Earth Trust is a non-profit organization based in the Nilgiris, whose main focus is on Organic agriculture. In order to expose children to issues related to the environment and conservation in the Nilgiris, The Earth Trust contacted us to arrange for a two day camp for 15 children at the Madhuvana estate in Devala through our Ecoscape programme. We, at the Shola Trust, were more than happy to host them at our camp site on June 4th to 6th.
Some of the activities which took place were:
Session on ethno medicinal plants in that area – Dr. Mahesh, an Ayurvedic doctor conducted a session on the Value of medicinal plants of the Nilgiris. The children were also shown the various medicinal plants and herbs which grow in the estate. After the session children took back with them one sapling each from the nursery of medicinal plants.
Indoor session on Mudumalai Tiger Reserve – Since the children were going to visit the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve the next day, we gave them a briefing about the reserve and what they can expect to see during their trip there.
Early morning trek and bird watching – Bird watching was a new concept for these children and they were all very excited to spot birds through binoculars! The icing on the cake was when we spotted a pair of Great Indian Hornbills!
Visit to the nearby gold mining site – A short trek and we reached kaati mattam, where gold mining is done. We took this opportunity to talk to the kids about the effects of mining on the environment.
Visit to MTR – We went for a safari inside the park. This was the most exiting activity for the children because for most of them, it was their first safari inside the tiger reserve.
Drama – Children enacted stories which were based on the environment, conservation and traditional knowledge of tribals in this area.
Overall, the camp was a great success. . We were all very nervous about how these children would handle the monsoons at Devala, but the rains clearly did not affect their enthusiasm and excitement to walk, run and explore the wilderness.
For the kids, it was a completely different experience! Like one of them said “I didn’t expect to be living in a place like this inside a forest. Now I know it’s not so scary. I really like it here”. As for us, we just had a lot of fun!