ello There, this is Ilse and Philip. This weeks editors ofthe Warthog Post. Next week will be our final week on thephotography project team. The time has just flown by!Three weeks ago we came here, without knowing anybodyor anything about the great things Africa has to offer andAfrican Impact is doing for both African nature andcommunity.

e will leave with more knowledge and skills, morefriends and a bigger family then ever!This latest addition of the Warthog Post containseverything African Impact has been up to in the month ofJune. Enjoy!

Contents

• ast Month’s winner Top Shot – Mackenzie…• hotography Reflections – by Tim Feherty• hotography Focus – by Christopher Penning• esearch Update – by Erica Murugesh• esearch Focus – Elephant identification – by

Erica Murugesh• esearch Focus – Wild dogs – by Sarah

McAuley• olunteer Encounter – by Molly Boyd• ommunity Focus – by Jen Morgan• HAF Update – by Aneesa Browne• rom RICHES to RAGS by Stuart Isham

Fairbairns• he BIG interview with Trico Chiloane• arthog Quotes• acebook Cover Shot Winner – Mackenzie

Calle

ith all the possibilities in our new location, it’s difficult to knowwhere to start! Thankfully, Sarah has given us the lowdown on (someof) our new partners, and there will be many more to come, I’m sure.I don’t want to come across all new age and mystical, but there’srenewed sense of energy around the lodge and an almost tangiblefeeling of belonging. For those of you who haven’t experienced theAfrican Impact vibe, this family atmosphere and being part of agreater objective is intrinsic to everything we do.

or those of you that have been with us before, I’m sure you’re keen

to dig in and explore where our new projects are taking us. You canfind Sarah’s article on our new partners further down our facebookpage, but all our regular contributors and favourites are here for yourperusal. If there’s anything you wish to see in the future, any backissue requests; if you want to join our mailing list or just to say hello,drop us a line at our email address above.Enjoy!Tim FehertyPhotography Coordinator, Greater Kruger

very well done to Mackenzie Calle (USA), whodemonstrates here the literal meaning ofphotography – “paintingwith light”.

e're over a month in at our new location, and the photographicopportunities abound! From the established locations and overnightstays, we've discovered a plethora of flora, fauna and landscapes tocover - the only difficulty is choosing which ones to pick from. Theopportunities to contribute not only photographically, but towards theresearch and community projects, I find personally very rewarding aswell. When we're helping the Classic Wallabies and Children's EcoTraining at their new eco-village construction, there's a tangible sense ofbeing part of a massive effort to make the world a better place, inwhatever way we can. It's all about looking at the big picture (punintended).

hink about it - here we have like-minded people from all over the world - Europe, North America, South America,Africa, Australia, Asia - if we get the Arctic continents involved somehow, we'll complete the whole set. And all thesepeople are gathered together in a concerted effort to make a difference, make an impact. It may sound as if it'sbordering on preaching, but it's more a statement of fact.

t's these kind of thoughts that I mull over when we're labouring over the keyholes in the community, or cutting thethatch around the lodge. I find I can achieve a zen-like trance through repetitive physical work like slashing - itbecomes so much more than cutting the grass. It's cutting the grass, so it can be tied in to bundles. The bundles aregrouped and laid together, one over the other on a trellis roof. The roof then forms the shelter we can use forconservation education, or for eating outside in comfort if the sun's too hot or the rain eventually comes. We'rehappier for the experience, so then better prepared to go out and cut the grass...

o what has this to do with photography, I hear you ask? In general not a lot, but for our photography team,everything. There's a reason this project is called 'Wildlife Photography and Conservation'. Our photographers arehere to work like everyone else. Yes, the images they create are beautiful, but, again, think big picture. We teachthem in the first week, so they have the right level of technical ability. They use this knowledge to producestunning photographs for Research (I.D. kits), Community (reportage) and our database (conservation education).These are then used to allow other volunteers to collect more accurate research, construct other eco-villages orplan their own lessons around the world using our photos. We also use the images in cross promotion with ourpartners and for our own marketing, which brings us more volunteers. Then we teach them in the first week.....

hese are but a small part of the work the photographers do while they're here, andI'm sure you'll notice from their photography that what they gain, personally andprofessionally, is hard to put a price on. What percentage of the world's population,do you think, has seen a Rhino in the wild? Camped overnight in a big 5 reserve?(Okay, it's more like glamping (glamorous camping) but it's definitely not 5 star!) Oreven watched the sun go down and the stars come out in a completely differenthemisphere from where they grew up?

