Kuzuko Trip #3

The day was bright and warm. We arrived at the safe house to pick up our group, and spent a little time packing up the rental car with the kids and going over some nature lessons to test what they could remember so far. Our group of wildlife enthusiasts happily showed off their memory and we were so happy to see that the lessons were paying off so well. Some of the kids we work with have learning challenges but it’s clear that our way of mentoring them has paid off in an incredible way, these kids are incredibly intelligent and such a joy to work with.

We left the township and headed to the school to pick up the rest of the kids going on our trip. And the entire trip was a very fun one. Although the drive was long, having a car full of very excited, laughing and chatting kids made it an absolute joy.

Enslin continued to quiz the kids on cardinal directions the whole trip, asking at intervals which way we were going. Some of the kids did quite well, though other times they would shout out whatever direction came to mind first which was always funny. This skill however is very important in guiding, and we were pleased to see that the kids loved trying to figure it out.

We made it to the lodge in record time, we saw many animal species and birds along the way which gave lots of opportunity for us to teach the kids something new but also for the kids to practice sharing what they knew.

We met with Kuzuko’s wonderful owners, Jim and Nikki, and the rest of the lodge staff. It was a joy, as always, to see everyone again. And because this was the first time Nci Nci Quagga was joining the adventure, and he was very excited to experience it all and meet everyone.

After a marvelous dinner in Kuzuko’s dining hall, we all retired to our rooms to enjoy the wild atmosphere of the reserve and the comfort of the generously offered accommodation.

We all got to enjoy an incredible sunset, and sky full of stars and even some meteors, and peaceful night with the promise of an exciting day ahead. Though we could hear the boys staying up a little later next door with all their laughter.

Morning came and everyone was on time and ready to go.

We ate breakfast and went over the day’s plan.

Ella, the house mother, was going to stay at the lodge and enjoy some much needed rest.

The oldest girl we worked with, Nyeleti, was with us for the third time, and she was going to be spending a full day running the coffee station and dining room, since her first visit to Kuzuko, she became passionate about becoming a barista. Since then, we got her into a local coffee shop to work on the weekend back home, and from there she gave it her all to become fully capable in coffee making and fine dining waitering. She has spent every spare second she has learning about this type of work, and now she would have an opportunity to show Kuzuko staff what she had been learning.

The three boys, our nature guys, would be going with us and the reserve manager Jake to start the day with exploring the reserve and learning about what work goes into managing a reserve.

The three boys were all excited, and had come prepared with their booklets for notes and the animal guide book we got them a year ago.

We got into the game vehicle, and left the lodge behind. Jake handed the radio to Kambaku, and asked him to announce our departure into the reserve.

Kambaku was proud and excited to have the honor, and, as so many guides do daily, he announced over the radio, “Attention all stations, we are departing on a game drive.”

It’s little things like this that can be such a boost in confidence in these great kids.

We stopped at an old elephant skull from many years ago, and got out of the vehicle to discuss it and let the boys get a better look. They loved this experience, and they had an opportunity to share some of their knowledge on the uniqueness of an elephant skull which they had learned from one of our previous lessons earlier in the month. It makes all the difference to put what they have been learning to practical application. And we felt very proud of their enthusiasm.

The reserve manager, Jake, had his wife, Jade, join our drive as well. She is doing a lot in wildlife conservation as well, and was a wealth of knowledge. And through all the collective experience on the drive, the boys were introduced to a wide variety of knowledge in wildlife and ecology.

We enjoyed a nice sighting of meerkats, warming themselves in the sun. And this was followed by the arrival of a small herd of black wildebeest.

We saw many other antelope species like impala, kudu, and steenbok, and the boys were witness to quite interesting behaviours by the animals. All of this opened up to conversations about animal behaviour, and the boys had many opportunities to show off their own knowledge and memory from past sessions with us. Once again, showing us that our work is creating a seed of hope in the kids we are so privileged to work with.

We made a stop at a very special plant called a spekboom. The boys learned how important this succulent is, and the very important role it plays in conservation. It was a good lesson for them, as we will be doing a practical lesson involving the planting of spekboom in the near future.

There were quite a few stops along the way to discuss different types of ecosystems and the jobs a reserve manger must do to check up on the overall health of a reserve daily. And the boys all expressed their interest in wanting pursue a future as a guide or game ranger.

We made a stop at a separate part of the reserve that has a focus on cheetah conservation. This was nice for me, as I was once the cheetah conservation project manager at Kuzuko.

The boys got to see a cheetah up close in an enclosure, as this cheetah was getting ready to be released onto a reserve in Botswana and was awaiting the journey ahead. It was lying peacefully in the shade, unbothered by our presence. This was the first time the boys had seen an cheetah, and especially one so close. And they learned about the cheetahs endangered status, and how Kuzuko is helping them. Yet another little known part of conservation.

