2018 South Africa Safari and School Visit

by April Howland

I could hardly believe my eyes…

In my last post, I told you about my trip to South Africa in 2011 and how my life was changed by the local people that I met there. I also touched on how I wanted to do something to help them so I raffled off a painting to raise funds for a new kitchen at Veyulani Primary School in the community of Lilydale. Click here to read more.

For years after returning home from that first trip, I dreamt about returning. It’s true what they say… you can leave Africa but it never leaves you.

In March of 2018, I was finally able to make this dream a reality. I traveled back to the same area in South Africa with Africa Foundation (USA) that I had previously been to. We took a day out from our busy safari schedule to visit the school that we had gone to in 2011.

When we entered the village, we hardly recognized it! The once dirt roads were now paved. The mud huts with thatched roofs were replaced with sturdy block homes. The school children are now able to spend their days learning in a clean environment with running water and electricity.

When I set my eyes on the new kitchen that my fundraising efforts helped to build, my heart was filled with joy. I was overwhelmed with emotion at the sight of such a significant transformation. The photo below on the left is the old school building that didn’t even have a kitchen facility. On the right is me standing in the new kitchen that I was able to raise funds to help build! What an amazing sense of accomplishment!

Now that the school has a working kitchen along with the rest of the improvements made by Africa Foundation, they have met the criteria to obtain government assistance. This means that the teachers of the school actually get paid! And with a decent school to send kids to, many families have moved to the area, opening businesses and building a strong thriving community.

I can’t express how wonderful this feels. I am very grateful to all of my supporters, especially those that contributed to the raffle of my “I Have a Future” painting. Without your help, I would not have been able to have this very special moment, standing in front of the new kitchen, presenting a copy of the painting to place on the wall.

By helping to support fundraising effort that benefit these rural areas, we in turn help create a community that is self-sustaining. Once this happens, the incidences of poaching by the locals dramatically decreases, which makes a great impact in animal conservation and the survival of all of the wildlife that we all love. It’s a win win!

And speaking of wildlife, I saw a lot of it while I was there! Here are just a few of the beautiful sights from our daily morning and afternoon game drives:

The journey didn’t end here. This trip inspired me to keep the momentum going after I returned home by starting the Howland Studios Africa Kitchen Project. Read all about it and how I was able to raise over $40,000 for two more new school kitchens with the help of many generous supporters here.

I hope you can join me for an upcoming adventure. I would love to spend time with you finding ways to make a lasting positive imprint in the places that you visit through your own artwork.

See what adventures we have planned for you here.