COVID Secure education

Jockul Ndowen School, Gambia

Regular hand washing and social distancing is a mainstay of the battle against covid, and the battle isn’t over. Uganda, Kenya and Cameroon have seen recent peaks in covid cases, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa have localised peaks, with school closures, curfews and local travel restrictions in some areas.  But for many of our partners regular handwashing itself is a challenge. Intermittent and low volume of water in taps is common – in Cameroon people report a whole month with no [...]

School environment club planting trees in Maroua

April and May are the hottest months in the Far north region of Cameroon. Temperatures range between 36 and 42, sometimes 46 oC - pretty challenging for indoor classes when there is no air conditioning.  At Jacques de Bernon Catholic School in Maroua because of these extreme temperatures and as a a covid precaution,  lessons have moved outside.  It has made the teachers and learners appreciate the shade of mango trees planted on campus by the school's founders. The situation has [...]

Conservation education back on track in Zimbabwe

Primary schools reopened four weeks ago.  Teachers have had time to catch up, get a routine in place and, importantly, to re-launch the pupils extra-curricular Conservation education. Palloma Pachiti (in yellow) is manager of Sebakwe Conservation Education Centre in the Midlands of Zimbabwe.  She's excited to be revisiting schools that received face masks and help setting up Tippy Taps in January. Inside Palloma's wider programme with the kids she's introducing them to the idea of using 'nudges'  - ways to prompt, [...]

Teachers and students take their learning home

  The battle against covid continues. In November SCEC (Sebakwe Conservation & Education Centre) in Zimbabwe's Midlands reached out to ten primary schools in their area, encouraging hand washing and the use of face masks among teachers and students.   "One of our objectives was to increase hand washing points in the schools, especially at the entrance into the schools, at the toilet blocks, and near entrances into the classrooms.  None of the schools had hand washing points at their toilets."   Some [...]

Medicinal plant gardens – New PACE Action Sheet

PACE (Pan African Conservation Education) shares environmental success stories, practical ways in which people have overcome local problems. Our new Action sheet on Medicinal Plant Gardens is one such source of inspiration for educators and individuals in these challenging times. Most people know some local plants that have health benefits, but may not know how to grow them or not realize they can be cultivated. There are many 'medicinal' plants that people use on a daily basis, species that are now [...]

New Conservation Education materials on their way to educators in the field

  Huge thanks to DHL and their staff for continuing to sponsor the distribution of PACE materials.  An efficient, COVID-secure pick up of 250 kg of new materials this afternoon - already en route to some of our fantastic partners in the field. This latest consignment, which includes banners, posters, films, educators guides, action sheets and booklets has printed resources and digital versions on the new PACE USB stick. Now that schools have started to resume after months of closure it [...]

Covid-secure Conservation Education

                        Reduced income, school closures and the need for social distancing has required a major readjustment for conservation education providers across the continent. Lapalala Wilderness School in South Africa runs residential courses for local school children, visits more than 40 schools, mentors youth and trains teachers. They have been forced to suspend all these programmes. Despite the challenges the Lapalala team remains very active. Each working close to their homes, [...]

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