“A day with the children is always a happy day!” said Dr. Chia Tan (Vice President). In June she, Mr. Lei Shi (China Program Coordinator), Ms. Wanru Wong and Ms. Maggie Ang (LVDI International volunteers) visited Taipingxiang and Kaiwen primary schools near Fanjingshan National Nature Reserve in Guizhou, China. The team used this opportunity to help strengthen the relationships between the nature reserve and the surrounding communities. Such cooperation is vital in maintaining wildlife protection because the schools serve as incubators for conservation behavior to take root in future stakeholders. Dr. Tan and Mr. Shi outlined a new educational program consisting of a teacher’s training workshop and a Little Green Guards® curriculum that includes English lessons. The principals and teachers enthusiastically welcomed the proposed activities. The children were surprised and delighted to see Dr. Tan and Mr. Shi back at their schools. Though shy first, the children quickly warmed up to Ms. Wong and Ms. Ang, and were super excited to see the plush toys and animal themed books that our volunteers brought for them all the way from Singapore. At Taipingxiang some children got out their copies of Xingda’s Wildlife Explorations in Fanjingshan and showed off to Dr. Tan and Mr. Shi, co-authors of the book, their knowledge of Fanijingshan wildlife after having read the stories. At the urging of the children, Dr. Tan gave an impromptu lesson about the Guizhou snub-nosed monkey to help further develop their hometown pride. Soon LVDI International will be implementing the new curriculum and the children will take a great leap forward in learning!
