23 Nov 2021

Elephant Havens Wildlife Foundation has donated two tents and school uniform to 50 pupils to Shorobe Primary School. 

Speaking during a ceremony to hand over of the donation worth P65 000, Maun Administrative Authority district officer, Ms Tryphinah Mbotho thanked the foundation for caring about the community.

The donation, which makes part of the foundation’s corporate social responsibility Ms Mbotho said was timely and appropriate to revive the economy post COVID-19 pandemic. 

Ms Mbotho said Ngamiland District was vast but not well resourced especially the schools and therefore, the donation would motivate learners to perform better academically.

She challenged other organisations to follow suit and meet government half way, particularly that government was faced with other challenges such as unemployment and natural disasters among others.

Shorobe school acting head, Ms Keyame Lopang thanked the foundation for responding positively to their plea. She said social distancing had been a challenge due to classroom shortage hence they requested tents to augment available structures.

She also thanked the foundation for donating school uniform and stated that the foundation recently bought a school bus to transport pupils who lived far from the school.

Elephant havens founder and executive director, Mr Boago Poloko said they adopted the school through the Adopt-A-School initiative, with a view to improve learning.

He said they were saddened to see learners attending lessons under the tress and stepped in to help. “Our aim is provide a conducive learning environment so that our learners can learn freely and grow into responsible citizens who will take care of the next generation,” he said.

The foundation’s mission is to protect and preserve the African elephant by protecting its habitat, conducting community outreach programmes and hand rearing of orphaned baby elephants.

It rehabilitates orphaned baby elephants and eventually reintroduces them to their natural habitat. Mr Poloko said the foundation conducted community awareness programmes where they helped farmers and villagers understand the long term benefits of conservation and also find solutions to their specific human/elephant conflict with the goal to share their habitat in harmony.

They also educate children about conservation, to instill a sense of caring for the wildlife around them.  ENDS