African Educational Stories aim to teach children to love, respect and conserve animals from a young age. (These stories allow them to relate to the characters and are written in such a style that will keep them entertained for hours.)

A rhino education book aimed at children ages 5-12, which through its pages reveals the ugly truth of Rhino Poaching but leaves the power of support of the next generation in its wake. (This is achieved by the book giving life and a personality that the child can affiliate within Bongi as opposed to a rhino on the other side of a fence and belonging to someone else or in a different country hundreds of miles away.) The rhino now has a name, Bongi, and this is where the power of both the message within the story and the book itself lies. By giving life and personality to the rhino, Bongi, the child can relate him/herself to the rhino. This makes them more aware of the dangers rhinos are animals on the other side of a fence or in a far away country.

The current "Hot Spot" for rhino poaching is the Kruger National Park in Southern Africa and this is where Bongi's Quest was launched.

Off the back of bicycles, Chris Daniel (Author) and Sboniso Phakati (African Translations) aim to cycle around the entire Kruger (larger than most European countries) and handing Bongi's Quest books out to all the village children.

The impact of this is greater than simply educating the next generation, for these children are in fact being used as ''spotters'' by the poachers for rewards as insignificant as a Coke or a packet of chips. The book not only instils the understanding of the full extent of poaching and the love for rhino/Bongi but has a call to action in the form of the SANParks anti-poaching number on the back.

Therefore educating and empowering our next generation wherever it lands.

A Portuguese book is available for the Mozambique side of the park and a Chinese book ready to catch a flight to China. This is then projected 2 and 3, with the Asian destination, education, and empowerment being the crucial and ultimate destination of Bongi's Quest, for this they will have an effect on the future demand for rhino horn which is the root of the problem.

 

Welcome to the fun side of saving a species! The seemingly impossible has been achieved numerous times throughout human existence, let's save our rhino from extinction and add that to the list.

A Page from Bongi's Quest

Bongi knew that the Vulture was the bushveld eye in the sky and set off to the cliffs to find him …”he would have seen who did it” thought Bongi.

Seeing Bongi approaching, Mr Vulture flew down from his cliff perch and listened to Bongi’s sad story.

“I did see something”, said Mr Vulture, “but it was not one of the Bushveld animals that did this”