How Students in Enduiment Are Learning to Live Safely with Wildlife
Every morning, 14-year-old Naishiye Lukumay walks to Tingatinga Primary School with her classmates, never certain whether she will meet an elephant on the way. In Tingatinga village, inside the Enduiment Wildlife Management Area, students and wild animals share the same land every single day.
The Challenge
Before the project, students in Tingatinga village lived in constant fear. Elephants often wandered near homes, farms, and even schools, destroying crops and frightening families. Lions and hyenas attacked livestock at night, causing families to lose their only source of income. Children walked to school in groups, never knowing if they would meet a dangerous animal on the way. Many students did not understand why animals came close or how to stay safe. The community felt helpless, and conflicts between people and wildlife were becoming more common every day.
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What Changed
The UNGANISHA project introduced an awareness campaign on human-wildlife coexistence for students in the Enduiment Wildlife Management Area. Naishiye and her classmates learned about the behavior of elephants, lions, and hyenas, discovering that elephants only attack when scared or protecting their young, and that lions and hyenas hunt mostly at night. To stay safe, students were taught mitigation measures such as walking in groups, making chili briquettes, using vuvuzelas, and building metal strip fences. They also learned to protect themselves from carnivores like hyenas by building living fences around bomas and using torches and to protect their environment by planting trees and avoiding activities that attract animals near homes. Naishiye became one of the student leaders who passed the knowledge on, building chili briquettes for her parents to use on their farm as a mitigation measure against elephants.
The Results
After the training, more than 8,900 students across 15 schools in the Enduiment Wildlife Management Area gained the confidence to live safely alongside wildlife. Naishiye Lukumay, once fearful of the walk to school, is now a student leader who teaches others to stay safe. She says, "Before, I was very scared of elephants. Now I know that if I stay calm and do not run, I will be safe. I also teach my younger brothers and sisters what to do. I feel proud to help my family and friends." The training brought the community closer together. Teachers, leaders, and students now work as a team to share safety tips and protect the environment, and parents report children who are less afraid and more confident. Conflicts between people and wildlife have fallen as students share what they have learned at home, proof that when young people learn, the whole community benefits.
