A group of young warriors, equipped with open minds, curiosity and an innocent desire to have fun would consistently warm our hearts. Like a warrior preparing for war they did not know what to expect, neither did we, but that did not stop them from bravely taking part. They left the comfort of their normal train of thought, to travel to the deep oceans, to the sun and straight back down to the savannah. And with each trip they would conquer each territory with their minds, learning about biodiversity, energy, food and water. As Eco Morans, they would appreciate their responsibility to protect and take care of the environment.
The children at Martha Care Children’s Home are the warriors in this story. It was a journey that started on January of 2021 and was now coming to an end – 7 months of engagement on environment and sustainability. We had to celebrate this achievement as our Eco Morans had come of age; ready to protect the environment and help secure a sustainable future. This wonderful day was on 31st July 2021 when we held our Eco-Fun Day.
The day started off with a warm welcome from the kids, as always they had expectant hearts and smiles that could melt a heart of stone. When we were all settled in, we begun the games and sure enough the children would wow us with their intelligence. In groups we played a game of charades, where each team would choose someone to act out a word for their teammates to guess. Warriors sometimes have the duty go outside their territory to unchartered areas. Seeing our Eco Warriors guess the words correctly felt the same way; they didn’t have a map only clues but safely navigated this territory of environmental sustainability.
After exercising their minds, our Eco Morans would gladly take to exercising their bodies with a three-legged race, potato race, balloon race and bucket game. They showed us how to have fun while still applying strategy and wit. These young warriors had transitioned to be Olympians, giving all they had to make sure their team won. The teamwork needed to draw water from a bucket to fill a cup had competitiveness on full display, with laughter and cheer filling the air.
As energetic as our warriors were, they still needed to recharge their strength. After lunch they could now enjoy their well-deserved snack as we geared up for a quiz. Our Eco Morans now had a chance to prove that they were ready to be champions in environmental conservation and protection. The kids tackled renewable energy, marine ecosystems, biodiversity, water, waste and food. It was amazing to watch as they bravely tackled the questions, some shy in fear of being wrong. All 15 kids had a chance to share the knowledge they had accumulated and made us proud. We couldn’t leave these young warriors empty handed so each received a colouring book and crayons.
A community is needed to shape warriors, and on this day we had Eco Moran volunteers, friends and partner groups such as The Other Guy join hands to make the day a success. We had a session with the kids to talk about careers and hear what they wanted to do when they grew up. Mitchelle, one of our volunteers shared about her veterinary career and the kids wanted to know if she could come and take care of their chicken when they fall sick. The Eco warriors showed love and care for animals that moved my heart. Our Eco Morans not only proved to be good custodians of the environment but also good custodians of ideas. Our future is in safe hands.
It was time to put the icing on the cake. A good party deserves a good cake and we couldn’t have enough of it. We shared a yummy vanilla cake in disbelief that such an awesome day was nearing its end. The sugar rush would give us just the energy we needed to plant two trees. A wonderful symbol of what the Eco Morans had achieved.
Thank you to all who supported us financially and in kind. Thank you to all the partners who have collaborated with us. We couldn’t have done it without you. This is just the beginning and we look forward to more support. Take the chance to be first in love and in service. Take the chance to equip an Eco Warrior, an Eco Moran.