Bontebok Kids in Parks

October and November have been dominated by one thing here in Bontebok and that was Kids in Parks. This meant 500 children from 10 schools over 6 weeks leading to 1 tired GVI. No amount of planning can prepare you for what it entails, no amount of advice will provide an adequate insight, but listen when people tell you it is one of the toughest yet most rewarding experiences you go through.

Sometimes you question if you have children or chimps on the bus, or where it is the smallest child puts his third helping of Potjie, and how it is that after five hours of sleep and a whole day of activities they still find the energy to run around before “bedtime”. But, when you see the tears in their eyes as they hug you goodbye, or how happy and surprised they are at their goodie bags and T-shirts you forget the hellish 2 days you just had and wish they could stay longer too.

Some of my KIP highlights were the following; the first Potjie as it tasted so good, the surprising level of competition between tents to be named the cleanest tent at tent inspection would always make me laugh, the evening plays especially one where a girl playing Lang Elsie auctioned off her sheep to the highest bidder after poachers had tried to steal them, oh and not forgetting, the p the o the w e and the r…POWER power. If you don’t know the song ask a group to sing power for you, seems to be a popular one. Best of all though were the ones who went out of their way to say thank you as I know that they will never forget their KIP experience and that’s what makes it worthwhile for me.

Posted by: Danielle Cox (GVI Intern, Bontebok National Park)

Bontebok Kids in Parks