Moreomaoto Village Outreach at Meno a Kwena
Meno a Kwena Camp has a long-standing supporting relationship with the Moreomaoto Village from school and library sponsorship, to environmental education programmes to employment
Environmental Club at Moreomaoto Primary School
You may have gathered by now that we’re pretty passionate about conservation and creating educational opportunities for future generations. We have partnered with Elephants for Africa to develop an Environmental Club in Moreomaoto Village Primary School with funding and logistical support from Meno a Kwena, which even includes our camp guides helping out with teaching on the project. It’s absolutely incredible to think that many of the children in the village were not aware that they live next to a national park. Understanding this will also shed light on the relevance of the wildlife that passes through and might just inspire some future conservationists.
Moreomaoto Village Crafts
Creating job opportunities for the single mothers of Moreomaoto village.
Many of the women who reside in Moreomamoto village can struggle to find work, so this project began with Natural Selection and the Moreomamoto Youth Conservation Society to provide an employment opportunity through crafts. The ladies make a collection of purses, bags and other hand-crafted items which are then available for sale to guests at Meno a Kwena or during a village tour. They make lovely keepsakes for those keen to hold onto more than memories from their stay. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for the lovely pieces next time you’re in camp
Moreomaoto Village Living with Wildlife Strategy Workshops
Mitigating human/wildlife conflict through workshopping.
Being amidst abundant wildlife might sound like a dream come true for many of us, but for farmers and residents in and around Moreomaoto village, close proximity to wildlife can be fraught with conflict. The villages nearest Meno a Kwena fall within one of the highest human-wildlife conflict zones of Botswana. In order to help both humans and wildlife, we are working alongside Elephants for Africa to sponsor a series of workshops. The workshops focus on the interpretation of wildlife behaviour as well as looking at viable farming practices such as chili farming to deter elephants. The long-term goal is to improve livelihoods of all residents living next to Makgadikgadi National Park and allow the villagers and wildlife to live harmoniously in an area that has experienced a recent surge in migrating and resident wildlife.
Wild Vision (Previously Vision2020) /
Humanitarian road trip performing eye tests and arranging glasses for those in need, sponsored by Mapula Lodge and Meno a Kwena Camp.
Young children with early onset vision impairment can experience delayed motor, language, emotional, social and cognitive development, with lifelong consequences. Wild Vision and Natural Selection have worked together for two years to address this challenge in rural areas of Botswana by bringing efficient on-site eye testing and eyeglass distribution to remote schools. The positive impact has been tremendous.
In March 2022, the Wild Vision Humanitarian trip visited rural schools in and around the Okavango Delta, performing eye testing to2211 children, and issuing 86 sets of glasses to those in need. This was supported by the Natural Selection Trust and our lodges (Khwai Private Reserve, Mapula Lodge, Meno A Kwena and Planet Baobab) and was a follow on from our support of this initiative in 2019. In 2019 the Wild Vision team tested 4211 children and some adults, and issued approximately 154 free sets of glasses and handed out environmental education material.
