Wild Heart Foundation

For the first time we are selling festive cards to raise funds for our projects in Kwa Zulu Natal. Please email Ulrike on UHotopp@gmail.com if you would like to buy cards.

You can purchase the cards in different packages at 10 for £17, 5 for £10, or up to 5 for £2.50 each. The picture on the cards is a photo of a mural on the Berlin Wall (Berliner Mauer Park) taken by Ulrike. The cards come with envelops. The message in site reads: Festive Greetings. The production cost per card is £0.79. All profits go directly to our projects with no further admin.

With many thanks for your donations we are proud to announce that we have been able to provide one of our partners in Kwa Zulu Natal who works with a number of schools with a lap top. She is now able to communicate with teachers and learners, increasing her productivity.

 

Thank you all for coming to the charity walk “South to North” on August 27th of 2017 and to those of you who sponsored a participant!

The walk took us from the Cutty Sark in Greenwich, south of the river Thames, through the Greenwich foot tunnel to the Isle of Dogs and then along the rivers which contribute to the Thames to Stratford.

The walk gives a good impression of the industrial history of London and the UK:

The Cutty Sark is the oldest surviving tea clipper, built in 1869 in Scotland, with an extraordinary history.

The Greenwich foot tunnel was opened in 1902 and allowed workers who lived south of the river to walk to their workplaces in the docks and wharfs of the Isle of Dogs. It replaced an unreliable and expensive ferry service.

Canary Wharf and the Isle of Dogs are now a representation of London as a City of Finance.

 

We also walked along the River Lea and the Three Mills Wall River, both part of the elaborate transport system which allowed the factories further north in the country to be connected to the river Thames and its port. Three Mills itself is the oldest tidal mill in the world, producing energy for centuries.

Our walk ended in the Olympic Park in Stratford.

 

We collected around £100 which we want to use to support our project enabling young people to reach their potential in an environmentally sustainable way.

 

Note: All photos taken by Ulrike Hotopp

Funding for a day of experience and training for young people in KwaZulu Natal.

We are proud to let you know about our recent donation to the Vuka Community Environmental Project. As you know from our objectives and other projects, we want to enable young people to achieve their potential by working with nature. The Vuka community project is a wonderful example for this. Our modest donation of £ 200 allowed a group of 10 young people to travel from their township to the community centre, stay there overnight, have breakfast, lunch and dinner together , walk through the forest and learn about nature and then spend some time cleaning up a nearby beach with is subject to environmental pollution. The objective is to bring young people closer to nature and see its potential in their own lives.

Thank you all who donated money which allowed us to support this project.

The Wild Heart Foundation team in cooperation with

Photo: Uhotopp, 2011, St Lucia, KwaZulu Natal,  iSimangaliso Wetland Park

Dear all, I would like to share with you an experience one of our project partners in ZA has recently shared with us: The spiritual experience that is a wilderness trail.

Wilderness trails are one of the projects we support. Some of our partners in KwaZulu Natal are guides. Trails help young people and others to reconnect with their environment and realise the need to protect and enhance it.

Mduduzi Merriman Gumede sent me this report of her recent experience:

The Wilderness trail is indeed a spiritual journey and also journey of discovery.

Arrival date

The trail party gathered at School headquarters at Kenneth Stainbank on 04 August 2016 , the date before the trail is a lovely day then and sweet Invasion went into the Park. Persons who participated were : Mduduzi Gumede was joined by another 7 participants.   Arrival the day before the starting of the trail served a number of purposes:  punctuality and social bond creation amongst the group itself and also with Guides, creation of a state of readiness for the trail. A participants received a warm welcome received from Mrs Curry and the Wilderness Leadership School which was quite amazing.

Purpose of the trail

It aimed at the creation and expansion of environmental awareness and to kick off “Ndwedwe Environmental Education and Community development programme ” , using Ekwazini-Kwaloshe as a local education centre. Ndwedwe local Municipality promised to pledge R300 000.00 (about £17,000) investment into the programme and the Ewing’s continued its generous sponsorship , as a kick off.

