EHRA’s School Partnership Programme is an amazing opportunity for groups of students from high schools, secondary schools, colleges and universities to spend their holiday together as a class, experiencing all that Namibia has to offer. This exciting programme has proven to be one of the best experiences for students who wish to make a difference in the lives of others.
The two-week field expedition to Namibia is the focal point of the partnership, where students spend the first week at our local partner school with a building and renovating project. The following week, students embark on a trek through the desert where they learn how to navigate, study the desert’s ecosystem and get to see Namibia’s free-roaming desert elephants.
Students are given a fundraising target, and this covers the cost of materials and supplies needed as well as their travel expenses. In general, students have 12 months, in which to raise the funds and many come up with innovative and fun ways to reach their target. Every year pupils bring clothing and shoes which are distributed to the children most in need at the schools.
Itineraries can be tailored to the requirements of the group, in length and activities. If you are interested in reading a first-hand review of our School Partnership Programme, you are welcome to read Liz Maddison’s review, a former teacher at Stockton Riverside College, United Kingdom, who brought two groups of students in 2015 and 2016.
For any further information on the School Partnership Programme, please contact rachel@ehranamibia.org .
YOUR STUDENTS’ IMPACT AS VOLUNTEERS
EHRA’s main partner school is King Alfred’s School from London who have sent a group every year since 2004.
We have also hosted groups from Norway, Canada, USA and other schools in the UK.
We work with two local boarding schools in the area - A. Gariseb Primary School and Okongue Primary School.
PROJECTS HAVE INCLUDED:
Renovating dormitories, classrooms, bathrooms, playgrounds, libraries, computer rooms, vegetable gardens.
Hosting afternoon extra-murals -focussed on building self-esteem and FUN!
70km trek, learning to navigate and exploring the Namib desert.
EHRA’S SCHOOL PARTNERSHIP IMPACT SO FAR
Since 2003, Elephant-Human Relations Aid (EHRA) has been involved in the development and improvement of local Namibian schools within the region where we monitor and track free-roaming desert elephants. We work together with our neighbouring school, A.Gariseb Primary School in Anixab, which is about 15km from EHRA Base Camp. The school was in a terrible state of disrepair and we realised that with our experience, resources, and volunteer workforce we could make a significant difference.
A long-term partnership was formalized in 2004 between A.Gariseb Primary School and King Alfred School from London, and the students have been back every year since then. So far, the King Alfred students have repaired and repainted classrooms, dormitories, toilet blocks, showers, built a kindergarten with a composting toilet, constructed a playground, provided a library with books; and thanks to a donation of computers from Siemens in Switzerland plus 6 computers from King Alfred - we were able to establish the school's first computer room! The students also constructed a large vegetable garden and plant nursery that the school is using to grow its vegetables. King Alfred’s continued the partnership in 2011 by renovating dormitories, along with a generous donation of 150 mattresses from Maersk in Walvis Bay.
Felsted School from Essex, UK has also volunteered with EHRA through its School Partnership Programme, and managed to build a shelter around the kindergarten, repaired the playground, replaced the old and dirty sand in the playground and painted more classrooms and helped construct the library at A.Gariseb. This partnership scheme has had a huge impact on the local community - A.Gariseb looks fantastic now, and the pupils and teachers are very proud of their new school and boarding home.
In 2010 work began at Frans Fredrick Primary School in Fransfontein, with the help of the Felsted students and a large group of students from St Andrew's College in Canada, who repaired and repainted 8 classrooms and painted murals. We hope to continue with this School Partnership Programme and look forward to hosting you and your students very soon!
DETAILED ITINERARY
+ Week 1 - Local School Renovation Project
EHRA has been involved in the development and improvement of local Namibian schools in the region where we monitor and track wild elephants. The rationale in the beginning (2003) was to help our neighbouring school, A.Gariseb Primary School in Anixab, which is about 15km from EHRA base Camp. The school was in a terrible state of disrepair and we realised that with our experience, resource and a volunteer work force we could make a significant difference!
The long-term partnership was formalized in 2004 between the A.Gariseb Primary School and King Alfred's School from London. So far, the King Alfred Students have repaired and repainted classrooms, dormitories, toilet blocks, showers, built a kindergarten with a toilet, built a playground, provided a library and books, and thanks to a donation of computers from Siemens in Switzerland plus 6 computers from King Alfred's, we were able to establish the school's first computer room!
In July 2010 King Alfred's students constructed a large vegetable garden and plant nursery that the school is using to grow its own vegetables. The partnership scheme with EHRA and King Alfred's has had a huge impact on the school.
The Library was also constructed at the school in 2008 through the schools program with the help of Felsted School from Essex, UK. Felsted students also built the shelter around the kindergarten, repaired the playground, replaced the old and dirty sand in the playground and painted more classrooms and the library.
