On the 23rd April our children went on an outing to Giraffe House, a wildlife awareness centre near Paarl, Cape Town. Giraffe House aims to provide a place for people to enjoy the outdoors, whilst experiencing and learning about animals and why they are special.
One of the attractions is the reptile area, and it was good to see the children’s reactions were not of fear (although there were a few wary ones), but curiosity – it was very heartwarming to see the children interact and want to touch the creatures.
We arrange an annual visit to places where children can see the actual sizes of these animals. For example when they learn about a particular animal like a giraffe, they only see the picture of a giraffe, but it is a completely different experience for then to see a real one, and see how tall they are.
On their return to the Home, the children excitedly told the other staff about the giraffe, the zebra and the snake and how scared the staff and volunteers were, but how very brave they themselves were!
These educational outings are made possible by donors who donate funds specifically for outings, allowing us to treat the children to these life changing special experiences.