Frome teenager’s conservation expedition to Rwanda

MAISHA Harvey from Frome is planning a life-changing expedition to the remote forests of Rwanda where she will be training National Park Guides and school children new laboratory skills for conservation.

Maisha, 14, is a leading light in the Writhlington School Orchid Project and for the last 12 months has been laboratory manager for the project.

Maisha explained, “Our project is based around growing orchids from seed in test tubes, and we are sharing these skills to set up Rwanda’s first propagation laboratory. We hope to make a real difference to development and conservation in the country and have the support of the departments of education, agriculture and conservation.”

Maisha, and eight other pupils will be working at the Kitabi Conservation College and in Nyungwe National Park where they will train college students and pupils from four schools in Rwanda’s capital, Kigali.

The expedition is funded by orchid sales from Maisha’s laboratory and the public will have an opportunity to see Maisha’s work and buy her orchids at the Autumn Orchid Festival that is being held at Writhlington School, Radstock on Saturday 12th October. The event which will also include an orchid show with displays across the UK, and trade from as far away as Germany, and runs from 10.00am to 4.00pm.