Okkie Smuts  Primary School: The Dyer Island Conservation Trust (DICT) was for the second year invited by Okkie Smuts Primary school in Stanford to receive a donation on behalf of the African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary - APSS. As part of the school’s social development programme, the principal, Kobus Koekemoer and his dedicated learners started a coin project to assist the endangered African penguin. The school raised a total amount of R5 500, with the grade three classes being on top of their game and raising more than R2 500. It was such a pleasure to witness the excitement of the lear-ners as they created a penguin by packing coins on the ground.

Hermanus Montessori Private School: The intro class (2-4 years old) from Montessori Private School in Hermanus raised funds from selling sweets, apples  and  mini  pizzas raising R600 with the help of their teacher, Lauren Augus. The class decided to purchase an artificial penguin home.

The DICT has since 2006 been creating homes for penguins as their natural habitat, the guano, was removed for use as agricultural fertiliser.

This has left the African penguin exposed to the extremes of weather and predators which means they often lose eggs or chicks.

With the species classified as endangered we cannot afford the loss of even a single bird if we hope to see any positive growth for the species. The homes create a safer haven for the penguins and is aimed to improve fledgling success. DICT took along a penguin house to show the children. One of the smaller boys crawled inside the nest to observe it. The children were so excited and understood very well what pollution and entanglement does to the penguins. Some had so many ideas on how they can make life even better for the penguins.

One boy had an idea of building his own penguin house with snow so the penguins won’t suffer from heat inside their houses. Of course we explained to him that the hardy African penguin does not live in snow but is endemic to South Africa and Namibia.

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