The Africa Foundation and &Beyond Environmental Education Programme is known as ‘Echo’ for the resonance it has across people’s lives. The Echo programme is linked to our Future Leaders key outcome which has a focus on unlocking talent and potential and developing environmental awareness and understanding. Environmental Education is key to engaging communities in the issues and debates around their everyday choices and the impact that they have for the environment and conservation. Most often we find that the communities living closest to some of the world’s most renowned conservation areas, know the least about them and their value. Echo aims to change that by exposing community members, young and old, to the conservation land and seascapes that they are in fact, the custodians of, and working with communities to ensure that they feel the benefit of protecting the environment around them. School facilitation is through Echo Stewards in South Africa and Community & Conservation Rangers in East Africa. Anchoring this process, we are continuously developing tailor made curriculum aligned Echo education manuals providing resources for pre-primary to early secondary school scholars which reflect the local community context.
The Echo programme has a core focus around United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4 – Quality Education. SDG 4 has a key focus on taking urgent action to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.
Echo Conservation lessons and activities facilitated
Kids who participated in Echo lessons and activities
Echo stewards employed
Reduce human-wildlife conflict and poaching using engagement to impart the value of wildlife
Improve the knowledge and career prospects of young people living close to conservation areas
Give access to environmental education to school children in rural communities
Instil respect and understanding in children on the natural resources around them
Promote sound enviro planning and resource use & facilitate economic upliftment in rural areas
Facilitate recognition of the need for a holistic, meaningful, sustainable conservation programme
Contribute to changing people’s lives