Wilderness Trail

After breakfast , briefing and packing under Mandla Gumede leadership and guidance , we began the long journey to Hluhluwe -Imfolozi Park.  On arrival at Nyalazi gate, we had lunch and took pictures and then went inside. Just before that moment , we were joined by Baba Mdiceni Gumede. He and, Mandla G led the group for a very short distance , ordered us to sit down for an essential briefing before the walk. After it the long journey into Wilderness started to unfold.

We went passing the wallowing pools and just before arrival at First bend Camp , we bumped to a Baboons troop, what an exciting moment to see an Alpha Male leading and barking at them , as they made their way up the cliffs. It was about bedtime !!!

We started preparing the camp site and made fire from collected woods – being very aware of our impact on nature. Before cooking we had a greeting tea break and then supper.

Night Watch The Guides gathered us for a night watch briefing, which is very scary on first experience. It was very an exciting moment to be alone at the fire and hear a Pride Male roaring. The group had a disciplined conduct and the night watch was completed without disturbance of well deserved sleep.

Daytime and Night watch We had breakfast and crossed the Black Imfolozi river, after we had glimpse of an alert crossing of troops of Baboons, just below the Crocodiles pool. We learned of animals droppings and dungs and also Rhino dung maddens. Before arrival at the next Camp, we saw two Inyala and two White Rhino and tried to betray their acute senses of smelling us. We respected the Wilderness and its Wildlife and enjoyed what it presented to us , for we were privileged to share the same environment.

We arrived and had lunch at the Second Camp. We enjoyed game viewing and story telling by Baba Gumede. He told of experience during early years with Dr Player , nicknamed ” Madolo ” , Magqubu Ntombela and other fellow Rangers. On one occasion we saw Wild dogs running down the Imfolozi river, followed by Hyena , eventually there was a loud out cry on cliff top , further down the Camp and it was clear the Wild Dogs had made a kill. Eventually Vultures flocked down in large numbers. When we arrived , only a skin and hard to crush and chew bones remained. The Vultures were around and had finished everything.

Late a Bachelor herd (young male buffaloes) arrived just across the Camp. Our guide hoped that they would stay till the night when the Lions were likely to come. This would have allowed us to see the hunter drama nature drama can play. But the Buffaloes moved away unfortunately.

During the night watch , the Pride Male started roaring , moving down on the other side of the river and when we thought it was to roar very close , it stopped. It was then a peaceful night , we could only hear hyena calling from far and birds of the night , no scary noise. The White Rhino was the most visible from the Big five of Africa and the Impala are always in abundance.

Baboons were always presenting themselves and Monkeys visited us at the First bend Camp.

Legendary legacy There is list of Conservation heroes in South African history , who during their times left remarkable footprints on the path we and whole World have to follow. These men of greatest destiny are : Colonel Jack Vincent , Ian Cedric Player , Nick Steele , Magqubu Qumbu Ntombela , Nolly Zoulumus , Norman Deane , Jim Feely and Paul Dutton and so forth. Dr Player was leading the team of Rangers , who fought a victorious battle against Poachers and saved the White Rhino from the brink of extinction. When asked by Dr Mccullum , and I quote ” I asked him to imagine a world without rhino and his response was immediate , over my dead body , he said “.

It is very very touching that most of them have passed on and only the last two of the above are still alive but very old. It is so sad to them to see the Poachers making a strong come back. It is quite delighting and interesting to associate ourselves with the School and be part of the excellent job of they do in ensuring success and sustainability in actions and not in words.

The onus is on us to support the School to continue its legal obligation of environmental good cause and we in the rural Ndwedwe are so fortunate to have them as a partner.

Way forward As a way forward, this partnership should be nurtured and sustained. There is a knowledgeable team of School Guides alongside an energetic and visionary leader, Mrs Cherryl Curry and she always encouraging me to carry on. In our case , I kindly appeal for our Municipality to make the promised funding available for investment into ” Ndwedwe Environmental Education and Community Development Programme”. This is a catalyst we can utilize to conserve and explore Ndwedwe natural heritage and resources and create jobs and stimulate economic development , Conservation based tourism.

