Our final two youth groups of the 2008 year set off for South Africa last weekend. A group from Felsted School in Essex are currently enjoying a wilderness trail in the Umfolozi Game Reserve. Located 280 km north of Durban, the reserve is the oldest proclaimed park in Africa. It consists of 960 km² (96,000 ha) of hilly topography in central Zululand, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and is known for its rich wildlife and conservation efforts. The park is the only state-run park in KwaZulu-Natal where all the Big Five Game occur. Due to conservation efforts, the park now has the largest population of white rhino in the world. Operation Rhino – led by our Founder Dr. Ian Player was instrumental in safeguarding the future of this magnificent animal.
Meanwhile, a first time group from Essex Army Cadet Force are currently living with the Zulu people of Mabandla village. The Mabandla Experience is an integrated, authentic cultural and community volunteer work experience. There is no better way of really getting to know a community than by working alongside them and joining in daily life. By night, visitors are ‘billeted’ out in pairs to host families, which ensures an authentic cultural experience and by day, work alongside the community until lunch. In the afternoon a social programme enables you to meet, kick a ball and interact with the people as well as learn about important traditions.
Later in their itinerary, the Cadet group will move on to Umfolozi, where they will enjoy five fantastic nights under the stars, before ending their stay in South Africa with a visit to the historic Zulu War battlefields. Having spent time living with the Zulu’s of Mabandla early in their programme, this should provide them with a new perspective on the Anglo Zulu War, as well as an appreciation of the impact of the battle on both sides.
Felsted School will be enjoying a similarly rich programme of wilderness trails and cultural experiences, however they will be spending time at Ekuthuleni – a hillside village I know well from my own time in South Africa last year. The Zulu’s that the group meet here will be equally as welcoming and keen to share their cultural heritage with our visitors – all of our groups arriving in Zululand are treated as honoured guests – however they will be involved with different volunteering projects to their Cadet counterparts. You may recall that earlier in the year the Haberdashers’ Overseas Scholarship Programme created a fantastic new water trough/sink at the village. Our Felsted volunteers will be helping to create a new base area around the sink so that the villagers have a better surface to stand on. This will also help to prevent land erosion.
Both groups will be arriving home towards the end of the month and we look forward to bringing you news and photos of their visit to South Africa then.
