At TEF, we believe that building a future of peaceful coexistence between humans and elephants starts with education and outreach that enhance community involvement. Our initiatives blend knowledge-sharing with creative community activities that inspire and mobilize people to support elephant conservation. Through our efforts, we aim to foster long-term coexistence strategies that benefit both people and elephants, while enhancing local traditions and fostering youth leadership in conservation.
We organize structured educational programs for school students from communities where we have established beehive fences. These programs provide the next generation with essential knowledge about elephant behavior, biology, ecology, and socio-economic importance.
We have developed a detailed curriculum, with age-appropriate content tailored to different learning levels. Primary school students learn the basics about elephants, focusing on their role in ecosystems, what makes them unique, and why it’s important to protect them. For secondary students, we introduce more advanced topics, such as conservation biology, the impact of human-elephant conflicts, and non-lethal mitigation strategies like beehive fences.
In addition, our curriculum integrates creative activities where students are encouraged to express their understanding of conservation through arts, crafts, and poetry. These hands-on activities often aim to cultivate children’s artistic talents while reinforcing key conservation messages, fostering a sense of stewardship and advocacy for their environment.
Direct experiences with wildlife are vital to shaping young minds. To complement classroom-based learning, we organize regular park visits for students, offering them an opportunity to witness elephants in their natural habitat. These excursions are more than just fun trips—they are transformative experiences designed to foster a deep connection with nature and cultivate a profound respect for wildlife.
During these park visits, students observe elephants’ behaviors up close. Our team of conservation experts accompany the groups, providing educational commentary about elephant ecology, the significance of protected areas, and the challenges elephants face due to habitat loss and human-wildlife conflicts, developing students’ empathy and a clearer understanding of the importance of conservation.
Moreover, these park visits are tied to creative learning, where students document their experiences through sketches, photography, and journals, which are later shared with their peers hence further spreading the message of elephant conservation.
At TEF, we understand the unifying power of sports, especially football, which transcends age, culture, and social barriers. Our “Football for Conservation” outreach programs are held in the villages we have established beehive fences, where teams from the communities compete in friendly matches. These matches are not just about the sport but are carefully integrated with key messages on elephant conservation and coexistence strategies.
Before the games kick off, we use the platform to deliver educational talks, hand out conservation-themed flyers, and showcase short videos about human-elephant conflict mitigation. Local influencers and respected community leaders are invited to speak about the importance of conservation efforts, drawing connections between protecting wildlife and improving community well-being. These matches also serve as an avenue for promoting unity and celebrating communal efforts toward conserving wildlife.
The football matches turn conservation into a fun, collective effort, leaving a lasting positive impact on everyone involved.
Our “Maisha na Tembo” (Lives with Elephants) social media campaign is a digital extension of our community efforts, designed to reach a wider audience. Through visually engaging storytelling, we share real-life examples of successful human-elephant coexistence strategies, empowering individuals to become conservation ambassadors.
The campaign features content on elephant biology, their role in ecosystems, and the challenges of human-elephant conflicts while highlighting the innovative, non-lethal solutions being employed, such as beehive fences. We also showcase active participation and testimonies from farmers and communities who have benefited from TEF’s programs, demonstrating how harmonious coexistence with elephants can lead to greater economic opportunities and safer communities.
The goal is to create a growing movement of people who are inspired to advocate for sustainable, long-term solutions for elephant survival. Through this, TEF is creating a legacy of conservation ambassadors who understand the critical balance between people and wildlife.