SADC
Regional Environmental Education Programme

Networking

The National Network Representatives have met several times to discuss the progress of the Programme and make suggestions for areas of further work. The last meeting was held in Swakopmund, Namibia in June 2003. The next meeting is planned to take place in Luanda, Angola in July 2004.

The latest issue of the EEmail (May 2003) which focuses on the key challenges of course development in southern Africa has been well received by environmental educators interested in course development. This issue is available both in electronic and paper format.

A study to identify priorities for supporting environmental NGOs was conducted in five selected countries (Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa and Swaziland) and covered 36 NGOs. The study has helped the Programme to identify possibilities for future collaboration.

The programme was well represented at the annual 21st Environmental Education Association of Southern Africa (EEASA) conference which took place in Windhoek, Namibia 2003. This was an opportunity for the Programme to share with environmental educators stories and ideas of its projects and broaden opportunities for networking.

Policy

The SADC Regional EE Centre was asked to implement the environmental education policy section of the Networking and Capacity Building Programme (NETCAB) of IUCN Africa, which successfully finished in December 2001. Lessons from this project have informed the development of guidelines for environmental education policy in southern Africa.

An Environmental Education Policy Audit (2003) was recently carried out to determine the status of environmental education policy processes in SADC. This Audit provides the working definition of policy and attempts to examine the milestones in environmental education over the decades as well as the vital link between environmental education processes and policy.

Training

A Course Developerment Network (CDN) has been established to share skills, experience and course materials in order to deliver effective environmental education processes in the SADC region. This Network consists of universities, polytechnics and other educational organisations and institutions. The CDN has recently developed a toolkit to support the development of environmental education courses. It includes examples of course proposals, case studies on institutional planning and course materials, as well as samples of materials being used in environmental education courses in the SADC region.

The Rhodes University/SADC International Certificate Course in Environmental Education has been held five times since the inception of the programme. More than 110 participants from southern and eastern Africa have attended the course since 1998. The next course will run from September to November 2004 and will include 14 participants from the SADC region.

Materials

A sourcebook to support environmental education processes was recently developed by the REEP in consultation with environmental education practitioners from the SADC region. The sourcebook on the Development, Adaptation and Use of Learning Support Materials provides an orientation to materials development and was official launched at the 2003 EEASA Conference.

A number of materials to support environmental education processes have been developed by SADC countries. Some of these examples include booklets on Wildlife Management for Schools in Zimbabwe, Close Encounters – A series of Namibian EE Case Studies, a magazine on Protected Areas by the Wildlife Clubs of Seychelles and booklets on Lesotho folktales and proverbs.

Research

Plans for an evaluation of the SADC REEP are currently being developed. This evaluation is aimed at providing insights into the way forward for the SADC Programme as well as looking at some strategic areas such as the United Nations Decade on Education for Sustainable Development, an exit strategy or strategy for diversification of funding.