The Vervet Monkey Foundation recognises the great need for education and outreach both locally and abroad. The vervets face many threats in South Africa, often driven by human activity and misunderstanding the monkeys: particularly deforestation for agriculture. Opening dialogue, providing education and offering humane resolutions are key steps to minimising conflict between humans, primates and other wildlife.
Our multi-tiered education programme intends to teach children and young adults about the importance of conserving primates and other species for the benefit of the environment, and to empower them to take a stand in their own communities to help protect wildlife. Representatives from the VMF have also gone to numerous farms, schools, hospitals and residential areas with wild vervet troops to provide advice and expertise on conflict prevention. You can find more information about living around the vervets here or contact info@vervet.za.org with any questions or concerns.
Education Programme
Our teams loves to engage with school groups to teach them more about the monkeys and get them active in conservation. Our education team visits regional schools to provide classes centred around vervets and their importance for local ecosystems. We also welcome classes to the foundation for guided tours and follow-up activities to learn more about the sanctuary and our rehabilitation work. By engaging children in conservation today, we can help cultivate our wildlife stewards for tomorrow.
If your school is near the VMF and interested in becoming involved with our education programme, visiting the foundation, contact manager@vervet.za.org
Vegan Outreach
In addition to our education programme on vervets, the VMF also participates in several other vegan outreach initiatives, including food stalls at local food fairs. Our kitchen renovation also allows us to host vegan cooking lessons for both onsite volunteers and local enthusiasts. We provide Vegan Lifestyle Workshops and screen vegan/environmental documentaries for our many international volunteers for those interested in transitioning into a plant-based lifestyle when they return home.