ithout a doubt, our volunteers have a fair share of adventure in their souls, andtravel can only broaden the mind even more. I think it's more than that though. Howmany people sit at home, watch the news and think the world is a dreadful place?

o matter where they come from, all ourvolunteers start with an idea in their headof how they can contribute. They gainsomething, but also give back in return.Mahatma Ghandi, in one of my favouritequotes, said "Be the change you want to seein the world", and our volunteers are doingjust that!

ver since I can remember I’ve wanted to go on a safari. The experience I’ve had withAfrican Impact was more than I could’ve imagined. I was able to do more than 85 hoursof game drives in my four weeks here.

he first week was long with an intense photography course. I’d never taken one beforeso this was a great learning experience for me. We spent 40 hours doing lectures andcritiques learning about the basics of photography from before you take the shot to post-production. On top of that we spent 20 hours on game drives and many hours editingphotos so by the end of the week I was exhausted but in a good way.

any of our game drives took place in Buffaloland. Althoughit’s not a big 5 reserve the animals there have been wonderfullyhabituated to cars and so we were able to get extremely closeto them, sometimes even too close for my long lens to focuson. We even had Cape Buffalo within a foot of our car justcasually checking us out. Since we could get so close to theanimals it was wonderful for photography. Also since therearen’t many predators in the reserve, it’s been able to gain thenickname “Baby Land”.

ne of my favorite things about my time here was theopportunities to get out on the weekends. I was able to gokloofing, fly in a microlight, go horseback riding through areserve in Swaziland, hug and stand underneath an elephant,wine festival, do some beautiful hiking and more.

he last thing that was so great was the people here. All of thestaff were extremely accommodating, working so hard in orderto make you as comfortable as possible. The other volunteerswere also so much fun to be with. It’s a great feeling to besurrounded by people who are passionate about the samethings.

“ ”

ome of the researchers had a phenomenal sighting of the endangered Wild dogs at Klaserie (more from Sarah on thatlater). We got news over the radio that these pack animals were around the area, and immediately set off to find them.The pack of four was spotted trotting along the tar road, towards the vehicle. We parked the game viewer and slowlyeach dog ran by, stopping briefly just to get a quick glance of us. They were interacting with each other and listeningout for calls, a clear sign that they were hunting. We followed them by off-roading and got to a massive group of impalachilling in the open area. Jackpot! We knew what was about to come. True enough, the impala started running in alldirections and we spotted one wild dog chase an impala in the distance; wild dogs are incredibly stealthy hunters withsuccess rates of up to 80%.

his month, we’ve had an incredible number of rare sightings. On one afternoon drive, we had a rare sighting of aleopard - our first ever in Buffaloland! Everyone was excited because the sighting lasted for a few minutes (very rarewith leopard). She casually strolled out of the bush into clear sight and made her way on to the edge of the dam.Eventually she was scared off by a few buffalo nearby, but we managed to get great side and front profiles to create ID.kits to track her further. We also had news that a female leopard on Buffaloland had been spotted with cubs!

hat same week, the second group that went to Klaserie had great luck withsightings as well. They saw the breakaway females of the Ross Pride up and about,with plenty of social interaction. They also saw side-striped jackals and a raresighting of a caracal! The caracal is a medium sized cat that is sometimes referred toas the desert lynx, often identified by its long black tufts on the back of their ears.

part from epic mammal sightings, we’ve had great luck with birds as well. We’ve managed tosee the endangered Southern ground hornbill on several occasions in Klaserie. Because of theground hornbills’ complex social structure and slow breeding rate, self-reintroduction would beslow, at best. Therefore, reintroduction programmes are imperative to improve the species’precarious conservation status. Various organisations are working together now to ensure thelong-term survival of this species in the wild, and the numbers on Klaserie are closely monitored.

onservation included a variety of activities this month. Some of the volunteers set out to clearprickly pear around the lodge. Opuntia (named for the ancient Greek city of Opus) is an alienspecies that are armed with two kinds of spines; large, smooth, fixed spines and small, hair-likeprickles called glochids, that easily penetrate skin and detach from the plant. Many types ofprickly pears grow into dense, tangled structures. Some of the volunteers had to use tweezers toget them off their clothes after the arduous task.

s for the usual tasks and projects that volunteers work on, we’ve made huge progress with theID-kits. We have now had sightings of all the rhino that were necessary to finish kits for them all.As for the elephants we see at Klaserie, we’ve created numerous kits and are now starting toidentify different herds. We’re also beginning to start on monthly reports not only for the ellies,but for raptors as well.

