The Purpose

Redrhino exists to support the Lapalala Wilderness School (LWS) in the Waterberg, South Africa.

The profits generated from the sale of Redrhino scarves are donated in their entirety for the continued running of the school. A particular focus is on the school’s Youth Development Programme, which identifies and educates young learners from disadvantaged rural areas who show potential and passion to become the next conservation leaders.

Above all, we [as educators] are much neeeded role models for these children and teenagers. On a personal level it’s about making them believe that they can achieve, starting with them believing in themselves; that they can rise from a hard and often discouraging childhood. Many of us have done just that.

On a professional level, we show them that it is exciting, rewarding and cool to be working for nature conservation. We point to the clean water that runs through Lapalala and say to them ‘ most of you have not seen clean water like this, because most of South Africa’s water is polluted. And we don’t have enough of it. It is up to you guys to be the game changers. And their eyes shine, I tell you!

Mashudu Makhokha
LWS Director

Redrhino Donations
Lapalala Wilderness School (LWS)
What happens at LWS
LWS mission
Chairman John Hanks Interview

2022 Donation

A big thank you to each and every one of our scarf customers!

Thanks to you Redrhino donated €4,900 / Rand 100,150 to the Lapalala Wilderness School at the end of 2022!

The donation will help the amazing team at LWS to continue to share their knowledge and passion for our natural world with the next generation of environmental champions!

2021 Donation

A big thank you to each and every one of our scarf customers!

Thanks to you Redrhino donated €8,100 / Rand 141,600 to the Lapalala Wilderness School at the end of 2021!

The donation will help the amazing team at LWS to continue to share their knowledge and passion for our natural world with the next generation of environmental champions!

2020 Donation

Thanks to you Redrhino donated €8000/Rand 134,600 to the Lapalala Wilderness School at the end of 2020 – best year to date!

From humble beginnings more than 30 years ago, The Lapalala Wilderness School (LWS) has grown into a beacon of conservation, sustainability, education and hope for the future. The school’s vision is to help the children and youth of Africa to discover the true value of the biodiversity of the natural world and their place within it, and to identify and nurture Africa’s future conservation champions.

We consider it an immense privilege to have the opportunity to instill a passion for nature in the hearts of young people and it is our hope that by doing so, we are playing a part in creating a better future for all South Africans, our country, and the planet.

A few words
the educators at LWS

The LWS is an outdoor environmental education centre, a highly professional institution run by a small and dedicated team of educators from the region, and is renowned for its level of excellence, innovative teaching and in its ability to reach out to South Africa’s rural communities. Situated in the vast and unspoilt 44,500 hectare Lapalala Reserve, LWS was established in 1985 by Clive Walker and Dale Parker, and is today chaired by Dr John Hanks and directed by Mashudu Makhokha.

Clean water and fertile soil are fundamental to moving beyond poverty, and because these life-supporting services require local leadership, Redrhino directly supports the recently introduced Youth Development Programme.

Headed by Lizzy Litshani, the educators at the LWS are always on the lookout for learners who show a particular interest and acumen for conservation. Selected teenagers frequently gather at Lapalala to nurture this potential.

As well as environmental teachings, the nurturing process also involves life skills and individual mentoring. The endpoint of the process will depend on attitudes of the individuals and the available careeer opportunities. For example, some will become excellent field guides, or join a conservation department as a game gurad or ranger when leaving secondary school. Others will be nurtured right through to university to take up environmental posts and become leaders in their field.

This is work which takes the long view; it is intensive and costly – and Redrhino believes in its fundamental value for a sustainable future.

Lizzy's story

LWS Outreach Coordinator

Lizzy grew up in a small village north of Lapalala, and came to LWS with her community school when she was in her mid teens. Her week at the school was an eyeopener, and following on from the stay Lizzy spoke often to her mother of how she wanted to work in the field of conservation. When Lizzy finished secondary school, not sure of how to further her education, her mother saw an advertisement for a funded Environmental Learnership Programme for one year at Lapalala Wilderness School. Lizzy applied, together with four busloads of applicants, and after being interviewed at Lapalala she was selected as one of six for the Learnership. One year later, Lizzy was selected as one of three to go on to become permanent staff. Through the career developent opportunities at LWS, Lizzy has furthered her education and is today the LWS Outreach Co-ordinator.

Operational facts

The main focus at LWS is accomodating and educating community schools that live within a 100 km radius of the Lapalala reserve. These are mostly disadvantaged, under-resourced government schools, and funded by LWS, they come for a week and are provided with three good meals a day and are exposed to relevant, innovative and stimulating educational programmes. In 2019, 34 community school groups, and approximately 2,049 learners from our local communities passed through our doors.

LWS also accepts requests from fee-paying youth organisations and private schools, resulting in LWS being fully booked with waiting lists for most of the year.

Over the past 29 years, the Eco-Schools programme has produced a generation of sustainably-minded, environmentally- conscious young people. Lucas Ngobeni, our Eco-Schools coordinator, is celebrating 20 years of service to the LWS, 12 of which have been spent successfully guiding the success of this programme. These successes enable the LWS to attract many more schools within our node, and we can report that five more schools are keen to join the programme in 2020

LWS provides full-time employment to 10 educators and administrators, and 9 hospitality staff.

To help children and young adults discover the value of biodiversity in our natural world and our place within it, and to identify and nurture Africa’s future conservation champions.

Lapalala Wilderness School

Conservation and poverty alleviation are inextricably linked. Green campaigns of passion and idealism alone will not halt the loss of Africa’s biodiversity, for they have no relevance to those who live in poverty.

Dr. John Hanks
Chairman of the LWS Board