Text: ReYoga | Knyphausen Foundation
Photos: Knyphausen Foundation
The Knyphausen Foundation is a Non-Profit organization based in Germany that has created numerous projects for children in Botswana. Their main focus is on environmental education and waste management. In their Junior Ranger Projects Programmes, children and young adults are taught about specific environmental protection topics in educational units at schools and in nature. They also offer scholarships for young adults so they can train to become professional safari guides.
When they approached us to ask if we could provide some Yoga material for a new project that involved Yoga for children and young adults in their Botswana camps, we did not have to think twice and were happy to donate Yoga mats.
The Knyphausen Foundation has been organizing environmental protection projects in Maun, Botswana, with local partners since 2016.
Junior Ranger Program
In the Junior Ranger program, children and young adults are regularly taught about specific environmental protection topics in educational units both in schools and directly in nature. The focus is on the head-heart-hand principle, which combines education with joy and practical community experience in nature.
Participation in the Junior Ranger program is free of charge, so children from socially disadvantaged families can enter the program as well. The participants call themselves JUNIOR RANGERS and are very happy and enthusiastic about the program.
The program started in April 2017 with 36 children. There are now over 250 participants from fourteen local schools and one orphanage.
Most of the children and young adults are experiencing the local flora and fauna for the first time in their lives and are engaging intensively with topics relating to animal and environmental protection. The Junior Rangers experience community and exciting activities in nature and deepen their knowledge during camps lasting several days, which are offered regularly.
The Junior Rangers meet weekly with young local trainers from the partner organization. They plant trees and vegetables, learn about the complex relationships between biodiversity and animal welfare, introduce waste separation at their school, and learn all about the important resource of water. The regular educational units and activities for the Junior Rangers make the environmental education project special in Maun.
In the medium term, the aim is to integrate more schools from Maun into the program and thus make it possible for more children to participate.
Yoga for Junior Rangers
Since the beginning of 2025, yoga sessions have also been held regularly for the Junior Rangers, as yoga is a wonderful tool for the children to develop a conscious approach to their bodies and minds. The young trainers from the Knyphausen Foundation learn from a local yoga teacher how to introduce yoga to children in a playful way. Yoga cards and a small booklet with children’s asanas have already been created, which all participants receive free of charge. The yoga sessions will be integrated into the Junior Ranger program in the long term.
For most children in Botswana, there are no extracurricular activities or opportunities to learn yoga.
For most children in Botswana, there are no extracurricular activities or opportunities to learn yoga privately.
Many orphans live in Maun due to the high HIV rate. These children and other children from socially disadvantaged families are denied access to further educational opportunities outside of school due to a lack of financial resources. They often lack food and clothing.
Most children and young people in Botswana have no access to the unique wilderness and hardly any connection to the natural wealth of their country. The Knyphausen Foundation, therefore enables them to have special experiences in nature and in the Botswana bush. This leaves a lasting impression.
“We believe that young people are the key players in protecting our natural resources and that they can bring about positive change. People protect what they know and like. That is why we are committed to improving the standard of education in the region, providing career prospects in the field of environmental protection, and strengthening local partners. Because we believe that education has a sustainable impact.” Theda Gräfin Knyphausen
How can you help?
Contact:
Landstr. 40, 26524 Lütetsburg, Germany
Phone: +49 (0) 4931 4254
Email: info@knyphausen-stiftung.org