ther physical work included cutting thatch located around the lodge. This is tiring and hard work especially underthe blazing sun. This thatch will be used for a roof at the lodge where conservation education can take place and anoutside area where volunteers will dine during the summer.

t Khamai Reptile Centre, we continued with making bamboo fences. The centreremoved the excess bamboo in their crocodile enclosures and are using it to makefences to place around their property. We needed to saw the bamboo into desiredlengths and tie them in place with metal wires. Simple, but incredibly therapeutic.The next time we went, we helped with moving bricks that were going to be used tobuild a room where taxidermized animals would be stored. We also helped withremoving the bamboo inside the crocodile enclosure. Volunteers definitely had atough time doing this as the bamboo was stuck fast in the ground. But it was aninteresting experience nonetheless doing conservation about 10m away from twocrocodiles.

ow that we’ve settled in to our new location, we’ve hadtime to reflect on how much work we’ve done and howmuch more we have to do. We’re actually able tovalidate that the positive impact is imminent. We’reseeing the work we do in the community and theimportance of the data we take materialize, and nothingbrings more gratification than that.

he researchers have encountered numerous elephants thispast month at Klaserie. However, with great sightings, comesgreat responsibility. Each herd of elephants we see needs to beidentified. The researchers spend hours looking for variousnoticeable differences in the elephant’s ears and tusks, and latercreate Identification/ID kits for each elephant. This is so thatwhen we see an elephant in the future, we can single out whichone it is. We then record the data on it and send it over to SaveThe Elephants for research purposes. One of the bull elephantswe successfully created an ID kit for this month is B5. Theexperience we had with this bull was truly memorable as he wasin musth and wasn't quite as happy to see us as normal. Musthis characterized by highly aggressive behaviour andaccompanied by a large rise in reproductive hormones, withelevated testosterone levels as much as 60 times greater thannormal.

ften, elephants in musth discharge a thick tar-like secretion called temporin fromthe temporal ducts on the sides of the head, andwe saw this while taking his photographs foridentification. Another unforgettable encounterwas when we tracked an elephant herd on footat Klaserie. One of the guides was qualified totake guests on foot, so he gave us a safetybriefing and took the lead as we tiptoed throughthe bushveld to get closer to the herd. Soon, thewind direction changed and was no longer in ourfavour. This meant that the matriarch had pickedup on our scent and came around to get a closerlook at us. We froze as the matriarch came within15 metres and the rest of the herd gathered nextto her. We admired this “wall” that the elephantshad created while taking pictures that wereexcellent for creating ID kits. They retreated justas quickly, leaving us with probably the bestelephant experience any of the researchers hadencountered thus far in the Greater Kruger area.

n our other elephant encounters we have been on truck; usually the elephant herd is not too far away and sometimesgathers around allowing us to get great photos to use. We’ve managed to start on a total of 3 elephant herd ID kits todate. We have also created ID kits for 5 bulls. One picture below shows the Twala herd. They acquired this name bybeing our first identified herd sighted at the dam they are named after. Coincidentally (or perhaps not), Twala means“to drink” and our first sighting included the herd drinking at the dam. An ID kit typically has the elephants’ tag (i.e. B5would stand for Bull 5) and any unusual details such as missing tusks, the length, shape and angle of tusks present, orholes in the ears. It would also contain side and front profiles of the individual elephant. This is added to a sheet and allindividual sheets are collated to a booklet that we then bring out during game drives.

t is crucial that our identification occurs quickly after sightings (so the individuals are fresh in our minds and photologs) to ensure accuracy. The multitude of different herds we see means that they must be identified so that we canaccurately pick out which herds are present at sightings. This is necessary to track specific elephants’ movements forSave The Elephants and understand what vegetation, habitats and other factors are driving those movements atdifferent times. Although a sometimes large and tedious task, this work is absolutely necessary, feeding into the larger,Greater Kruger picture. It also allows our volunteers to become more familiar with the elephants and the beautiful,individual personalities they present.

don’t think that a human-animal partnership exists that can rival theone we have formed with domestic dogs. Around the world you will findindividuals who will care for this four-legged species like it was theirown blood. But what about this animal’s more “wild” relatives? Lookingbeyond our beloved pets, what is fascinating about their unhabituatedcousins who survive in remote and sometimes unforgiving landscapes?When we begin to think about dogs in the wild, most of our mindswander to well-known wolf species or perhaps coyotes and jackals.

owever, Africa’s lesser-known Wild Dogs are equally as impressive andabsolutely deserving of our attention. Wild Dogs, sometimes called painteddogs or wolves, are extraordinary predators that roam the savanna inpacks. On average they weigh up to 20-30kg and grow to be around 75cmtall. They are carnivores that live to be 10-12 years of age and arerecognizable by large bat-like ears and a colourful coat made of white,brown and black splotches. They are social, living in packs of up to 20 dogs.There is an alpha male and female who breed pups but the pack is quiteamicable, displaying less aggressiveness to one another than some otherpredator species.

aving projects in the Greater Kruger Area means we have the amazing (although rare) opportunity to witness these animalsin their natural environment. One such sighting occurred in Klaserie this month, leaving the research team overwhelmed withawe. As we were driving up the tar road we noticed four of the dogs running towards the vehicle. We stopped the land cruiserand watched as the dogs jogged past the vehicle, only looking up at us briefly before continuing on. It was clear the fourfemales were hunting. We did our best to stay with them to see how the hunting would unfold. Wild dogs move quite far quitequickly - they can reach speeds of 70kmph and cover home ranges of 1,500 km2. It was definitely a task to keep visual of themas they turned off the road. We ended up staying with them for an hour and watched them chase impala as well as stop todrink from a large dam during sunset. It was a stunning sighting, definitely making my personal list of memorable moments.

he Wild Dog is cool. I think we can all agree on that. More than that though, there needs to be addedattention directed to their conservation. They are the most endangered large predator in South Africa,with research suggesting there are only 5,500 free-ranging individuals left in Africa as a whole. Habitatloss has become a massive threat to the species, as they have lost huge chunks of the large territoriesthat they require. Additionally, wild dogs have often been mistakenly viewed as a danger to livestockand have been killed by humans because of it. Other threats facing current populations include snares,traffic accidents and disease.

aving a domestic dog to cuddle up with is nice and all, but seeing a wild dog in its natural environment is unrivaled. Seeing all things canine mixed with wild instinct is beautiful enough to stir the soul. If humans don’t do what they can to protect and conserve this species, we will have only contributed to its endangerment. If that’s the case, I’ll definitely be joining De Gaulle’s camp in preferring the dog to the homo sapiens.

s a rather brief introduction, I am an aspiring field guide on my third trip toSouth Africa. Over the past three trips, I have certainly learnt a lot about thewildlife here, but for me, the most mesmerising and inspiring part of all of mytrips has got to be working with the guides (never, ever call them merelydrivers!). They all have a way of making the topic interesting and fun to learnabout, whether it be learning about trees, grass or the big 5!

omparing all of my trips together and looking at the guides I’ve had, my trip withAfrican Impact has provided me with some of the best field knowledge that I haveexperienced throughout my time here. Working with over 20 different guidesthroughout the last year has definitely had an impact on my thoughts of becomingone myself.

he most important part of guiding, as I have been told a number of times, iscommunicating well with the guests (or volunteers, of course!). However, it’s notonly communicating but connecting with them, and very few guides that I’ve met areactually good at this. The most inspiring and engaging ones I’ve met so far work at afew different places, for example, a guide I met at my project in 2014, Patrick, wasone of the most knowledgeable I’ve met yet.

ne of the more engaging guides I’ve met wouldhave to be Mike, who works at Klaserie PrivateGame Reserve. We got to go on a bush walk andended up being surrounded by elephants. Heremained completely calm although the animalswere incredibly close to us at one stage. The wayhe handled the situation made the whole groupfeel quite relaxed and safe.

ll of the guides I’ve worked with however are allamazing at what they do and no matter whetherthey connect with the guests well, their passionand connection with the wildlife and the generalnature is outstanding and it makes me feelincredibly privileged that I have been able to workwith them and observe the work that they dowhich, in the end, makes me feel it is necessary touse all I have been taught by them and becomeone of the future field guides in South Africa.

t seems like just a blink ago it was January, the start of a new year and the start of my journey in Africa with The HappyAfrica Foundation and African Impact. Unfortunately when I pinch myself, I am reminded that I’m not dreaming and it isreally July. My internship with THAF has come to an end and it is time for me to return home to the United States. In thisbittersweet moment (more bitter than sweet, no offense to loved ones at home), I have been doing a lot of reflecting.And don’t worry we won’t venture too deep, but I will reveal the two main questions floating through my brain: where didthe time go? And what I have I accomplished during my time here?

efore I came to Africa, I was completely obsessed with time. I was constantlylooking at the clock and counting down the time for me to leave for the day. But italways seemed like the time would never move, unless it was in the morning when Ihad to wake up for work, then it would just speed by. Although I was very successfulin my career, I cringed every morning when my alarm clock went off, hit snoozerepeatedly until I eventually would roll out of bed...literally roll out of bed. What wasmissing? My life felt incomplete, unfulfilled. Albert Einstein once said, “Only a lifelived for others is a life worthwhile.” That is what was missing. I had become aworkhorse for a company and my time was consumed with my career. My successwas meaningless if I couldn’t help others along the way. So I decided to take a risk tochange my life, to find happiness, and make a difference in the world at the sametime.

o cut to me now in Africa, fulfilling a lifelong dream, and thoroughly confused about where the time has gone. Imentioned before, your time with AI and THAF flies by so quickly. I cannot express to you how true that statement is.We often say here how privileged we are to call what we do work because we absolutely love doing it. Work for us isso pleasurable because we are dedicated like-minded individuals coming together for the same cause. We encourageeach other to think bigger, push harder, and do more. Each morning we wake up eager to lend a helping hand andput our skills to use to accomplish our goals. With this type of drive and atmosphere there never seems to be enoughhours in the day.

hose days, weeks, and months go by rapidly with a great deal achieved with of the help of the volunteers,community, and staff. In the last 6 months, we have successfully impacted the Thanda area on a grand scale. Wehave from then moved to the Greater Kruger area where we have familiarized ourselves with the new area includingthe different surrounding tribes and cultures. We have also partnered with concurring organizations and have startedour own initiatives to create an impact but on an even more substantial level. As you can see, my time spent here hasbeen thrilling from beginning to end.

aving this experience has been amazing but even more important is what I am ableto take away from this journey. Although my time here has come to an end(temporarily), I leave here with friends from all over the world. I leave moreknowledgeable about animals, insects, and plants. I leave with a better understandingof the African culture and I have discovered a deeper connection to my cultural roots.My experience here has taught me to be more open-minded because althoughpeople may seem very different, at the end of the day, we have more similarities thandifferences. Lastly, I am going home, a lot braver and confident in myself because Iknow that when I step outside of my comfort zone, I can and I WILL survive. For thisand so much more I will forever be thankful to my THAF and AI family. I must admit itwill be so strange to go back to falling asleep to the sounds of cars and sirens insteadlions, leopards, and hyenas. 6 months ago I wouldn’t even have imagined I would be saying those words!

will cherish this experience for the rest of my life and cannot wait to return. So until the next time...

*shoots guns with fingers*

We set Maggie’s GPS for Noordhoek, a small town found on the south west side of the Cape Peninsula, alsoplaying host to the head offices of African Impact, a volunteer travel organisation. African Impact had for severalprevious years been a client of the company that I worked for, I knew the brand well. I shared who they are withStacey and we felt an affinity and great respect for what they looked to achieve, conservation and education beingthe name of the game.We arrived in the frosty African morning, the sun beginning to peek out over the dew-heavy leaves and grasses.Myriads of different species hustle and bustle to catch the warm touch of the morning sun. Quickly followed by achorus of happy voices from those with tails and others with wings heralding in the new day.Stacey and I were both brought up in loving families that worked with and held deep passions for animals andconservation, Stacey’s on African soil and mine on, and in the icy Atlantic Ocean surrounding the Isle of Mull. Thiswas what our hearts yearned for. This is where we are meant to be, it felt right, we were both excited about whatmay come.We found a wooden bench that too had been enjoying the welcome and drying morning warmth. We sat, heldhands, smiled at one another and basked in the golden glow warming our bodies and calming our racing minds.We were soon brought coffee and a wonderful breakfast by a Xhosa man called Sunshine who arrived with a smilethat shone brighter than the moon and a warmth that put the morning sun to shame. We were joined by Andrew,the COO of African Impact who also greets us with smiles and hearty handshakes. This was it, brace yourselvesfolks: life is about to take a new course and it is extremely exciting.

African Impact operate throughout Africa running projects in communities promoting respect for environmentsand cultures. Supporting individuals and families by working together, learning and teaching all the way alonghow to provide for themselves and their family. Everything done in such a way to respect their methods andlocal cultures, not bringing in Western ways and thinking it better but rather bringing global learnings to find away that works for them, sustainably.

