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Achievement Report Karongwe October 2016

Report Title
Kinyonga visits Diphuti

Objective
Provide a thorough environmentally focussed curriculum for students in local schools.

Summary
We have continued our Environmental education programme at Diphuti primary school and
partnered up with Kinyonga reptile centre.

Report
GVI Karongwe has been running an environmental education course at Diphuti primary school for
much of 2016 which covers the following topics: Environmental issues, mammals, Litter picking day
and recycling, Poaching, Economic sectors, Importance of trees, Ecology, Birds and bird behaviour,
Insects and the role they play in the environment, Conservation, Reptiles with a focus on snakes and
Careers in conservation.
Recently GVI arranged for Kinyonga reptile centre to give the grade 7s a presentation on reptiles
with a particular focus on snakes. The aim was to teach the students of Diphuti about the ecological
importance of snakes, the identification of common venomous snakes found in the area and dispel
some of the fear that is so prevalent within Africa.
There was a great sense of anticipation and nervousness when the Kinyonga staff arrived with boxes
labelled WARNING: Dangerous snakes in transit. The students were in awe as they watched
Damian from Kinyonga handle and speak about a boomslang, puffadder and cobra. Finally a python
and bearded dragon were presented which gave the students an opportunity to touch and feel the
reptiles, an important step in overcoming fear.
The amount of interest and enthusiasm shown by the Diphuti students was most encouraging and
the Kinyonga staff was bombarded questions, so much so that they found it hard to leave. This was
followed up by a debriefing session with GVI where we highlighted what to do if you come across a
snake and why you should not kill it.
A big thank you must be given to the dedicated and passionate staff of Kinyonga and GVI. It was a
hugely successful day and a massive win for conservation.