Conclusion

Thanks to participants , who wished the trail to restart when it ended. We wish to thank their families, too.

For enquiries plz refer to / Report compiled by : Mduduzi Merriman Gumede Imvelo Yesizwe Trust

Fezufunda Eco Environmental Youth Development

Fezufunda Eco Environmental Youth Development is an environmental education centre founded in 2013  which started to be operational in 2015. Fezufunda is based in the Rural Area of the Eastern Cape in KeiMouth. They are working with the community on environmental conservation, sustainable farming and well-being. One of their projects is to rehabilitate terrapins which have been found in a state of degradation. You will find details of this story here.http://www.wildheartfoundation.com/wp/2016/04/09/fezufunda/

How we would use donations?

We have asked Lihle, the project leader, to send us some detailed information how they would use donations from the Wild Heart foundation. Depending on the amount we can raise, this will be spent:

• in the community: environmental education and awareness is still the key in our community and it all begins by planting the seeds by organising the cleaning campaign, cleaning the streams collecting rubbish and plastics that are polluting the earth and water. All of the pollution runs down to our rivers. The country is also running out of water due to drought  so the organisation is doing a bit of education about water in the community. The contribution we make makes a difference.
• on permaculture gardens: these are one of the sustainable sources of food. We all need to learn to utilize the little piece of land that we have in a sustainable way. With R5000 (around £230) we are looking to buy tools for ten  people to start the project. Tools we need are (10) Watering Cans, (10) hoer( igejo), seeds  etc. We believe this  approach while being only a small change helps the community to sustain itself by selling the food grown in the garden as cooperatives. It will also be used to supply the nearest pre school.
• safety: this has to be the main focus when working with society. The organisation will train 6 people to do first aid level one, train them on herbicide accreditation level one to enable them to protect themselves when working on rehabilitation projects such as with  the terrapins.
• Wilderness: there is nothing as powerful as the power of the wilderness. Were we to raise R10 000 (just under £ 500) we would be able to take young people and the community on a wilderness trail to experience the healing and nurturing wilderness can give. We believe that by doing so the community will benefit a lot. Wilderness experience is a lifetime experience. It creates stories and pictures  that will never be removed from a person’s memory and accompany them throughout their life, instilling the wish to protect and nurture.

 

THE FUNDING PROPOSAL TO BUILD POOL FOR TERRAPINS

Background.

Fezufunda Eco Environmental Youth Development is an environmental education centre founded in 2013 which started to be operational in 2015. Fezufunda is based in the Rural Area of the Eastern Cape in KeiMouth. We are working with the rural Schools and Community from KeiMouth down to Matthau and now spreading to KwaZulu Natal province.

Fezufunda is a company that deals with environmental issues in different ways by running workshops, raising awareness, delivering education projects and exhibitions. The company’s trend is to take students and communities on experiential learning in Nature. By doing so the people get a chance and opportunity to feel, touch and connect with the environment and Nature.

The centre is built inside the reserve, a few kms from the ocean. We have discovered that not far from the ocean there is a sewage plant. In this polluted environment we have found terrapins living in ponds of sewage. Terrapins normally live in clean water! It shocks and amazes us as environmentalists and environmental educators that they have survived. The sight of suffocating animals in the polluted sewage is the reason why we are now going out knocking on people’s doors to raise funds that can help us save these animals.

We are planning to build a pool in the Fezufunda Centre where we will rehabilitate these Terrapins. We will also use them for education. Pollution, in some cases caused or worsened by Climate Change is another reason why some of our species are endangered. Education is one way of addressing this.

The polluted Sewage where we have found the Terrapins. The Terrapin on the right is running into the sewage.

An Example of the Pool we would like to build for the Terrapins.

