Environmental education in the Overberg received a boost – thanks to the Agulhas Biodiversity Initiative (ABI) Small Grants Programme. Environmental education coordinator, Gretha Louw – who received support from ABI through its Small Grants Facility – has used the funding to acquire a digital microscope and other gadgets, used to teach children about nature and sustainable life on earth.
The ABI Small Grants Facility is supported by the Table Mountain Fund, an associated Trust of WWF-South Africa. Through the programme, ABI is supporting up to 20 community-based projects with small grants of around R15,000 each. The projects are aimed at encouraging conservation at community level, while ensuring close communication with local municipalities.
Gretha is now using the new equipment to provide practical lessons on living soil, and investigating the interaction of natural resources. She has already reached some 1300 children – many from smaller farm schools – since September this year. Through the digital microscope, Gretha can now show tiny organisms, to small for the naked eye to see, to children on a projector.
Her project is aimed at supporting schools across the Overberg to learn more about nature. Many of the schools do not have sufficient laboratory equipment for practical examinations – despite this forming a key part of environmental learning.