In 2010 work began at Frans Fredrick Primary School in Fransfontein, with help once again from the Felsted School plus a large group of students from St Andrew's College in Canada who repaired and repainted 8 classrooms and painted murals. King Alfred's continued the partnership in 2011 through the renovation of dormitories and the donation of 150 mattresses, thanks Maersk in Walvis Bay.
King Alfred's students were back at A.Gariseb Primary every year since 2004. The groups constructed a playground, repainted more dormitory blocks, fixed up the veggie garden and built a composting toilet with a sink and tap at the kindergarten!
A.Gariseb Primary School now looks FANTASTIC! Teachers and pupils are very proud of their school.
+ Week 2 - Trekking and Navigation
In the second week, the students will be trekking with our experienced guides over 70kms through the Ugab River and surrounding desert. Every day we walk further than the previous day, building up strength for the final days solo trek. During the week's trek, students also learn navigation skills, map reading and general rules of trekking. We also introduce the group to the delicate eco system of the desert and the role the desert elephants play within that ecosystem.
The walks will take the students through some of the most beautiful and wild territory of Damaraland and the Ugab River System including canyons, riverbeds, wetlands and open desert plains. Having completed the trekking week, the group will be fully prepared for their 24km (+-) solo trek. The students will be expected to prepare that day's meals, pack up camp, pack their day packs, navigate and trek to the final nights' camp as a team. They must plan as a group: nominate a leader, medical, navigation and catering teams and of course, walk the distance! The sense of accomplishment is the real reward, and everyone thoroughly enjoys the amazing and exhausting adrenalin rush of the final days' trek.
The itinerary's roots are firmly based on a ‘vision quest’ philosophy encompassing Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs theory. The children firstly have to fundraise and then do renovation work, thereby opening their eyes to their wider community and its wellbeing. Our staff and logistics team have run the program for 15 years and have a perfect safety record.
Every group that has completed our schools program departs Namibia with a sense of personal fulfilment and accomplishment that is rare and life changing.
Project Location
DATES AND COSTS
Dates are flexible and costs will be dependent on the itinerary you choose, please contact rachel@ehranamibia.org for more information
Ready to book?
FURTHER INFORMATION
Namibia is a beautiful part of Africa, and within it, Damaraland is thought by many to be one of the most stunning areas of the world. Its desert-adapted elephants are among the most special elephants you will ever see. Their ability to survive in the harsh conditions of the Namib Desert show nature at its best. Fundraising for EHRA provides you with the unique chance to make a personal difference and a real contribution to conservation and development of the biosphere in Namibia.
We hope you choose to join us in the desert, a place where your mind can expand with an abundance of space!
+ Camping and Living Conditions
Africa is a beautiful place and environmentally EHRA believes that camping out under the stars in such remote areas is the experience of a lifetime that most people from towns and cities rarely get to enjoy! We start the first week with tents for the students but we find that by the end of the week students are sleeping outside on their bedrolls under the stars. We are also in an area with little to no water, so mosquitos are also rare. We have limited water for cooking and cleaning, therefore showers are not available. Roughing it and pushing personal limits are what the expedition is all about. Again, for many students this will also be the first time they have been away from family, modern conveniences, their daily meal routines and proper bathrooms!
Our cooking and cleaning routine is on a rotation with all students expected to participate fully. This also adds an additional level of accomplishment as students prepare and cook a full meal for their friends over the open fire! The focus being on living in a small community where team work and caring for each other are the keys!
+ Airport Transfers and Accommodation
Once you have booked your flight, please send us the details and we will book the transfers for you. For both airports you will be met in arrivals by our transfer service and driven to either Desert Sky Backpackers in Swakopmund or to your accommodation of choice. Airport transfers and accommodation in Swakopmund are at your own cost.
Your transfer from Walvis Bay Airport to Swakopmund is 200 Namibian dollars (one-way) or 500 Namibian dollars from Windhoek Airport.
Desert Sky Backpackers will cost you 220 Namibian dollars for a dorm bed or 500 Namibian dollars for a single room.
*Rates may change without notice.
+ Dietary Requirements
Please let us know if you have any dietary requirements including food sensitivities. We can accommodate varying needs including vegetarians and gluten or lactose intolerance.
+ Flights
You have the choice of two airports to fly into. Windhoek International Airport in Namibia’s capital city and Walvis Bay Airport on the coast.
Windhoek is a five-hour drive from Swakopmund, so please arrive by 12 noon on the Sunday at the latest so that you can catch the scheduled shuttle service through to Swakopmund on the same day.
Walvis Bay is just a 30-minute transfer to Swakopmund. This is a much easier journey although flights are often cheaper into Windhoek.
When booking your return flight, please ensure that you are not flying any earlier than 2pm on the Saturday following your trek.
+ What to Bring
This information is available to view and print from our Info Kits.
Still have questions?
Contact rachel@ehranamibia.org
Ready for an adventure? Let’s talk!
