Tuesday was a very special day for the Earthchild Project as we were invited to Micklefield Primary School in Rondebosch, Cape Town, where we were awarded a beautiful hand-crafted check for R20 002 from our incredible young eco-activists, Hannah Lea and Emma. Being invited to the school assembly was a true honour for us and seeing how compassionate and enthused these young activists are was truly inspiring.

The 12-year-old cousins raised this whopping amount for our Nurture an Eco-Warrior Campaign as part of their Grade 6 entrepreneurship project by selling coffee to parents during the school run, selling goodies at the Micklefield Market, and raising funds through a run and ride event in Cape Town. With an initial target of R2000, the two have excelled by raising more than ten times their target. When asked why the cause was important to them, they answered; “Underprivileged children deserve to know about nature and the environment”.

Many of the children with whom we work would not normally have the luxury of exploring nature – something that we so often take for granted. Keeping close to nature is incredibly renewing for the spirit and the healing energy of nature will nurture mind, body and soul. Besides the physical benefits of being surrounded by nature, environmental education is important – especially amoung the youth who need to understand and appreciate the value of the environment in order to want to protect it. In addition, time in nature can be very healing for children growing up in communities with challenges such as unemployment, gangsterism, and drug and alcohol abuse. By raising such an impressive amount of money for Earthchild Project, Hannah Lea and Emma will be providing more than 57 Earthchildren with environmental education for one whole year!

These young girls are a true inspiration and it just goes to show what a little passion, commitment and love can do! We are honoured to have such incredible activists doing such wonderful work not only for Earthchild Project, but for the environment and the future of our beautiful planet.

Thanks Hannah Lea and Emma, for helping us to connect children with nature and ultimately themselves, cultivate practical skills such as gardening and worm farming and inspire our young Eco-Warriors to become future environmental leaders.

To Nurture an Eco-Warrior go to: Givengain.com/cc/nurtureanecowarrior , or you could even set up your own project to raise funds by visiting Givengain and becoming an activist. We’d love to hear your comments about this incredible project! Visit us on Facebook or Twitter and let us know what you think.