SCHOOL PHOTO DAY AT THELELULWAZI CRECHE
Wild Tomorrow Fund Conservation Photography Volunteers were excited to host a school photo day at Thelelulwazi Creche, one of the preschools Wild Tomorrow Fund supports with monthly food for school lunches, teacher stipends, educational supplies, and more. Read the blog below to learn more about this special day for the students at the creche.
Wild Tomorrow Fund Ambassador Charles Chessler is seen with volunteer Hayley Rocco photographing a group shot at the creche. Behind the scenes picture taken by Wild Tomorrow Fund Ambassador Martin Meyer.
In April, Wild Tomorrow Fund’s Conservation Photography Volunteers visited the Thelelulwazi creche – a local preschool attended by approximately 30 children, ranging in age from 6 months up to 5 years old. Wild Tomorrow Fund built this creche in 2019 – an upgrade from the previous run-down church building they were using to gather in and have been supporting its operation ever since. See the before and after photos:
We are ELATED to share that we have secured funding to also build them a kitchen and dining room that will be completed in the coming months. The teachers are currently cooking outside in all the elements - rain, wind, heat – so the kitchen being built is a welcome upgrade for them! Not only has Wild Tomorrow Fund funded Thelelulwazi with the structure and the upcoming kitchen/dining room additions, but we also support the kids & teachers (at Thelelulwazi as well as a second creche, Silethukukhanya) with monthly food for lunches, school supplies, teacher stipends, furniture/equipment and more. If you’d like to donate to our Community Support Program to help fund items for the creche, please click below.
Our photographic volunteers were put to work at, our now bi-annual, school photo day for the children at the creche! We gave the teachers a heads up that we would be coming and extended the invite to all of the children’s mothers to join as well. How special to have a portrait photo of a mother and a child.
With the use of a Canon portable printer, each student took home a physical portrait of themselves as well as a portrait with their mom. It is likely one of the first times that these mothers in the community will have a framed photo of their child to take home to cherish and adore.
We hadn’t even left yet and the teachers at the creche proudly hung their portraits and group photos up in the classroom for all to see.
A very intrigued student at the creche watching as the printer magically prints a photograph of his friend! Photograph taken by volunteer Amy Zavadil.
Charles Chessler, an amazing Wild Tomorrow Fund Ambassador and NYC-based professional photographer led the group in the school photo day event. As well as giving the children a portrait to take home, it was also a learning session for our photographic volunteers who had been fine-tuning their photography skills over the two-week trip with Wild Tomorrow Fund in South Africa.
Hayley Rocco assisting Charles Chessler.
In addition to Thelelulwazi Creche’s school photo day, they helped update Wild Tomorrow Fund’s staff photos on our website, took portraits of each of our Green Mambas, assisted in documenting our seasonal bird ringing survey, practiced their wildlife photography skills (with a special guest – Wild Tomorrow Fund Ambassador and Wildlife Photographer Martin Meyer!), and so much more.
Wild Tomorrow Fund South Africa’s staff updated portrait photos, taken by a mixture of photographic volunteers including Charles Chessler, Barbara Engel, Terry Opalka, Amy Zavadil, Julie Kaye and Hayley Rocco.
Tori, Amy & Martin printing photos. Photograph by Charles Chessler.
Each volunteer took turns taking portrait photos of the children and their mothers. As soon as one person had done about 5 or 6 different portraits, they would give their SD card to the “printing station” (led so wonderfully by photographic volunteer Amy Zavadil) where photos were chosen, printed, and placed on a paper frame for the kids to take home. Other volunteers were then tasked with handing out the printed images and seeing the smiles on the kids’ and mothers’ faces grow.
Some of the many images that were printed and framed for the kids to take home.
It's always an enjoyable and rewarding day doing school photo day at the creche. We thank Charles Chessler, Martin Meyer, and all our photographic volunteers for their time, passion, and skill on this day! Here are some of our favorites (taken by a mixture of photographers including Charles Chessler, Martin Meyer, Barbara Engel, Terry Opalka, Amy Zavadil, Julie Kaye and Hayley Rocco):
