the house or hear of worrying wildlife issues.

Everyone enjoyed the obstacle course in the African bush and learnt how to use maps in a wilderness situation.

One day they donned PFD life-jackets to experience what it would be like to swim in the Palala River. It was a great way to cool off after a hot day in the African bush.

One exercise was to build a raft and get out on the water, which was an eye-opener for many. Mr Mashudu Makhokha, Director of Lapalala Wilderness School said, ‘Raft building is one of the activities that enhance teamwork, problem-solving and communication skills.’

The pupils also studied wildlife in the river system and learnt more about water. ‘They learnt to identify various kinds of aquatic animals – and the basics of how to use SASS (South African Scoring System) – which uses the presence/absence of a variety of freshwater macroinvertebrates to gauge the health of riverine ecosystem.’

Co-operation, team-building and leadership training were important parts of the course. ‘Students discovered that good teamwork is essential.’

However, recycling, eco-systems, the environment and the significance of South African wildlife was at the core of this inspirational week that ties in with the school curriculum and gives the teenagers a grounding for life.

You can see the students here on an interpretive hike that gave them an opportunity to learn basic ecology and gain a changed attitude towards biodiversity.

Could you help raise funds to enable more local children to go on this residential course? It only costs R380 per person a day (about £24) so is exceptionally good value. All food and dormitory accommodation is included. The Waterberg Trust like to provide the cost of transport from the township of Leseding, to ensure that no one is excluded for economic reasons.

Thanks go to those who took part in The Waterberg Trust Challenge Ride 2017, who raised enough money for these 60 pupils and two of their teachers to enjoy this life-changing opportunity. Hopefully some of these young people will consider a career in nature conservation, tourism or teaching in the Waterberg.

Trustees of The Waterberg Trust took TWT Riders to Lapalala Wilderness School in January, when they enjoyed meeting the staff and learning about new projects.

TWT Riders 2018 learing about community projects in the Waterberg

You can read more about Lapalala Wilderness School here and watch this video made for their 30th Anniversary. It’s fun:

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: Lapalala Wilderness School is immensely grateful for the assistance that The Waterberg Trust has given. This support has enabled 60 children and two adults to attend an environmental education course in 2018. We hope that with ongoing support from TWT, we can continue to bring young people to LWS and awaken in them a love for the environment and a commitment to conserving it.

Visiting Lapalala Wilderness School on Day 5 of The Waterberg Trust Challenge Ride 2017

March 15, 2017Africa, Charity, Community projects, Education, Limpopo Province, Nature Conservation, Nonprofit, South Africa, The Waterberg Trust, Trustees, Uncategorized, Vaalwater, Waterberg, YouthBurmese python being handled, Donate, Eco-school in the Waterberg, Kolobe Lodge, Lapalala Wilderness School, Nature Conservation, school field course in the Waterberg, Sophie Neville, South African teenagers, Sponsor a child, sponsor a child in Africa, Staff at Lapalala Wilderness School, teaching environmental awareness in South AfricaSophie Neville

TWT Ride Day 5 at Kolobe

Although the group of thirteen taking part in the challenge ride were briefed over breakfast, none of them guessed who they would meet that morning.

TWT Ride 2017 Day 5 at Lapalala Wilderness School

The beautiful snake, a rescued Burmese python, is an impressive teaching aid at the Lapalala Wilderness School. We saw how local teenagers reacted to reptiles during an outdoor seminar on nature conservation.

TWT Ride Day 5 at Lapalala Wilderness School

The students, who came from Metshesethela Secondary School in Vaalwater, were being taught about the importance of protecting South Africa’s wildlife and the environment.

TWT Visit to Lapalala Wilderness School 2017

Their 3-day residential course at Lapalala Wilderness School was sponsored by The Waterberg Trust. The riders explained how funds were being raised in the UK and Australia.

Explaining how TWT Riders raised funds to send pupils to Lapalala Wilderness School

Two of the pupils delivered a carefully written speech of thanks, saying how the course keyed in with their school curriculum. None of them had been to the eco-school before.

Pupils from Meetshesethla School thanking TWT for sponsorshsip

TWT riders were able to met the staff, some of whom had originally come to Lapalala as school children themselves. The eight educators do a wonderful job of inspiring others and run a Youth Development Programme, which entails taking promising individuals from disadvantaged communities and attempting to bring hope and direction to their lives.

TWT riders meeting the staff at LWS 2017

Learning about the history of the school, now it its 31st year, was fascinating. Many confirm that attending a course here was a life-changing experience.

TWT Riders 2017 learning about Lapalala Wilderness School

They aim:

To promote an appreciation and respect for the extrordinary diversity of Africa’s natural world and to develop and encourage a passion and commitment to conserve nature and ecological processes, where possible identifying and nurturing the conservation champions of the future.

The Lapalala Wilderness School does this through a schools’ programme and by reaching out into the surrounding area through broader youth and community projects. The staff are supported by a Board of Directors, several of whom have an active role in activities.

The plight of both black and white rhino is brought to the attention of students and those visiting the Interpretative Centre at the school where the skulls of poached rhino are on display.

As the learners put on life-jackets and went to experience paddling a small boat deep in the African bush,

TWT riders were given a tour of the school and its vegetable garden by the director, Mashudu Makhoka, who briefed us on their exciting plans for the future.

TWT Riders looking around LWS 2017

It was evident that by teaching children to recyle, conserve water and plant food, the Wilderness School’s community projects are a huge force for the good in South Africa today.

This March, The Waterberg Trust is sponsoring approximately 60 children and their teachers from Mokolo Primary School in Vaalwater to attend a 3-day course at the school. This video shows how they will be impacted:

We enjoyed meeting both the pupils, educators and the python, and would like to extend our thanks to Lapalala Wilderness for accommodating both riders and horses.