Part of the Etc.
The term sleeping elephants has taken on a whole new meaning for an adventurous group of Stockton Riverside College students.
But in this version of the game, the students were the ones doing the sleeping while a herd of the giant beasts tiptoed by their beds.
“There’s nothing quite like opening your eyes to see a herd of elephants passing through the camp,” said the college’s Course Leader for Early Years, Jackie Robbins. “Particularly, when those either side of you don’t wake up!”
Jackie was one of a group of ten staff and students to travel to South-West Africa to work with underprivileged children in Namibia.
Helping out at the Abraham Gariseb Primary School, the volunteers painted dormitories and delivered classes to children.
The trip was organised in conjunction with Elephant Human Relations Aid (EHRA), as part of their school partnership programme.
EHRA runs an elephant conservation project which aims to help the villagers live in harmony with the region’s wild elephants.
“It was an amazing experience to see the Childcare and Early Years students being able to put the skills that they have learnt in the classroom into practice, particularly overcoming the language barrier,” said lecturer Jackie.
Spending their first week sleeping in a camp, followed by three nights under the stars as they joined EHRA’s elephant patrol, the excursion proved a real test of the students’ grit and determination.
It wasn’t just the wild elephants roaming into camp, as the group also had their slumber disturbed by spiders and even scorpions.
But accompanied by EHRA’s team of experts, Jackie said: “We felt safe knowing they were there with us.”
Childcare student, Amy Oliver, said: “It was a fantastic experience and worth all the stress of raising the funds to get there.”
The group has spent months taking part in fundraisers to help cover the cost of the adventure.
“It is nothing like you think it will be,” said the 17-year-old from Stockton. “I expected the children to be shy and not want to interact with us but they were so interested in everything we did and wanted to know who we were.”
She said: “Working with the children came as a shock, especially during an assembly when they sang a song about being fine. Their lives are so different compared to children at home, I couldn’t hold back the tears.”
But the one thing that stood out against all else, said Amy, was just how happy they are.
Having spent the best part of two weeks living without home comforts such as running water, electricity, and limited to just the clothes and essentials they could carry, Amy said: “The whole experience has definitely made me appreciate things more. It makes you feel more aware of the way that we live in society here, the privileges we have and how different it is in Namibia.”
Childcare and Education Lecturer, Liz Maddison, who has now made the trip herself three times, said: “For our students the whole experience has enhanced their knowledge of different ways of life, as well as learning about the importance of sharing and team work.
“The children are an inspiration to us all, you realise that you really can manage with very little.”
But in this version of the game, the students were the ones doing the sleeping while a herd of the giant beasts tiptoed by their beds.
“There’s nothing quite like opening your eyes to see a herd of elephants passing through the camp,” said the college’s Course Leader for Early Years, Jackie Robbins. “Particularly, when those either side of you don’t wake up!”
Jackie was one of a group of ten staff and students to travel to South-West Africa to work with underprivileged children in Namibia.
Helping out at the Abraham Gariseb Primary School, the volunteers painted dormitories and delivered classes to children.
The trip was organised in conjunction with Elephant Human Relations Aid (EHRA), as part of their school partnership programme.
EHRA runs an elephant conservation project which aims to help the villagers live in harmony with the region’s wild elephants.
“It was an amazing experience to see the Childcare and Early Years students being able to put the skills that they have learnt in the classroom into practice, particularly overcoming the language barrier,” said lecturer Jackie.
Spending their first week sleeping in a camp, followed by three nights under the stars as they joined EHRA’s elephant patrol, the excursion proved a real test of the students’ grit and determination.
It wasn’t just the wild elephants roaming into camp, as the group also had their slumber disturbed by spiders and even scorpions.
But accompanied by EHRA’s team of experts, Jackie said: “We felt safe knowing they were there with us.”
Childcare student, Amy Oliver, said: “It was a fantastic experience and worth all the stress of raising the funds to get there.”
The group has spent months taking part in fundraisers to help cover the cost of the adventure.
“It is nothing like you think it will be,” said the 17-year-old from Stockton. “I expected the children to be shy and not want to interact with us but they were so interested in everything we did and wanted to know who we were.”
She said: “Working with the children came as a shock, especially during an assembly when they sang a song about being fine. Their lives are so different compared to children at home, I couldn’t hold back the tears.”
But the one thing that stood out against all else, said Amy, was just how happy they are.
Having spent the best part of two weeks living without home comforts such as running water, electricity, and limited to just the clothes and essentials they could carry, Amy said: “The whole experience has definitely made me appreciate things more. It makes you feel more aware of the way that we live in society here, the privileges we have and how different it is in Namibia.”
Childcare and Education Lecturer, Liz Maddison, who has now made the trip herself three times, said: “For our students the whole experience has enhanced their knowledge of different ways of life, as well as learning about the importance of sharing and team work.
“The children are an inspiration to us all, you realise that you really can manage with very little.”
