Phila Endalweni - Environmental Education Programmes

A Rocha’s Phila Endalweni Environmental Education Programmes are up and running!

Phila Endalweni serves the youth of Pietermaritzburg through two main avenues, namely environmental Clubs, and our Wilderness Learning Programmes. Our main focus is to reach and impact the lives of children who would not normally be exposed to the natural environment, and especially children from under-resourced communities. Our mission is to induct people into the wonder of creation and thereby enable them to meet the Creator.

Environmental Clubs

Our clubs are run on a weekly basis in several Pietermaritzburg schools. Currently, we focus on primary school learners and establish a theme for each term.

Some of the activities in the clubs include:

Celebrating environmental days
Sustainable living, including recycling and “waste watchers”
Tree planting
Environmental games
Excursions

A Rocha produces lesson planning and support material for each club meeting, with the aim of making the material available for other schools to establish and run more clubs. Our vision is to have an environmental club running in every school in Pietermaritzburg, and thereby to affect the future of our nation.

For more information regarding the clubs or the establishment of a new club, please contact Nolovuyo at the office.

Wilderness Learning Programme

Our Wilderness Learning Programmes take learners out of the classroom into a hands-on learning experience in the natural environment. We learn best when we are interested and excited, therefore A Rocha’s experienced guides ensure that learning is exciting and fun-filled! We believe that children should climb trees and get their hands dirty! (We also encourage cleanliness and hygiene!)

Phila Endalweni programmes have been designed in conjunction with the Revised National Curriculum Statement and each field visit is tailored to the individual group’s requirements. We cater for groups of all ages and levels, serving a maximum of 40 learners per course to ensure a level of excellence.

The Wilderness Learning Programme takes place mainly in Bisley Valley Nature Reserve, one of Pietermaritzburg’s beautiful municipal conservation areas. A Rocha has secured the use of all of the Msunduzi municipal nature reserves for environmental education, through a partnership with the Msunduzi Municipality. All of these areas are no more than 15 minutes drive from the city centre. Our programmes run for 3 – 4 hours which allows for minimal disturbance to teaching time.

Phila Endalweni is a specialist environmental education service that aims to partner with other environmental and outdoor centres, rather than competing with them. Our cost effective programmes aim to enrich and extend environmental education in Pietermaritzburg schools.

For an electronic brochure or other information regarding Phila Endalweni, including bookings, please contact Noluvuyo Mshumpela, our Schools' Field Worker, noluvuyo.mshumpela@arocha.org