...PREPARATION
Mussa Mashishanga (club coordinator) and Ms. Pheube Malle (Matron
of Mtakuja Primary School club) took care of preliminary supply shopping
in Mwanza. Shopping for produce was carried out by the entire group
once they reached Mganza on the shore of Lake Victoria where the park
boat met them. During the week prior to the trip Mashishanga and AoTOP
Director, Jan Reed-Smith visited with 4 of the schools to meet with
the head teachers and make final arrangements for the trip. These
arrangements included getting written approval from the District Education
Officer for the students at government boarding schools to participate
and written permission from the parents of these students.
...THE
TRIP
The trip began with the group meeting in Mwanza at the bus company’s
departure point. The trip by bus to Mganza takes roughly 5 hours.
This went well, after a small glitch. At the ferry dock it took so
long for purchase of the tickets for the group that the ferry left,
with the bus on it. This was promptly dealt with by Mashishanga who
got the bus stopped on the other side of the bay where it waited for
the group to come on the next ferry. To say the least, this was an
exciting start for their big adventure. The rest of the trip went
well, but was long. Once in Mganza the group did their shopping, met
with the Rubondo NP staff, and finally boarded their boats for the
25 minute ride across to the island. From their island arrival point,
the western ranger station Mlaga, they were driven to the eastern
side of the island where dinner was waiting for them at the Kageye
Youth Hostel. It was a long day for all, but one filled with laughter
and new experiences.
...Activity
Summary
The students were given presentations by Hobokela Mwamjengwa on Rubondo
Island NP, its history and biological diversity. Additionally, Hobokela
spoke to the students about Tanzania’s national park system,
its variety, and importance to the country and conservation of Tanzania’s
wildlife heritage. Jan Reed-Smith presented information on the otters,
their natural history and the process of doing field work. Mussa Mashishanga
presented the Roots & Shoots program and gave the students a more
detailed overview of the purpose and goals of the overall program.
Interspersed with
classroom presentations were walks to view some of the island’s
habitats and wildlife. These included walks to the Maji Matakatifu
Bay, Pongo viewpoint and the island’s forest, as well as a walk
through the forest to visit the tourist camp north of the Kageye Ranger
village. Prior and during these walks the group was accompanied by
TANAPA rangers who explained some of the flora and fauna seen which
included bush buck, vervet monkey, hippopotamus, numerous birds species,
insects, and lizards.
Students were
each provided with a pair of binoculars to use while on the island.
This was a big hit as was the opportunity to use a camera provided
by AoTOP which allowed students to document their whole adventure.
Additional activities included playing the Clean Water game and watching
BBC wildlife videos donated by a grant from the Phoenix Zoo. Of course,
the kids and teachers also were provided with time to relax and explore
some of the area surrounding the Kageye camp.
On the final day
a short quiz was given the students with a prize awarded for the 1st,
2nd, and 3rd place (15,000 Tsh; 10,000 Tsh; 5,000 Tsh) overall finishers
and a 1st place award of 10,000 Tsh for the 1st place primary school
student. Due to their facility with English and knowledge of conservation
the secondary school students retained the information shared with
them better (results ranged from 48% to 80%). The highest placing
primary school student scored 44%. The financial awards were donated
by AoTOP. The winning students were:
