How Children Benefit from Boreholes

By: Mahina Perrot (Wildlife Journalist) Photos: Richard Peek

Children paint images showingthe benefits of boreholes to illustrate their yearlycalendar to walk long distances to get water from the river are constantly at risk of coming face to face with wild animals.

Last June, The Bushcamp Company invited 20 children to Mfuwe Lodge, situated in South Luangwa National Park, to draw and paint images describinghow the boreholes actually benefit them at home.They were supervised by the wellknown Zambian artist MulengaChafilwa.

The children were asked to draw different scenes illustrating the various benefits of boreholes.The twelve best paintings have been selected and will be used for the calendar that the Bushcamp Company prints and sells every year. All of the profits will go to their community project“Commit to Clean Water”. The winners will get a prize and all of the children will also get to come back to Mfuwe Lodge and go on a game drive as a treat.

In Zambia, over 5 million people do not have access to clean waterand over half the population lacks access to clean sanitation. As a result, hundreds of children under five die from diarrhoea and other diseases. People who have The Bushcamp Company’s “Commit to Clean Water” project involves digging boreholes in nearby villages. One borehole supports about 200 people, or an entire village, and so far the company has dug a total of 42 boreholes. The benefits are immediately clear; children are healthier and get to spend more time in school, and farmers can now use hoses to water their crops and make a living.

“People can only appreciate the need for conservation when the daily demands of their own lives are met… The gift of something as simple as clean water helps fulfill those demands and ensures the preservation of a unique area where the needs of the human and natural world are too often in conflict,” says Ian Salisbury, Mfuwe Lodge’s General Manager.

The Bushcamp Company always tries to find new and innovative ways to help local communities and wonNational Geographic’s World Legacy Award in March 2016. TL Z

Continuing our series of photographic tips with Edward Selfe – a veteran guide and photographer based permanently in Zambia – we look at why taking time to compose your images carefully, especially in the heat of the moment, will pay off in the end. think about composition

There are so many incredible events on a safari that it’s easy to get carried away with the excitement and snap without thinking about how the photos will look. We have all been there and there’s no shame in it! In fact, if it’s so exciting that you can’t concentrate on your photography, try putting your camera down and just enjoying it. After all, you’re on safari for the experience, and I’d hate for you to miss it because you’re struggling with your settings! But if you are taking photos, blazing away at eight frames per second and hoping that you’re going to get one that’s spot-on might not give you the result you’re hoping for.

Have a look around the frame, and consider what you are including and what you are cutting off. Are there distracting elements that can be excluded by zooming or re-framing? Does including that tree balance the shot nicely? Or does moving the frame down remove the bright sky, which draws the eye away from the point of focus? Are there other animals in the background that you need to consider?

The ‘best’ photographs usually have an element of interesting composition; the subject is rarely centrally placed, and many include part of the surrounding environment. Their creators have thought about the shape and patterns of the subject and how it fits with the background, and have made sure that your eye is drawn to the most important areas.

Ideas to consider:

- The famous “rule of thirds” (where the frame is divided into thirds both horizontally and vertically and points of interest are placed on the intersections of the 4 lines). - When to break the famous “rule of thirds”! - In our mind’s eye, animals walk along the ground, so it often makes sense to place your subject towards the bottom of the frame. This also allows you to include Zambia’s beautiful trees above your subject. - Our eyes are drawn most quickly to bright areas, so you might want to avoid having a bright point in the corner of your frame. - Don’t zoom in too tight – give animals space to move into which conveys the vastness of their environment.

These are merely suggestions; it is absolutely up to you to compose how you think it looks best…but that’s the point, take a little time to think about how it looks first.

Enjoy your safari!