NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS CAMP
Botswana - March 2009.
"My favourite memory from camp is the photo of Uncle Humphrey and the child
under the tree as he was teaching the child about the tree, the name of the tree
and how it depends on itself. The tree has a wound on its stem, he explained
what caused it. One day I want to see myself doing like Uncle Humphrey”.
This was the highlight for Shaolin, one of the children that participated in
the National Geographic Kids Photo Camp that I was privileged to help with in
March 2009 at the Selinda Reserve. The few days were focused on teaching the
kids to believe and have confidence in themselves through photography and there
is no doubt that he objective of this exercise was achieved. I was in charge
of the walks with the kids in the morning before we returned to camp for brunch
and back to the classroom. In the afternoons we ended up sharing sundowners with
the resident Motswiri elephants who graced us with their presence in the camp.
The experience of seeing how strange the camera was to the children as they were
handed to them and how after a few days of practice and guidance they completely
embraced the concept of photography at the same time learning about the environment
and the wildlife around them was my personal highlight. When the time finally
came to part as the kids flew back to their respective villages, they were a
lot of tears shed from both sides. This will certainly not be my last Kids Photo
Camp.
