African Wildlife Photography and Conservation Education
NELSON MANDELA
St. Lucia is situated within the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, a beautiful area that was declared as South Africa's first Natural World Heritage Site by UNESCO and which is called by many Africa's premier bush-and-beach destination. Encompassing almost half a million acres, it is a stunning and ecologically diverse area, where five different eco-systems join, and where you find savannahs, wetlands, swamps, beaches, and a great wealth of wildlife. The area is home to the Zulu tribe; a group of people with a very lively and colourful culture. It is within this impressive setting that we offer you the opportunity to photograph the phenomonal wildlife in the area, and to help raise awareness in the local community about the importance of conservation.
Location: St. Lucia, North East Coast of South Africa. A comfortable and charismatic town within walking distance of the beach.
Age Limit: Minimum 17 years, maximum decided on potential participants' health
Required Experience: For this project, enthusiasm for photography is essential. Photographic knowledge and experience is helpful, but not necessary. Volunteers will need to bring their own photographic equipment, although there are no specific requirements to this equipment.
Project Highlights:
Weekend Highlights:
These are not included in your volunteering fee
CREATING A PICTURE DATABASE
In order to preserve nature and wildlife, it is essential to get local communities involved. What is lacking in current educational syllabi is a detailed photographic database of the wildlife in the St. Lucia area. In association with the Green Vision Foundation, African Impact aims to create a complete database, and use it for educational purposes. As a volunteer, you will contribute to this goal by taking photographs of as many wildlife species as possible. You will photograph large animals such as elephant, buffalo, rhino, leopard, as well as smaller creatures such as chameleons, insects, and some of the 521 bird species that call this World Heritage Site home. The best pictures will be included in our database. In addition, we will assist you in getting some of the best pictures published in magazines and/or books. The project is a unique opportunity to encounter some of Africa's most beautiful animals on a daily basis, to improve your photography skills, as well as to contribute to conservational efforts.
Pictures of the Month/Year
Every month, a jury of professional wildlife photographers will select the best picture, which will be framed and put on our picture wall in the volunteer house. In addition, it will be put on the African Impact website. In August of each year, the same jury will select a picture of the year, and will award the winner with a free trip back to St. Lucia with African Impact.
CONSERVATION EDUCATION
To enhance awareness of UNESCO's objectives and methods, as well as conservational efforts in general, it is vital to involve and educate St. Lucia's local community. As a volunteer, you will visit local schools and community centers, and give classes and workshops about the reason for, and methods of conservation. Your teaching proficiency in this and other areas will be based on our orientation programme and extensive training that you will receive from our staff in order for you to be able to do this competently. You will also, along with a conservation education syllabus, use our photography database to do this. In addition, you will take local school children and orphans into the bush on field trips. By experiencing the World Heritage Site and its wildlife themselves, the children will learn to appreciate the area they live in, and get a better understanding of educational efforts. It will also provide them with a fun and relaxing day out; something they don't experience often!
FURTHER INFORMATION
A Typical Day in St. Lucia:
Here is how a typical day in the life of a St Lucia photography volunteer might take shape. Please note that your itineraries may differ from this, depending on your own experience and the number of other volunteers on the placement at the same time, and this is simply to give an example:
Project Cost:
| GBP (£) | USD ($) | |
| 1 month placement | 1295 | 2590 |
Project Cost Includes:
Project Cost Excludes:
www.happyafricafoundation.org
Regd UK Charity Number: 1123529
Pathfinders and The Happy Africa Foundation
Pathfinders is proud to have been instrumental in the establishment of The Happy Africa Foundation and continues to be one of the Foundations major supporters. Donations made to support our community and conservation initiatives by private donors as well as by Pathfinders as a voluntoursim company are managed and distributed on our behalf by The Happy Africa Foundation.
The mission of The Happy Africa Foundation is to empower the African people through the support of community and conservation based initiatives that operate at grass roots level.
Conservation Development:
The Happy Africa Foundation works together with local African communities to conserve and protect the environment, wildlife and cultures in areas where the Foundation is involved. Thus, the Foundation supports, financially or logistically (or both), local and international organizations that operate projects supporting conservation education and research at a grass roots level.
Community Development:
The Happy Africa Foundation strives to initiate, facilitate and support community development projects that are sustainable. As such, The Happy Africa Foundation makes every effort to ensure and takes relevant measures in assessing, planning and monitoring community development projects for the benefit of local African communities.
The Happy Africa Foundation provides travellers, volunteers and other donors with a chance to give back to the communities they visit or volunteer in on their African journeys, or that they wish to support remotely through donations.
Project Orientation:
Upon arrival in St. Lucia you will have a comprehensive three-day orientation program, which is included in your fee. This is facilitated by your project volunteer coordinator and entails:
Project Support:
Throughout your stay at your placement you will have the support and guidance of experienced field-workers and coordinators. They are part of our greater African Impact support team, and will provide you with competent 24-hour field support and assistance.
Project Accommodation:
During your project, you will stay at our large and comfortable project house. Situated in the middle of St. Lucia, it is a fully furnished house with a large lounge, satellite television, barbeque area, garden, swimming pool, and a jacuzzi. The house is staffed with cooks and laundry/cleaning ladies. All bedding is provided, so you will not need to bring a sleeping bag with you. Though sometimes it is useful in the colder months (June - September). You will be sharing a bedroom with one to four people. Members of our African Impact team will be staying on the same property, so that they are always available to you for any questions or issues you may have.
We find that volunteers living together and working closely together with their volunteer co-ordinators is the surest way of ensuring their safety and being able to attend to their most pressing needs. For this reason, we expect all volunteers to stay only in the accommodation provided for them and do not allow volunteers to spend nights away in the town or nearby villages, unless they are away on pre-arranged sightseeing excursions.
Project Meals:
You will be provided with three meals a day.
Breakfast is on a help-yourself basis and usually consists of cereals/porridge, toast, tea and coffee.
Lunch and dinner are full meals, and will be cooked for you by a chef at your volunteer house.
Note: If you leave early in the morning for your photography project, which is often the best time for good pictures, you will be given a packed breakfast.
Project Getting There: Our destination manager will assist you with the procedures!!
The nearest airport to St. Lucia is Richards Bay Airport, which is about a forty five minute drive from St. Lucia. There are daily flights from Johannesburg to Richards Bay and these can be booked online at www.flysax.com
Excerpt from the SAWUBONA South African Airways in-flight magazine, April 2007
"We ducked to avoid overhanging branches on the edge of a dark patch of forest, then climbed up and up until we were on top of this wetland world. We looked across the tallest forested dunes in Africa to the sparkling Indian Ocean. On our other side lay shimmering Lake St Lucia; a white rhino grazed below us. To the north and south, the rolling grasslands and dunes to the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park. We wandered down to the lakeside to watch the sunset. Hippos stared balefully from the water and a crocodile slithered in. Buck came down to drink, while the birdlife - some 526 species throughout the park - had us looking in every direction..." - Jill Gowans