Reflecting on the WIS EHRA Damaraland Expedition Insights and Experiences

A group of 11 students, accompanied by Ms. Stephanie and Mr. Benedict, went on a trip to Uis in Damaraland from the 14th to the 24th of March. The EHRA group left on Saturday morning to ensure they would not arrive late at the building site. After a long journey, we finally arrived. Once we were given a briefing about what EHRA does, everyone set out to claim their tents and unpack. After finishing, we were faced with the challenge of beating the heat, which we did by playing cards and dominoes until the sun set.

The Building Week

Over the course of five days, everyone worked together to dig a foundation for the wall, mix concrete, collect rocks, and actually build the structure. This was the building week, where everyone worked from 7:00 AM to 12:00 PM (with breaks in between).

Following the morning shift, we took a lunch break from 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM, during which many card games were played, countless cups of tea were consumed, and many hours of rest were enjoyed. After the afternoon break, building resumed until 7:00 PM, when the final wheelbarrows of concrete were mixed and the last bricks were laid.

Transition to Camp Stellar

After an eventful five days of waking up early, collecting rocks, mixing concrete, and building, we packed up camp and drove to EHRA’s base camp, where we enjoyed our very first showers. Afterward, everyone headed to Camp Stellar, where the group would be sleeping for the next few nights.

Camp Stellar was beautiful, surrounded by mountains and equipped with a working toilet and a couch where three students slept for two nights. On our first night there, all 11 students squeezed onto the couch after dinner and talked for hours until we were inevitably ushered to our tents.

On our first full day at the camp, we went on a hike and spent the rest of the afternoon at the education center.

On Patrol: Wildlife and Tracking

On the second day, we packed up camp and set out on patrol. About 30 minutes into the drive to our patrol location, one of the students was stung by a scorpion, but luckily, they were okay.

Before leaving Camp Stellar, we had received a briefing on the animals we might encounter. We were told there was only a 50% chance of spotting elephants, but to our surprise, we actually found them! On the first day of patrol, a herd of around 15 elephants was spotted. We spent our first night of patrol at a gorgeous location in the middle of nowhere. The next morning, as we began day two of tracking elephants, we even discovered rhino tracks.

Day two of patrol also included sighting a giraffe and another group of 15 elephants—spotted less than ten minutes apart! During our lunch break that day, we visited a nearby lodge where we spent a few hours enjoying cold drinks and great conversation. Afterward, we traveled to our next campsite. As soon as we arrived, we began setting up for the evening, which included collecting firewood and pitching our tents.

The Journey Home

The following morning, we packed up, sang happy birthday to Ms. Ana, and drove back toward the education center. On the way, it began to rain heavily, forcing us to pull a tarp over the game vehicle and hold it down tightly so it wouldn't fly away.

When we finally arrived at the education center, we were told to wait a bit before getting a chance to shower. Once everyone was clean and refreshed, we set up our tents for the final night. That brought our incredible EHRA trip to a close, as we packed the bus the following morning and began our journey back to school.