After the cheetah, we found white rhinos. Now the boys had been learning a lot about rhinos, and shared some of their knowledge in the differences between white and black rhino.

They definitely impressed Jake and Jade with all their facts.

We went to see the Cape buffalo herd after the rhinos, and they boys learned about the future plans that the reserve has for the herd and their future release onto the main reserve. We hope to get the boys back to reserve for the grand release.

We continued our tour around the reserve, and made many more stops along the way to talk about wildlife and ecology. The boys got to test their knowledge practically when we stopped to look at elephant tracks, and this has been a favorite topic for all three of them. And we questioned them on different details found in the elephant tracks, and once again, their knowledge and observational skills showed exceptional promise. Enslin and I both felt so moved by this, because all the mentoring and experiences we have been doing with them are truly having incredible results in their lives.

We returned to the lodge for lunch and a small break.

We met up with Ella and Nyeleti for lunch and everyone shared their experiences together over lunch.

We were so impressed by the hard work that Nyeleti had shown, she had been going above and beyond with making coffees and serving the guests at the lodge like a professional, and all the other staff had nothing but compliments for her. We were really excited to hear this. It was clear she was giving this her all.

After lunch, Nyeleti was eager to return to helping out in the coffee making, so we said our goodbyes and went to get ready for the next mission of the day.

While we still had some off time, we saw the boys were hanging out at the lodge swimming pool and were egging each other on to go swimming! They asked us if it was ok to swim, we thought they were crazy since, in South Africa right now, it is winter!

But we told them they could if they wanted to and got the permission from Ella.

Ella told them they were crazy but it was fine.

So Kambaku and Ichelesi got ready, while Ncinci Quagga was on standby for moral support…or mostly just to joke and mock the other two.

After a long time of trying to convince each other to jump first, the Kambaku finally gathered courage to go feel the water…and his expression and reaction said it all. It was COLD!

But now we joined in to encourage him to jump, and we told him the girls all jumped in the last time. Upon hearing this little fib, the boys became determined to jump. They had to now.

Kambaku through himself headfirst into the pool, and emerged in shock by how cold it was. The other boys were rolling with laughter at his expression and so were we!

Now it was Ichelesi’s turn…back and forth around the pool he went for at least 10 minutes, trying to make himself jump. He would go stand on the first step of the pool ladder, then step out again. The other boys called for him to make the jump. And it was through much laughter that he finally jumped in. We cheered the brave and crazy kids for getting in the freezing pool, and broke the news that the girls had not in fact actually jumped in last time. They all laughed and hurried to their rooms to warm up.

The time came for us to embark on a important mission, the lodge had some guests that really wanted to see giraffe and they had yet to see any. So we were asked if we could go track the giraffe ahead of the game drive so the guests would be able to see them. This was a huge opportunity for the boys to practice their trackings skills, and they were very excited!

We made our way to the area of the reserve where the giraffe herd had last been seen so we could have a starting point. And we got lucky…we thought…because we saw far up on the mountain what we believe was the head of a giraffe disappear over mountains edge. So we all realized it was going to be a big hike ahead of us!

We started walking, but we had plenty of time to find the giraffes so we stopped along the way to go over different animal tracks and practically go over more of what the boys had been learning with us back home. It was very impressive what they could remember, especially because tracking in itself is not a simple art. It is very in depth and fascinating work, so seeing these boys take to it the way they have been is really incredible.

We found many signs of antelope, from kudu to steenbok, and the boys found the dung of the antelope to be quite funny and we enjoyed a funny little lesson on all of it.

We came across the elusive brown hyena tracks, still fresh from the night before. And it gave the journey an air of mystery.

We crossed a small stream where we had the opportunity to speak on the differences between fresh and old tracks in the mud.

We found giraffe tracks and dung, and knew we were going in the right direction…which was up, up, up.

It was a long and tiresome hike, but the boys had no problem with it and they loved every second of the challenge. We continued to find small sign of the animals we were looking for, but the signs became difficult as we got to rockier areas.

And finally, as we paused to take in the view below us, there was saw a giraffe just above us. It moved along the ridge and disappeared on the other side.

The boys were so proud having accomplished the mission, it was a big deal for them!

Having found where the giraffes were, we headed back down to report.

The boys chatted happily a lot of the way, and were pleased to say that no one else at the school had ever done such a thing. Kambaku laughed and said, “The other kids at school cannot even track their own dog!” And we all laughed. They were so proud of this special skill they had learned and put to the test in such a successful way. And we were so proud of them too. They have had so many hardships in their lives, and to accomplish something like this is a big deal. They are truly extraordinary kids.

