Tuesday 26/9 up at 6am for the 2 hour drive across rough roads to the build site where we will spend the next 4 days. Build site? This needs explanation.

Firstly, the history of the NGO EHRA.

It was started by a British woman, Rachel Harris in 2001 responding to a newly created conflict between elephants and humans after the Namibian Government resettled people in to the Damaraland area. An area once occupied only by the desert elephants. With little to no support from the Government, who were already positively channelling substantial funds in to the big tourist parks in the north, EHRA was created. Its aim to single-handedly support the last remaining elephants in the area. As our guide described in the introduction, ‘here elephants hate humans, and humans hate elephants’. Survival of all parties were at stake.

EHRA’s approach has been a triumph of conservation. To protect both humans and elephants they build walls around human water tanks ( forcing elephants back to their instinctual habits of digging for water in the same places they have for centuries) and secondly through a local child education programme.

Visiting foreigners paying for the privilege of building stone walls, have the Africa Unplugged experience. Observing truly wild elephants, no fences, free to roam anywhere, and rarely visited by humans.

Our foreign money also supports EHRA’s newly opened education camp, set up near base camp. They take groups of 20 local kids, aged 12 to 14 years old for a 4 days of: camping, meals and teaching them about wildlife. To join, each child makes a pledge to : tell others in their community about their experience and secondly never to kill an elephant.

Our guide, Andreas, estimates he has built 200 walls in his 6 years with EHRA.

To start you dig a trench…