Meet MCM Academy’s Wildlife Club!
For the 30 members of MCM’s Wildlife Club getting out of the classroom opened their eyes to nature around them and the knowledge that they could positively impact the world. It started with Nelson Banda, an MCM Academy teacher, who wanted to provide hands on experience for students interested in science and to peak their natural curiosity for nature.
The club launched in October and meets weekly after school. The first field trip took them to Michiru Nature Sanctuary where they heard about the devastating effects of deforestation in Malawi. Upon learning this they planned a reforestation project to plant 100 trees on MCM’s campus which will provide shade, improve air quality, support soil retention and grow fruit for MCM’s feeding program and their families. To date 25 trees have been planted from seedlings. See it for yourself:
Alepha Planting a Paw Paw (Papaya) Tree
Talandila Planting a Guava Tree
Nelson Thanks Phoebe, MCM’s Social Services Director for procuring the seedlings.
Another excursion took the group on a hike to the top of Mount Bagweru. Though they see this mountain every day in front of the center the experience of walking through the trails to the summit brought about a different perspective. The students commented about the beauty of nature along the way and marveled at the view of their community below. See pictures from the hike here.
The philosophy of the Wildlife Club goes hand in hand with MCM’s mission of providing children living in poverty every opportunity to become independent productive members of their community. These children are learning to collaborate and solve problems on a local level. By connecting with nature they are more likely to care for it in the future. By being involved in this extracurricular program MCM’s children are empowered to make a difference in the world.