The Support

The Fezufunda team has done lots of research regarding the terrapins and we have spoken to experts. We have consulted East London (SA) Museum and are working with them to rehabilitate these animals. They will give us a lot of support. We have also built a relationship with the veterinarians in KeiMouth and in East London; they are excited about the initiative and keen to assist us. The good news is one of the founders of Fezufunda has a background in rehabilitating animals. He has been working for 7 years with a big organization that is rehabilitating sea birds and other animals.

Below is a rough outline of the budget required to take this project forward and a schedule of how support from Wild Heart could make a difference.

BUDGET FOR BUILDING THE TERRAPIN POOL

QTY TOTAL: 1.      20 BAGS OF CEMENT @ R98.00 PER BAG R 1 960.00 2.      8 BINDING MASH OF 4.2m x 4.2m R 1800.00 each R 14 400.00 3.      2 TONS OF BUILDING SAND @ R 450. 00 PER TON R    900. 00 4.      12 GUM POLES OF 1 METRE @ R 89.00 EACH R 1 068.00 5.      2 TONS OF GRAVEL R 1 460.00 6.      2 x 11km PUMPS @ R 3 600.00 EACH R 7 200.00 7.      PRC PIPE 14 meters R 940. 00 8.      REMOVING OF SAND IN THE PIT R 2000.00 R 2000. 00 9.      8 x 20 LITRES OF PAINT @ R658.00 EACH R 5 200.00 10.  1 x LABOUR (BUILDER) @ R 280. 00 PER DAY FOR 2 WEEKS R 2 800.00 11.  2 x CEMENT MIXER (PERSON ASSISTING THE BUILDER) @ R 80.00 EACH FOR TWO WEEKS. R 3 200.00 12.  DELIVERY OF THE MATERIAL (TRANSPORT) FROM EAST LONDON TO KEIMOUTH R 672. 00                                                                                                                 GRAND TOTAL R 40 000.00

 

PHUMLANI DANCING PENCILS WRITING CLUB

KZN’S Premier, Dr Zweli Mkhize, supports Dancing Pencils Writing Clubs as being a wonderful way to were improve reading and writing in this province.

On Monday 7th and Tuesday 8th of May, teachers and learners of Phumlani Primary School in Hluhluwe had a full right brain creative writing training with Felicity Keats from Durban. Teachers trained on Monday, children learnt how to write stories and illustrate them on Tuesday. Now children can write their own stories.

The photo top left is of Phumla Mthembu, in Grade 3, reading from the book she wrote and illustrated which is called “A fish I saw in Shaka Marine”. Many other children wrote and illustrated stories. Some of these will be published, towards the end of June, in a Phumlani Primary School Dancing Pencils Writing Club anthology.

All those present at the training may be part of the new Phumlani Dancing Pencils Writing Club which will meet weekly. By the end of June, they will send in a selection of stories by the children for an anthology to be published at the annual Dancing Pencils Book Launch in September. It was an emotional experience to listen to the children’s stories as they read them out.

The newly trained staff Mentors delighted with this assistance in reading and writing skills for their school and are enthusiastic about the new writing club!

The training was sponsored by Arch Ventures Ltd from the UK (under the Planet Foundation brand). The books and publishing is being sponsored by umSinsi Press. Wildebees Ecolodge is also included with the latter’s sponsorship.

Felicity can be reached at: 031 464 1556 / www.umsinsi.com

 

The staff and Principal were hugely excited and the children loved it!

(Source: Spoor May, 2012)

In March 2015 we were able to send money to our four main projects for the first time. Dividing the £1000 we had collected between our sponsored projects was a difficult decision. In the end we gave £250 to each: the Ndwedwe Project, the Newlands Youth Organisation, the Sizakal Creche and Vukukhanye project. We had found a financial service provider for the transfers who doesn’t charge charities any fee. This means 100% of the money we had collected from our donors went into supporting these projects. No loss on admin or overheads. It was a very special feeling to know that our work helped children to learn and play, and their mothers to earn a living in a save environment.

This is the first article for Wild Heart Foundation.