{"id":11738,"date":"2019-11-04t05:46:52","date_gmt":"2019-11-04t05:46:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dpetrov.2create.studio\/planet\/wordpress\/sierra-leone-sets-an-example-through-environmental-education\/"},"modified":"2023-03-22t13:58:55","modified_gmt":"2023-03-22t13:58:55","slug":"education-sierra-leone-environment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/education-sierra-leone-environment\/","title":{"rendered":"sierra leone sets an example through environmental education"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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in a world on the verge of climate catastrophe, small-scale conservation efforts don\u2019t get nearly enough attention. despite the overwhelming evidence that our planet is terminally ill, instilling a conservation ethic to those in the western world still proves to be a treacherous task.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

now imagine undertaking the task of propelling conservation in places where environmental protection has been neglected for so many years; the earth\u2019s decline a negligible problem compared to far more tangible issues of poverty, disease, and conflict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

children in sierra leone are at the forefront of changing this narrative. at tacugama chimpanzee sanctuary<\/a>, the tacugama kids environmental educational program<\/a> (tkeep) is already shifting the values held by children in nearby communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cbala always saw it as the core,\u201d aram kazandijan told me, although the environmental education program has been gradually developing on an upwards path for years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

kazandijan is the development manager of the sanctuary, who has overseen the hard work into tkeep. the program is aimed at the children who live and attend the schools that are in closest proximity to the sanctuary and to the forest reserve. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

when you walk up the scorched copper-colored path, and into the lush greenery at the mouth of the sanctuary, you pass the sign, \u201cchange starts with kids.\u201d printed intentionally on the wall on the backside of the surgery room, visitors at tacugama can see it right away. this eye-catching sign reflects the importance of education to the sanctuary\u2019s core mission.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

kazandijan, who doubles as the assistant director of tacugama, is convinced that kids have the power to influence great change. after my time working at the sanctuary this past summer, i am also convinced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

as a wildlife and conservation intern, i spent an abundance of my time at tacugama working with both the environmental education program and community outreach programs.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

the kid\u2019s environmental education program enables children in sierra leone to have access to valuable conservation education, giving rise to future voices and leaders in research, environmental protection, and climate change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

one of the ways they are helping to implement this mission is by the creation of the kid\u2019s workbook: a comprehensive, 13-lesson educational workbook that teaches kids about various aspects of the rainforest ecosystem, about health and sanitation, and about wildlife conservation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

while tacugama was originally created as a sanctuary for orphaned chimpanzees, it has now expanded to address the issues that are most relevant to not only the forest and its species\u2014 but also to the people living in communities in its closest proximity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

with a combination of education and livelihood support, they \u201care trying to not just enhance, but improve their quality of life,\u201d according to kazandijan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

he explained how without basic needs, \u201cthere is no way you are going to be able to connect and facilitate change.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

in order to create lasting changes through conservation and livelihood projects, you must improve the quality of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

kazandijan said, \u201cthat\u2019s key.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

***<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

friends of tacugama  fundraising and scholarships<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

in august 2017, a devastating landslide hit the freetown peninsula in sierra leone, killing more than 1,100 people, and leaving more than 3,000 homeless. the slide occurred less than 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) away from the sanctuary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cwhen there is a disaster of that magnitude, whether you\u2019re an ngo, wildlife organization, or a research institute, you are all morally obligated to help,” kazandijan said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

this disaster hit home. many staff members ended up losing loved ones and their homes. tacugama knew that they had to intervene, as many of those affected by the slide were members of communities where outreach and educational projects were being carried out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

in the beginning, tacugama provided immediate supplies that were most needed \u2014 collecting donations to help provide breakfast (milk, bread, sardines), bowels, plates, cups, and waste management bins. after the launch of a gofundme page, and by approaching various donors, the sanctuary managed to raise quite a bit of money. but by this time, however, other far more established ngo\u2019s had moved in, and were supplying aid and resources effectively. so tacugama decided to use the money they had raised for more long-term objectives. that\u2019s when they came up with the idea of scholarships: sponsoring children who were orphaned by the landslide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cit\u2019s about assessing the gaps, figuring out which organizations are specializing best, and if they have the funds, they should cover the full spectrum, while we focus on more long-term objectives,\u201d kazandijan said. \u201cit\u2019s not a one-off commitment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

four of the schools that implemented tacugama\u2019s education program were greatly affected by the landslide. in two of the schools closest to the sanctuary, more than 40 children were killed. two months after the disaster, full scholarships were provided to 44 children who had lost their parents to the slide \u2014 and their school fees will continue to be covered on an annual basis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

the sponsorship covers their school fees, the registration, and, in some cases, uniforms, shoes, and book bags. their academic progress and wellbeing are being monitored through relationships with the teachers and principals. the charity arm of tacugama, known as \u201cfriends of tacugama,\u201d is also continually fundraising and receiving donations, of which a portion goes into continuing these scholarships. you can help by fundraising or\u00a0donating\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

***<\/p>\n\n\n\n

author’s note: during the six weeks of my internship, i spent time almost every day working on an updated version of the kid\u2019s workbook and teacher\u2019s manual. this required extensive redesign, lesson planning, interviews, and editing. this was also done for the corresponding teacher\u2019s manual, which is given to the teachers as instruction onto how best utilize the workbook in their classrooms.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

as you walk into the chimpanzee sanctuary, you pass the sign, \u201cchange starts with kids” reflecting the importance of education to their core mission.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9846,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4902],"tags":[4300,262,206,3703,4310,4309],"storyfest_categories":[],"class_list":["post-11738","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-colleges-education","tag-chimpanzee","tag-conservation","tag-education","tag-landslide","tag-sanctuary","tag-sierra-leone"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nsierra leone sets an example through environmental education - planet forward<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/education-sierra-leone-environment\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_us\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"sierra leone sets an example through environmental education - 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