Extinct rhino and silent girls

“Girls aren’t seen as people here. If a girl tries to say what she thinks to adults, they tell her to keep quiet. But boys are allowed to speak up. No-one tells them to be quiet. It’s not right! It really concerns me, and as an ambassador it’s something I want to try and do something about.”

Wants to be a ranger

“During the course we also learned a lot about sustainable development and about wildlife. Rhino poaching was common here in Gonarezhou, to get at the valuable rhino horn. In the end, rhinos became extinct here. It’s so sad. My generation, and those who come after us, might never get to see a rhino in its natural habitat.

“Some people still poach, mostly to pay for food for their families. I don’t think they realise that the environment and wild animals have rights. I now feel confident enough to talk to the village leaders about what I’ve learned. They can teach the villagers, and maybe we can put a stop to poaching. This feels like a mission for me as a member of the Peace & Changemaker Generation. I dream of being a ranger here in Gonarezhou and protecting the wild animals.”

Edgar, 13, Peace & Changemaker Generation Ambassador, Chompani Primary School , Zimbabwe

Fighting for girls and wildlife

married off. But her brothers got to continue going to school. That makes me so mad! Now I’m an ambassador, I want to tell others what belonging to a changemaker generation means; that boys and girls have the same value and should be treated equally. That both should be able to go to school. And that no child should be forced to marry.

“My dream is to be a lawyer and work with children’s and girls’ rights. It’s important to fight for the environment and wildlife too. If we look after animals, lots of tourists will want to come here and see them. That brings jobs and money, and we really need both here.”

Praise, 11, Peace & Changemaker Generation Ambassador, Chikombedzi Primary School, Zimbabwe

“When one of my school friends was 12, she was forced to quit school because her mum died. Her dad said she had to stay home and look after her younger siblings, and that she would then be

“It was cosy to sleep over in the school hall during the Peace & Changemaker Generation course,” says Praise.

Tallest in the world

The gira e is the tallest animal in the world, and can be 4–6 metres high. It has been a victim of poaching and numbers have dropped by 30 percent in the past 15 years. There are 110,000 gira es left in the whole of Africa; 446 of them in Gonarezhou Park and only around 25 in Limpopo Park.