“Today's children will become tomorrow's custodians of the planet, but still facing immense environmental challenges such as climate change and water scarcity. It is the responsibility of all of us, not just parents, to guide the next generation and help them become true champions for the environment.” - WILD HEARTS EE program, Tenthouse Structures.

From the humble beginnings of a small bush school within the Timbavati Private Nature Reserve to the building of a magnificent environmental school and community-based environmental learning centre, the Timbavati Foundation invests time, resources and efforts into educating our neighbouring communities about their environment and wildlife areas. Connecting to eight (8) focus schools and affiliated to over 54 others, environmental education is at the heart of our Foundation.

 Timbavati EcoPod Centre @ Beretta

As our followers would know, the Timbavati Foundation Environmental School has successfully embarked on a new journey in its education space with the MORE Field Guide College which created an opportunity for the Foundation to invest in a new home for its environmental education learning opportunities. The EcoPod Centre at Beretta Primary School, funded by the Timbavati Private Nature Reserve, together with SMH Group, MORE Community Foundation and other smaller donors, is within its second phase of building which now includes an additional build of a freshwater and marine learning classroom. This exciting addition as well as the envisioned displays will not only facilitate a holistic approach to learning but will provide another unique exploration space for all our visitors. Stay updated on its development through the Foundation's social media channels.

Partnering for Purpose

For several years, the Timbavati Foundation’s focus centred around primary school children as well as teenagers in the lower grades in high schools. We are excited to announce that we are exploring new territory and extending our environmental education reach into the early childhood development (ECD) sector, thanks to the new partnering hands of Tenthouse Structures and their incredible WILD HEARTS Environmental Education program.

This new collaboration saw the Timbavati Foundation be one of the first in the region to act as piloting partners to roll out their newly developed program. With the support of Joni Pierce-van Zyl (CSR Coordinator for TentHouse Structures), this partnership empowered our educators to deeply engage with the new environment. It allowed us to shape the WILD HEARTS EE program, enriching our teaching approach and reinforcing our commitment to environmental education. This exciting program involves interactive learning material that stimulates young minds to find interest & explore environmental topics while pairing them with fun and carefully designed practical & stimulating activities.

Delivering educational lessons on topics such as wetlands, pangolins, the Big Five animals, forests, bats, and so much more! Each lesson pack is carefully designed to give the educator a breakdown of what to expect, what to prepare as well as the teaching content of each topic! It gets better, a live interactive one-on-one session with Joni prepares the educating team for their next lesson so there is full understanding and preparation before engaging with the young minds.

Why now connect at this level? 

The pandemic years allowed for the Timbavati Foundation to relook at the education strategy and realign and draw focus to selected schools where we felt high impact and transformation could take place. Giving undivided attention to selected focus schools now allows for the Timbavati Foundation to engage on all levels of education in an impactful manner from Preschoolers to Post High School graduates.

Where to from here?

As we slowly start to wrap up our year, familiarizing ourselves with the dynamics of this new preschool setting has enabled our facilitators to anticipate and prepare for the upcoming year. We are eagerly looking forward to implementing this program in the new year, having been selected as pilot partners to streamline the process for others interested in adopting this remarkable program as well.

Participating in the WILD HEARTS Environmental Education program has not only boosted our efforts in our environmental education outreach but has also ignited a fresh sense of enthusiasm among our preschoolers about their surroundings, and fostered a newfound appreciation for the environment.

We love partnering with like-minded organisations! Connecting Communities to Conservation one lesson at a time, together.

Thank you, Tenthouse Structures!