As World Wildlife Day is celebrated on March 3, three young conservation champions wish to drive home the importance of educating children – as future custodians of natural heritage – about conserving wildlife and caring for the environment.
When Patlego Machete lived with her grandmother in rural Mpumalanga, she could not wait to escape to the bright city lights. It was only years later that she realised the bush had always been calling her back – and now she is imparting this rekindled passion for nature to children as a conservation facilitator at Good Work Foundation (GWF).
Machete’s journey may have since come full circle but, as a young village girl, “I wanted a different kind of life – I envied the city life. I needed to go and find myself,” she reminisces.
After matriculating, she had hoped to become a chartered accountant but was not accepted into college. Then she heard about GWF’s Conservation Academy and decided to enrol, not really knowing what it…