They have conservation projects that operate in game reserves protecting ecosystems, animals in them andpromoting education around them to all those that surround. The project experience and purpose is sharedwith community members through physically taking part and in conservation education workshops – all movingto better support and preserve the natural beauty of Africa. It is an organisation that supported much of whatwe desired to be closer to and did so in a sustainable way. Not to mention there would be fantastic travellingopportunities which is a big passion for both Stacey and I as we had seen many countries individually throughour younger years.

Needless to say that this is an organisation that we could, on the face of it, invest our time, our hearts and souls,invest our excitement and energy and who knows it may just give us what we are looking for…

Want to catch up. . . ?If you would like to read the other parts to this story and catch up with past editions of the Warthog post mail usat the following address to subscribe: warthogpost@africanimpact.com

What is your full name?Trico Tumelo Chiloane

Where were you born and raised?I was born and raised in Acornhoek Chavela Gaza

What is your cultural background?I am from the Sotho tribe on my dad's side and my mother's side is Tsonga. I wasraised with Tsonga cultural beliefs.

In your opinion, what makes the Tsonga tribes different from other tribes?We are very unique, we have many similarities but I think what makes us different isthat we are the most respectful compared other tribes. It is our tradition to be veryrespectful to our elders although now the younger people are starting to lose thatway because of Western influence.

As we all know the local communities are plagued with many issues. What is your greatest concern about thecommunities?For me it is lack of education. There are a lot of young people that quitting school because a lot of issues such asteenage pregnancy, HIV/AIDS, and they have no guidance to push them to finish school. There is no motivation orinspiration for them to keep going. The children don’t have many role models to look up to.

Can you explain your history with Children Eco’s training and how it has helped you?

I was introduced to CET by my cousin in 2006 when I was 15 years old. At that time, I didn’t know anything about

environmental education. Since I was coming from the village, animals to me were just food and trees were just forfire, I didn’t think anything beyond that. During school holidays, I attended all of the workshops, and it was eyeopener for me. Then things started to change when I turned 17, because that was exit age for the program but I stillwanted to continue the workshops. I contacted Zani Kunz, who was at that time the CEO of CET. I told her I wanted tocontinue the program and eventually become student trainer and she agreed. So then I learned from the seniortrainers and assisted them. I did this for a year and then after that in 2009, I finished my metric but I did not knowwhat to study. I was torn between info technology and travel tourism. I told Zani about it and then I ended up doing agap year with CET as the project assistant in the schools that I adopted.CET was great for me because it developed me personally and professionally. When I finished my gap year I went toMopani South East Fet College studying info technology and computer science. CET mentored me the whole time andhelped in picking my courses, they sponsoring me with a laptop which I needed. I wasn’t happy with my infotechnology courses so I switched my study to tourism and CET mentored me the whole time. Corne Havenga, nowCEO of CET is an amazing person. She continued to make sure I finished my studies which I did in 2015 and this wasall through the CET. Ever since then I have been helping as trainer, I just never stopped. If it wasn’t for CET I don’tknow where I would be now. Growing up in community with so many social issues, it is very hard and they reallyhelped me a lot.

What do you hope to bring to African Impact?For me, seeing the kids growing up in the same environment that I come from, I understand what they are going through. I want to be someone they can look up to and inspire them to do better. And I think African Impact will give me that platform to do so. I grew up going to school sometimes without breakfast, sometimes barefoot...and I just want to be that person to inspire the kids to not give up because of the current situation. Because I am an example that you can get through it - anything is possible. When I was growing up we didn’t have things like reading clubs, libraries and youth group, so to help bring projects like that here will be huge and help the children and their personal development.

What do you like to do in your free time?I like to read, playing video games of course. One of my favourite things is DJ-ing. I also like to play football, although I don’t play a lot now because I work.

If you could travel anywhere in the world where would be and why?That is a tough one. There are so many places in my head. I think England. Just because of the history that the country has. I would really like to know more about Stonehenge.

If you could give one piece of advice to anybody what would be?It would be regardless of the bad situation that you may be in now, just know positivity is power.

“That’s why I love cats – they’re so evil...”

“My favourite part of

night drive is to just

sit there and sMell...”

“He’s quite famous

but no-one knows

his name.”

Mackenzie Calle again, showing us an imaginative crop to show off these beautifulgiraffes. Kudos for spotting the third one before reading this!