Photos – Samo Jossefa Samo
A delegation of 14 people – six Idaho elementary and middle school teachers, six professors from Boise State University and two coordinators – came to Gorongosa National Park in June as part of the Fulbright-Hays Group program Project Abroad.
The team of Idaho educators will use what they learned on the trip to create new or enhance existing educational curriculum, as it relates to teaching sustainability.
The delegation’s visit focused on the Gorongosa Youth Club program, which engages local students in conservation efforts and fosters a sense of community around protecting the park’s biodiversity.
The Idaho delegation visited local preschools and high schools, interacted with Youth Club members. They also learned more about the challenges and successes of community-based conservation by helping locals clean the Nhandare River and exploring the botanical garden at Escola Secundária Cristo Rei.
Boise State University officials say they look forward to the positive impact their visit will have on teachers, educators and the broader community and by working with Park officials, believe they can help build a more sustainable, interconnected and culturally aware world for future generations.
The trip was funded by a United States Department of Education grant through its International Education and Foreign Languages program. The Fulbright-Hays Program awards grants to individual U.S. K-14 pre-teachers, teachers and administrators, pre-doctoral students and postdoctoral faculty, as well as to U.S. institutions and organizations. The program supports research and training efforts overseas, which focus on non-Western foreign languages and area studies.
