Four Sixth Formers from Clapton Girls’ Academy found themselves sleeping under the stars in a game reserve this Summer. Briony Lambert, Tania Hossain, Titilope Badru and Alexie Telan were chosen to be part of the Wild Swans Womens’ Leadership scheme which takes young women with leadership potential on a remarkable journey of self discovery over a four year period. The programme promotes the values of women’s leadership and addresses the gender gap in business, environmental and social leadership, empowering participants to lead their communities to a better future.

Armed with skills from leadership workshops and the benefits of mentoring and training from powerful female leaders over the past year, the students set off for a fifteen day wilderness trail in South Africa. Surrounded by wild animals in the Imfolozi Game Reserve, the girls were definitely out of their comfort zone as they carried all their possessions in backpacks, spotted hyenas in the campsite on night watch, washed in crocodile-infested waters and ran away from rhinos for five days!

Construction work was on the agenda for the second week, sieving sand, mixing concrete and plastering school walls in 36 degree temperatures on a project in Mabandla. Living with families in their homes the group learned they could live simply without electricity and running water. They got a full insight to community life as they met the chief, joined in with traditional dancing and browsed the craftwork of the Sangoma people, as well as paying a visit to the HIV clinic and patients’ homes.

Team member Tania Hossain reported, ‘It’s so good to be away from the pressures of a modern world, to think about how we affect the environment, as well as see the daily life and values of a very different community. The trip taught me so much and I am pleased I was able to help the people in a small way.’