Aims and Objectives of the Teaching Project in Wasgamuwa, Sri Lanka

WASGAMUWA OBJECTIVES
*NEWS!* In 2008, the SLWCS was selected by the United Nations Development Programme to be a recipient of the prestigious Equator Prize 2008. The Equator Prize is an international award that honours community-based projects that represent outstanding efforts to reduce poverty through the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. For the past seven years the Sri Lanka Wildlife Conservation Society (SLWCS) have been working with community participation to resolve the human-elephant conflict. To this end, a community based elephant conservation programme has been initiated in the village of Wasgamuwa in the Central Province. SLWCSs’ long-term goals for this region are:
To generate a list of the plant and animal species of the region. Human & economic development - so that some of these villagers can participate in the field & ecotourism projects as well take the message of conservation to other communities. Field research - using suitably trained local people with the guidance of scientists and conservation experts
SHORT TERM (STAGE 1): Delivering 3-4 month intensive courses in spoken English. These will mostly be to young people in the villages surrounding our project site close to Wasgomuwa National Park. The English training will include some outdoor classroom activities and inculcation of natural history and nature conservation values. To foster this SLWCS will provide some training by local wildlife experts and you will then dispense this knowledge in their classes. The villagers are aware that they will benefit from their participating in that they will increase their knowledge and skills. As a result of our volunteers' teaching, the villagers will also be the recruitment base for the Wildlife Conservation Society's field researcher positions and in the future they will have opportunities to increase their incomes by working as nature guides (see Stage 2)
Additionally some of the locals who attend the classes will be used by some of our volunteers in the morning to visit surrounding villages and conduct intensive qualitative and quantitative socioeconomic evaluations. Volunteers may also provide intensive English reading and writing skills to interested individuals in the mornings. These efforts will support the Society's goal of human development, which will lead to the added potential for economic development.
LONG TERM (STAGE 2): In too many cases, environmental fieldwork and data collecting is carried out by non-locals (and to a great extent non-nationals) who spend some time in the area, get their data and leave. Generally the locals do not benefit from such exercises except in providing labour for carrying equipment and guiding. To rectify this, a Village Field Scouts Programme is being initiated and all the villagers will be invited to participate in the classes conducted by Travellers volunteers. Our volunteers will teach basic spoken English, combined with natural history of local fauna and flora.
For Stage 2, Travellers Worldwide volunteers with a background in Biological Sciences and fieldwork experience will conduct an intensive 2-month course in general fieldwork techniques and use of field equipment. The villagers will also be taught some basic data analysis and computer skills. At the end of the 2-month session a test will be held to select the most promising candidates for the Field Scouts Programme. They will be selected on the basis of their knowledge and ability to work in the jungle and for their skills at reading, writing and operating field equipment. These selected individuals will undergo further training under the guidance of Travellers biological science graduate volunteers and Sri Lankan experts on how to collect data in the field.