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Published: April 2nd 2007
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On Thursday morning we welcomed the arrival of our 07D participants who looked eager to get started, albeit, a little apprehensive! In all there are 56 17-25 year olds from across the UK, New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong, Switzerland and Malaysia. Everyone has settled in well to their brief spell at field base before they head off across the country on their various projects.
Their time so far has been spent learning soft and hard skills, from camp craft and expedition life to environmental awareness and team building exercises. But it’s not all been hard work. There has been enthusiastic involvement in the Raleigh tradition of the ‘skit’. Throughout the expedition, teams will be called on to keep their fellow participants and staff amused with various forms of entertainment. The sketches take ingenuity and imagination - creating impromptu costumes and make-up from anything available for a song, dance or a quick play. They always end in laughter and are a great bonding exercise with everyone getting involved, even the odd shy and retiring type! Some photos below of the teams in action will give you an idea of how we’ve spent some of our time so far..
Alpha
groups for phase one will depart for their projects on Tuesday 3 April. Details as follows:
Alpha one will head out to the remote community of Okamatapati, five hours north east of Windhoek. The team will build a playground for 400 learners, many of whom live in hostel accommodation on the school site. At the moment they only have a football pitch and running track and are very excited at the thought of a new playground which the team will complete by the end of phase one.
Project managers: Linda Fenner and Sarah Walter. Participants: Thomas Quale, Daniel Boyd, Nicholas Reid, Thomas Erikson, Trevor Ferros, Tengku Petra, Nicola Good, Alexandria Fair, Rebecca Hocking, Jennifer Ordish and Louise MacMillan.
Alpha two will build a new school for the learners of Onameya Junior Primary School, located in the Oshikoto region about 60k south of Ondangwa. The project will take a full three phases - nine weeks - to complete and will involve three separate groups.
Project managers: Siann Lloyd, Toree Weller. Participants: Benedict Haywood, William Reed, Michael Allison, Sean Paterson, Chris Spencer, Richard Thomas, Laura McGuire, Kerry Usher, Rosie Willmot, Susannah Larmont, Alexandra Smith.
Alpha three will
head to REST (Rare and Endangered Species Trust) around four hours North of Windhoek. REST houses the protected Cape Griffon - fewer than 20 wild birds remain in Namibia. This expedition will see teams complete a new aviary and develop a sensory trail over the nine week period.
Project managers: Monica Babb, Stuart Everitt, Jo Harvey. Participants: Iain Macleod, Owen Ensor, Lee Daley, Brendan Cavanagh, Matt Nguyen, Claire Smith, Gemma Doherty, Daisy Faulkner, Lucy Martin, Josephine Close, Ali Scarisbrook.
Alpha four will be located at Cape Cross, home to over 200,000 Cape Fur Seals and reportedly the largest colony in the world. There is a wall at Cape Cross that was built to separate and protect tourists from the seals and vice versa. The Ministry of Environment and Tourism now wants to remove a part of this and build a raised walkway, allowing the seals free access to more of the coastline. Our team’s challenge is to demolish and remove the wall and also develop a new campsite over the next nine weeks.
Project managers: Simay Adil, Philip Duma, Louise Powell. Participants: Patrick Hopper, Maximillian Taylor-Smith, Sam Picton, Michael Dempsey, William Balfour, Amy Meza De Paz, Sarah
Seymour, Kate Whalley, Fiona Wynn, Hannah Young, Christine Johnson.
Alpha five will be the first of the trekking teams. They will navigate 240k through the dry Goantagab river bed before skirting the Messum crater and crossing extensive desert plains on their journey to the Atlantic’s Skeleton Coast. The trek is a journey of discovery as the team crosses challenging terrain, supported by a local guide who has intimate knowledge of the area and its wildlife.
Project managers: Rosie Jones, Alex Ridyard, Amanda Talbot and Kate O’Nions. Participants: Billy Bambrough, James Norton, Saul Hardman, William Morton, Daniel Williamson, Chung Mang Chi, Astrid Branum, Annie Turner, Laura Entwhistle, Imogen Ainsworth, Victoria Payne, Emma Dunford.
We wish everyone a fantastic first phase and will be posting updates of their stories and adventures over the next 19 days. Participants will be back at field base for a little recuperation on 21 April when they will no doubt be making contact with friends and family.
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mammaduck
non-member comment
Seals!
Hope they have all got their cloths pegs ready for the amazing smell that is SEALS!! Great to see them all looking as if they are settling in well, good luck to you all, await further news later in the month x