We met the guests for a sundowner, and reported the whereabouts of the giraffe. But then the entire herd of giraffe appeared from behind the mountain where we had been, and came down close to where we all were. It was typical of wildlife to do things in this way, but it did not take away from the wonderful experience the boys had had, in fact it only made it better!

We all enjoyed a soda and snacks with guests, which we believed was well deserved for the boys!

We enjoyed an absolutely marvelous sunset and then headed back to the lodge for a much needed dinner.

We met with Ella and the girl for dinner and the table was filled with laughter and chatter. We then learned that the girl had worked non stop all day! But she did it to prove how capable she was. Enslin taught us all sign language during dinner, which everyone picked up very quickly. And it was followed up by a lot of laughter and joking and spelling things at each other.

After dinner, Ella and the kids put on a show for the whole lodge to say thank you. And they sang a well known Xhosa song of good fortune. We all stood in amazement as Ella’s beautiful voice resounded throughout the lodge, and everyone was very impressed and moved and gave her and the kids a standing ovation.

The next morning, the oldest girl was up at dawn to prove once more she was a hard worker and willing to put in the effort. Everyone was amazed.

We had one more important task to do with boys, which was setting up a camera trap.

We went out onto the reserve with Nikki and chose a place that had signs of lots of animal and bird life.

We had a little hike ahead to reach it, but it was a fun walk with lots of tracks and we even found the giraffe herd as we went! Nikki’s very sweet dog, Tilly, also joined us.

Nikki showed the boys how to turn on the camera and we all set it up together picking out the best direction and height for it.

Next time we go to Kuzuko we will be able to check what animals walked by the camera, which will be a nice experience for our nature guys.

On the walk back, the boys were in a heated discussion about who was faster, and so a competition was needed to determine who the ultimate runner was.

We came to a straight road, and the boys lined up. Tilly the dog also wanted to join, so she lined up too. “On your marks, get set, GO!!”

The boys gave it their all, but it was clear that the fastest runner was Tilly! Though there have been calls for a rematch and possible cheating from the dog’s side…video footage will be reviewed, however Tilly was certainly the clear winner, haha!

After this we went back to the lodge, and it was time to head home.

Nyeleti had a meeting with the food and beverage manager and the owners of Kuzuko, who all gave her feedback on the work she did over the weekend. They had nothing but praise for her, and were beyond impressed with her work ethic and character and attention to detail. They offered her an internship with the possibility of employment upon graduation from school, and said that they may fund her to go through hospitality school in the future as well.

This was HUGE news. And we were all so excited for her, and to see this project working was very heartwarming for us.

Our goal has always been to help the kids who are the most at risk. It’s so often the kids that come from orphanages and safe houses as young adults end up lost forever. We have heard so many stories already of the kids that, in spite of growing up in a safe and loving home at the safe house we work with, they still ended up being lost to drugs or alcoholism, and some, have disappeared completely. Many of the kids in these places are taken advantage of by traffickers and other criminals, led into being trafficked, or into drugs, prostitution, poaching, or gangs.

Our goal for S.E.E.D of Hope has been to prevent this from happening in the first place.

By working with these kids, and especially the teens, we are mentoring them in different skills and figuring what they are interested in and passionate about. And then by providing them an opportunity to pursue their interests, we are seeing them gain hope for their future, and confidence to pursue their dreams. We are working with a long term goal in mind. We want to see every child we work with end up in a career when they leave their safe house. We want them to grow up with hope, with dreams they want to pursue, growing in the confidence to pursue their goals, and to grow in character and with skillsets honed in over the years that enables them to stand on their own two feet.

And seeing Nyeleti achieve her goal like this…after one trip to Kuzuko with us. She did not have any interest in finishing school before or pursuing anything, she had no aspirations, until she discovered a passion for making coffee at the lodge and working with guests at Kuzuko, and after that, she continued to want to learn more. She changed her thoughts on school and became determined to graduate. We got her doing part time work at a local coffee shop who graciously took time to teach her and help hone in on her barista skills. They offered her a part time job. However, then we went on this trip to Kuzuko for the third time, and Nyeleti worked so hard to show the growth she had made, and now, she will be able to graduate school, leave the safe house, and walk right into a five star internship with the possibility of further studies and a career.

THIS IS THE WAY. This is why our project works, and it is simply amazing to see young lives changed before our eyes.

We could not do this without the help of our donors, the commitment and generosity of Kuzuko Lodge and its staff, and all the other wonderful people who give their time and resources to help kids in need accomplish true hope.

It was a great end to the trip, and we look forward to the next one, which will be a deep dive into the maintenance department and maybe a little camping as well!