I am featuring a species per week on my social media channels. Here is a summary of the last week’s posts (and some blog bonus images). I hope you enjoy some of my favorite Black Rhino pictures :-).
Next week’s species: Buffalo …
#Christiansperkaphotography @christiansperkaphotography
It has been a while since I reported on my blog and social media channels about the INKANYISO crèche in rural Zululand to which many of my friends around the word have contributed so generously (donation funds).
I visited the crèche today.
The teacher and the kids were not at the crèche as they are currently on school holidays.
As always, a few kids from the neighborhood swarmed in as soon as I flew my drone. They love the little flying machine. I have to take off and land at least five times before they are satisfied with the performance.
The fence is now finished and is looking very good. Thanks to Thanda Safari for all the fence materials. From my donation funds I was able to pay for the gates and for the required labour.
I also delivered and installed a new wall mounted white board, small white boards and pens for the children, some educational posters and new brooms to keep the place tidy (all of this was also paid using some of the donation funds).
We are currently getting quotes for roof gutters to capture rain water for the crèche. I will also get two chains and locks for the gates and I will order some colorful Inkanyiso Crèche signs. I have still some donation fund money left to help with these expenses.
And I have still a few more projects in mind to help the crèche 🙂
This is a list of some of the items:
– A Jungle Gym
– Daily meal (breakfast) allowances for the kids
– Small sound system (battery operated with solar charger) to play music
– Teacher’s table and shelves for the staff room
– Teaching materials (on-going)
– Rails to hang up paper/maps
– Floor files
I will visit again as soon as the school term has started and deliver some presents which I got from one of my recent guests at Thanda (for kids and the teacher).
Thanks to so many of you who contributed to the project and thank to Thanda Management and Sbu Mlambo (Thanda Community Liaison Officer) for all the support.
I will keep you updated about the progress!
DONATIONS WELCOME …
Many of my friends around the world have already helped with donations of useful materials and with money donations to buy various things. Thanks a lot.
If any of you – wherever you live in the world – would also like to help with a donation then please contact me at christian@sperka.com or via WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger. I have bank accounts in Europe, USA and South Africa and I also have a PayPal account. So transferring any funds would be simple and would not cost a lot. Even the smallest contribution will be very much appreciated.
Be assured that 100% of whatever is donated will be used to pay for crèche projects.
I am featuring a species per week on my social media channels. Here is a summary of the last week’s posts (and some blog bonus images). I hope you enjoy some of my favorite Clouded Leopard pictures :-).
The Clouded Leopard (Neofelis) is considered to form an evolutionary link between the big cats (Pantherinae) and the small cats (Felinae). It represents the smallest of the big cats, but despite its name, it is not closely related to the Leopard. Compared to body size it has the longest canine teeth of any cat and unlike all other big cats it can purr.
Clouded Leopards are my favorite animal 🙂
#Christiansperkaphotography @christiansperkaphotography
I am featuring a species per week on my social media channels. Here is a summary of the last week’s posts (and some blog bonus images). I hope you enjoy some of my favorite Elephant pictures :-).
Sand bath …
All pictures were taken at various locations in South Africa.
#Christiansperkaphotography @christiansperkaphotography
For once this blog is not about wildlife, it is about people!
I love teaching! Which in one way or another I did all my life, mostly in IT and the last ten years in Photography. I never had to learn how to teach, I just always knew how to ‘package’ information for others to understand.
In the last few years I have often visited the Mmemezi High School with Thanda Safari guests. It is located in the Ngwenya community on top of the Lebombo mountains, about 40 minutes from Thanda House.
I realized that most of the students at the school had very little opportunity to speak English. Mastering that language is a key for these kids to be able to get further on in life.
So end of last year I offered to the principal Mr. D.L. Mnisi and to one of the department heads Mr. S.Z.Shange that I could help out once in a while by volunteer teaching some of the students in English. They accepted my offer!
Since a few weeks I am teaching once per week (if my work schedule allows) the subject of TOURISM in English only. Their regular tourism teacher Lati Thosago supports this very much and we work well together. I am teaching grade 10 and 11 once per week. And recently I even helped out to explain the world’s time zones to year 12.
To encourage the student to speak English we came up with a point system. Every time they ask a good question or make a good statement in English they get a point. Every time they speak isiZulu in class they loose a point. And if they laugh about anyone else’s mistakes they lose two points. Whoever has the most points at the end of the year will get a special present from me. Zulu kids are usually very shy in class but this incentive system has improved things a lot.
I donated a large map of the world and also some long power leads to the school, which we need if we want to use a projector and screen in the class rooms for some of the lessons.
The students seem to enjoy the lessons and are eager for me to come back – so Lati tells me 🙂
I know that I cannot change the world with all its imbalance in opportunities and wealth. But as with supporting the Ikanyso Crèche (with the generous help from many of you) I think by teaching at the school I can make a little difference in the lives of people who are much less lucky than I am – just by applying some of my skills.
I hope stories like these will encourage more people to help in whatever way they can!
About Mmemezi High School and Ngwenya Community:
This secondary school is located in one of the poorest communities in KwaZulu Natal. Unemployment rates are high and job opportunities are scarce.
Thanda Safari is one of the larger and important employers in the area. Many staff member come from this local community.
These are the GPS coordinates of the high school in case you would like to have look at the area -27.702275, 32.151540 | https://goo.gl/maps/1VaZN2JbbQm.
I am featuring a species per week on my social media channels. Here is a summary of the last week’s posts (and some blog bonus images). I hope you enjoy some of my favorite Nyala pictures :-).
All pictures were taken at various locations in South Africa.
#Christiansperkaphotography @christiansperkaphotography
This is a link to the full article with eight of my pictures published last weekend.
Courtesy of South Africa Sunday Times Travel and the author Pearl Boshomane Tsotetsi.
https://christiansperka.files.wordpress.com/2019/02/thanda-safari-sunday-times-travel-20190224.pdf
I an featuring a species per week on my social media channels. Here is a summary of the last week’s posts (and some blog bonus images). I hope you enjoy some of my favorite Cheetah pictures :-).
All pictures were taken at various locations in South Africa.
#Christiansperkaphotography @christiansperkaphotography
I have started featuring a species per week on my social media channels. Here is a summary of the last week’s posts (and some blog bonus images). I hope you enjoy some of my favorite Giraffe pictures :-).
The pictures were taken at various locations in South Africa.
#Christiansperkaphotography @christiansperkaphotography
I have started featuring a species per week on my social media channels. Here is a summary of the first week’s posts (and a few extras). I hope you enjoy some of my favorite Leopard pictures 🙂
The pictures were taken at various locations in South Africa.
#Christiansperkaphotography @christiansperkaphotography
