Bush School

We firmly believe that any conservation initiative has to go hand-in-hand with education and awareness programs to enable any real impact in the long run. Conservation of wildlife and habitat demands a holistic approach, requiring the use of a variety of tools, education programs being one of the most important ones.

It is our vision to create a generation of informed and compassionate youth who will lead Tanzania to a more sustainable future for wildlife, the environment and the community. Correspondingly, we envision Kilimanjaro Animal C.R.E.W. as a leading center for advanced veterinary services in Tanzania, as well as the best location to learn about wildlife.

We strongly believe, that conservation requires education, as well as personal experience. If children get the opportunity for a hands-on-experience, as they do when visiting our Center, it is something that they will keep in their minds and hearts. It might be the way to awaken the passion for conservation, at the least it will create awareness for animal-welfare. Any child has to learn that it can experience and learn about Mother Nature and her creatures without having to inflict harm.

Our hopes are that by the time the new generation of vets step into the field, human-wildlife conflict would have been lessened through many different possibilities of proven mitigations. Yet, the only way to achieve this is continuous education about the importance of conservation and sustainability. We have had several success stories from children visiting our center who used their taught knowledge to rescue wild animals.

The following programs are offered in our educational department:

Program for preschool-aged children (Kindergarten)

Preschool-aged kids from the neighbouring Machame community visit our Forest Kindergarten five days a week. Apart from conservation and sustainability, we teach some essential skills, such as reading, writing and English. We also provide the kids with breakfast at our school.

Programs for the school kids and clubs

We offer various day programs for students (and adults) of all ages and aim to reach as many people as possible. Our curriculum focuses on different subjects, depending on age and interest of the participants. Attending our programs is free of charge for the students and is based on donations only. This way we are able to reach several hundred of students every year.

The success of our Bush School was marked by Dr. Jane Goodall, the internationally acclaimed primatologist, and we are proud to collaborate with her Roots and Shoots Program in Tanzania.

Education is the heart of what we do and we hope to increase our program to get even more students involved. In order to do that we rely on donations, which will fund a better educated youth for tomorrow.

Funds needed annually: US $ 30,000

Funds include costs of salaries for teachers, learning and teaching materials, school uniforms with logos, maintenance and repair of the existing structures. A detailed estimate of the costs can be provided if requested.

If you would like to support this important part of our mission, please donate to ‘Bush School’.