Save the Elephants’ unique brand of conservation education encourages students to become ambassadors of their own rich environment. It also opens the door for friends around the world to help shape these young minds, while improving the very infrastructure of the schools they learn in.
The programme rests on three mainstays: conservation education, scholarships and resource support – each feeding into the next in support of future elephant ambassadors.
Conservation Education
The programme begins in primary school classrooms, where conservation education introduces children to the world of elephants through conservation films, wildlife club activities, and experiential learning trips to local parks. For many students, this is their first opportunity to see elephants not as a source of fear, but as part of a shared heritage worth protecting; a foundation that shapes how they relate to elephants and their environment for years to come.
Elephant Scholarships
From these same classrooms, STE identifies the most promising and least financially able students and supports them through Elephant Scholarships. High school and college fees can run to USD 6,600 or more, a cost well beyond the means of many families in these communities. By covering this gap, STE allows the education of the learner to continue past primary school rather than end there.
For the duration of their scholarship, students receive one-on-one mentorship, tutoring and career guidance from the education team. Over the years, we have found that as students progress through to college, they have favored careers that allow them to give back to elephants and to their communities. We are proud of the hundreds of alumni who have found their way back to conservation and to their community as wildlife ecologists, environmental educators, teachers, engineers, doctors and more!
Resource Support
Alongside scholarships, STE works to improve the physical conditions students learn in. Irregular access to meals, inadequate books, and worn-out classrooms and dormitories can significantly affect a student’s ability to learn. Through donor support, STE channels funding into school infrastructure, helping as many schools as possible make the transition to better-equipped, more functional learning environments.
To support this programme, email [email protected].
