Art for Gorillas

Category: Art of Conservation (AoC) | Date: Oct 29 2009 | By: Julie

AoC’s Parents as Partners Open House at Rushubi Primary School.
All photos courtesy of Molly Feltner.

Wow, oh wow, we had a great turn out at our second open house! We didn’t even offer (nor will we ever) banana beer or per diems!

A future student? We are hopeful that this young child’s brother or sister–who was an AoC student, now a ‘graduate’–is handing down lessons to her such as the basic habits of personal hygiene, respect for oneself and others, and a sense of wonderment about the world they live in.

Gifts were given to students who received top marks on the final exam, who had perfect class attendance, and for putting forth exemplary effort throughout the school year. The woman pictured above, on the far right, stands proud after her daughter receives an award in all three categories.

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After Dative’s poignant letter she read aloud, I gave her a huge hug.

The teamwork of Eric, Innocent, Molly, Valerie, Phocas, Amahoro Tours driver Emmanuel and assistant Hassan, teachers, and students was remarkable. We simply can’t do what we’ve been trying to do if not for the commitment of this dedicated group of people.

Tags: children, conservation, education, environment, parents, rwanda

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Category: Art of Conservation (AoC) | Date: Oct 26 2009 | By: Julie

All photos courtesy of Molly Feltner. Manirabizi’s mother was the first parent to show up with her child at Nyabitsinde Primary School for Art of Conservation’s Parents as Partners Open House. We invited her into Manirabizi’s AoC classroom to begin looking through an envelope of the art work he had done throughout the year.

If only one parent of one of our 50 students show up–I thought to myself–then AoC’s team effort would seem worth every moment. It was great to see Manirabizi’s mother responding to her son’s work.

Next arrived Nyiranjijuke and her mother.

As the classroom fills with students and parents, Innocent directs the group to take the time to look through the children’s work and around the classroom at the Word Wall, maps, artwork. Everyone enjoys snacks and juice.

This photograph illustrates so much of what we’ve been hoping for… communication.

I nearly melt listening to Manirabizi’s poem he wrote in honor of his ‘other’ parent, me. With concentrated effort, he recited his poem aloud in English with Innocent translating in Kinyarwanda. This is his poem.

Thank You Our Parent
Let us give our thanks
For our parent
Who loves us children.
Dear teacher parent,
You help us all sides!
You give us all skills.
You give us knowledge.
Not only knowledge
But also school materials.
You help us about tourism
From you, I know our country’s capital
Kigali.
From you I am good at art.
Of course, wherever I go,
Never forget you!
My name is Manirabizi. P. 5, Nyabitsinde Primary School. Thank you again.

Tags: Africa, education, parents, partners, rwanda

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Category: Art of Conservation (AoC) | Date: Oct 21 2009 | By: Julie

2009’s conservation classes are wrapping up. January 2010, we’ll begin with a new group of children and their classroom teachers. But until then, the AoC team and I are determinedly revving up for one last effort to bring home what we have taught and involved our students, their teachers, their fellow classmates, and their families in - at our forthcoming Parents as Partners Open Houses.

In retrospect, I wish we had started with a parents open house in addition to finishing our year with another. I see all too clearly a lack of communication between parent and child, an absence of responsibility and compassion, a complacency and waiting for the next hand out. It was suggested more than once to us that parents would be more likely to attend the open house which begins at 9:00 am if we were to serve beer… I responded with something like there is NOT a chance in …., but we will offer fruit juice!

Change does begin with an individual and it does take time, but in a place like Rwanda with its relatively recent draconian history and the human population so high and such little land space, I feel we must do all we can to get our messages about health and conservation to our students and their families.

Each student writes his or her name on the invitation seen above - with the invitation in both English and Kinyarwanda - and takes it home.

Below, our invitation to park officials, district leaders, teachers, and more.

Eric and Innocent are working on their five minute speeches they will present to parents and invited guests which will stress the need to work together, as a team, if we want to make real change.

Wish us luck!

Tags: , children, communication, conservation, education, health, mountain gorillas

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Category: Art of Conservation (AoC) | Date: Oct 18 2009 | By: Julie

To love, protect, and feel compassion for a mountain gorilla is to really see a mountain gorilla - in all its shapes and forms. Our students have always been told that they should protect mountain gorillas - their immediate neighbors in Volcanoes National Park. Being told is one thing, but to understand and develop feelings of compassion is another. Art of Conservation’s approach toward inspiring young people to really care for each other, animals, and the entire natural world is through dialogue, exploration, and art.

Please view our video from two class sessions of creating papier mache mountain gorillas.

AoC student Job proudly displays mountain gorillas he and his classmates made. Photo by Molly Feltner.

Tags: art, children, education, endangered species, mountain gorillas, rwanda

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Category: Art of Conservation (AoC) | Date: Oct 05 2009 | By: Julie

Ana, thanks for your recent comment. We are happy you liked the safari through time lessons.

After taking a quick look at amazing shapes, sizes, and colors of birds, frogs, and butterflies, we asked students to let their imagination run and create surprise creatures.

One student draws a head, another student a body, and last the legs and feet.

She must have some creative and funny thoughts going on - let’s see what comes out on paper.

Creatures #1.

Creatures #2.

Art for Gorillas is taking a brief break - off to the Egyptian desert - back with you mid-October.

Tags: bird-watching, birds, butterflies, creativity, frogs, rwanda

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Category: Art of Conservation (AoC) | Date: Oct 01 2009 | By: Julie

Peter, thank you very much for your September 28th donation of $110! One of the brilliant things about Wildlife Direct is that the blogs allow us to get our messages out there and raise funds while we continue to work at the grassroots level. Thanks so much for tuning in to the blog, Peter. We greatly appreciate your much needed support. Soon, Rwanda’s schoolchildren will be let out of school for the year. They take their national exams in October and then return in January 2010 for a new academic year. As we follow the government run public school calendar, Art of Conservation’s 2009 classes are quickly coming to a close as well. For this week’s class, AoC students take their final exam which covers the year’s conservation lessons, and then look and listen to the sights and sounds of birds, frogs, and butterflies.

Kids gasp when they see the abundance of bird species shown in bird field guides. We look for Rwandan birds like ibis, turaco, bee-eater, robin-chat, and sunbirds.

“Bird Songs From Around The World” by Les Beletsky, an audio book that delighted students, features songs of 200 birds from around the world.

Our classroom is filling with the beautiful songs of birds and frogs. Here, the boys are using a thing called an “Identiflyer Guide” with a “Frogs SongCard.”

We discuss bird and nature watching etiquette and try out binoculars.

More oohs and aahs while looking at “Butterflies Of The World.”

Again, thank you Peter.

Tags: animals, birds, conservation education, rwanda, Volcanoes National Park

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