What led your path to working with DAKTARI?
I have a friend in the organization who told me about Daktari’s respect for employees and what a great environment it is. She told me about her duties and the roles excited me because I love the idea of helping people, most especially kids. She told me that Daktari is looking for an Outreach assistant, so I applied and got the job.
Traveling to the village to do Eco Club together with the Outreach Manager and the volunteers
Describe what a typical day/week as the Outreach Assistant looks like.
On Mondays and Tuesdays, I do Eco Club. It is an after school program in which we teach kids about the environment, conservation, and wildlife. We have realized that after coming to spend a week at Daktari and learning about the environment, they don’t get the opportunity to learn more. On Wednesdays, I do community projects or check on people with whom we work with in the community to maintain our relationship with them. On Thursdays I work with the Job Hunting Program or just admin work in the office. On Fridays I do admin work for all the projects I do.
At Daktari checking if our animals still had food
What challenges do you face in your current role and how do you overcome them?
Sometimes the kids come to class a bit late, some lose concentration, or they start being disrespectful. To overcome this, the Outreach Manager and I request any kid to talk about what they have learned from the previous lessons. We find it very useful as it gets kids that are not participative to contribute a bit more than they would normally. We also use video clips. They are much easier for the kids to understand and they can participate more.
With the Job Hunting Program, you find that some students lack confidence especially because they are taught in English that is their second language and they don’t speak it that often. As their leader, I have to be confident, speak in English, cheer for and motivate them so that they can feel comfortable to do anything.
It is also difficult to work with older people. They need you to be patient with them and they always expect a lot from me since I’m from the village. I make sure that I respect them and do things according to our culture when I see them.
How do you support young adults in their job searches?
Firstly we welcome them for a week at Daktari. We help them with preparing CV, cover letter, creating and sending emails and also how to search and apply for jobs on the internet. We conduct workshops on monthly basis to follow up on them and help them further. They all encounter various difficulties for instance, some might have difficulties to respond to an email or to search more jobs as they might have used a computer once at Daktari. Update their CVs and cover letters and help them to search and apply for more jobs to increase the chance of securing a job.
What topics do you cover when teaching about the environment, nature, and conservation?
Some of the lessons that we teach include: Natural resources, Wild animals, Biodiversity, Ozone depletion, Energy, Wind patterns, Humidity, Earth, and Hibernation.
In the office doing admin work
Can you tell us about your efforts to addressing the waste issue?
I had several meetings with the community leaders, one being the Chief of the village. We discussed the waste issue and also possible ways to encourage the community not to throw garbage on the ground. I had meetings with them because they are respected in the community. If people see that they are involved as leaders they will participate in the monthly clean ups in the village. We also address this at the Eco Club.
What makes you proud of the work you do with DAKTARI?
I now love animals, nature, and my community more than before. I’ve realized that some people don’t care for them and I am trying to change that. My community has developed so much because of my efforts and three dustbins were put in four months after the first big cleaning in the village. Some of the students from the Job Hunting Program secured good jobs. The Eco Club learners are committed to it and they love it. One of the Eco Club learners even found a wounded animal in the bush and called us to come and rescue it.
Why should volunteers choose to volunteer with DAKTARI?
Daktari is internationally known for taking care of orphaned and wounded animals and for inspiring underprivileged kids to embrace their environment and nature. It also gives youth guidance to prepare for their future and communities to love nature. It takes passion, dedication, motivation, and love to do all these things. It is a great place to be since volunteers get the opportunity to experience and learn about the various cultures and traditions we have. They also get a chance to make an impact in people’s lives in the community.
Job Hunting Workshop in the village
How does DAKTARI help connect people with nature, animals, and conservation efforts?
We take Eco Club learners on a game drive so that they can see how beautiful the animals are. As we welcome kids here every week, they help the volunteers with cleaning the animal enclosures and preparing food for the animals. We do bushwalks every Thursday for the kids to learn about the trees too. When we have meetings at Daktari with community people, we do a tour around the camp for them to see the animals and they always fall in love with them. It might seem like nothing but it connects these people with the above mentioned.
What hopes do you have for the future of DAKTARI and your role within the organization?
I hope that Daktari could grow and create more job opportunities. To have all of the big five to attract tourists. To have people who came to Daktari do the teaching program as inspiration for others and to embrace South African nature. I would like to take over the Job Hunting project in my village. I would be an example to the students that they can do anything. The only thing is not to underestimate themselves. To create job opportunities for others and support them in whatever they want to do.
