Community, nature and youth unite as Koru Camp celebrates its grand reopening with art, education and conservation in action.
Hoedspruit, South Africa (12 June 2025) – As the drum beat filled the air, the excitement at Koru Camp began to bubble. Armed with my eager bush companion, this journalist spent the day surrounded by nature, an incredible camp facility and the brightest young minds who are set to reap the benefits that Koru Camp has to offer.
Over a hundred people arrived in convoy, ready to tour the upgraded Koru facility, savour the delicious vegetarian menu, and learn more about how the camp empowers children and teens from surrounding communities. Powered by the humble but fiercely passionate Peter Eastwood and his stunning retreat at Sashwa, Koru Camp has flourished into something truly unique.
Halala Koru Camp, Halala. The cry echoed through the crowd, triggering goosebumps over my whole body and bringing a tear to my eye, seeing just how much passion and excitement there is among some of the non-profits that were present on the day.
As an avid bush lover, taking trips as often as I can and knowing the plight of the conservationists working to preserve the space, seeing initiatives like this come to life, or in this case, being reborn, makes me feel such joy.
Having already shared what Koru Camp is all about (which you can read in detail here), I will just quickly give you an overview before sharing my thoughts.
Koru Camp was founded in 2022 by Peter Eastwood as an educational arm to inspire a love for conservation in the Greater Kruger. Bringing children and gogos from the surrounding communities, who have never had the chance to enter the various national and private reserves, serves as a way to educate youth and inspire connection to the land. As Peter always says, “How can we love what we do not understand, and why would we feel compelled to protect what we do not love?”
Peter brought in Corné Havenga as CEO, and she was tasked with revamping the facility, expanding its offerings, and ensuring it could double its reach. Corné put together a team who performed incredibly, and as I can personally vouch, the facility is incredible!
After freshening up, we were given a full tour of the new facilities while the Djembe Drummers from Southern Cross School put on a soul-stirring performance.
The new bathrooms, facilitator and volunteer accommodation, spacious tents for campers and kitchen with dining hall were beautifully put together. It’s the kind of camp that tween me would have loved to attend in primary school. Adding to the beauty is a spacious deck where a symbolic Paperbark Thorn Tree has been planted, which will one day grow to offer shade for those eager to learn about wildlife, nature, and the stars above.
A further three trees were planted on the day, adding to the idea of planting something today that will benefit the generations of tomorrow.
The highlight of the grand re-opening was the fact that Kingsley Holgate, a long-time friend of Peter, joined on the day of the opening. It was here that the excitement really started to bubble as a convoy of Land Rover Defenders, ready to set off on the Greater Gorongosa Expedition, pulled up and out climbed Mr Holgate.
Before the re-opening, Koru Camp had joined forces with the Kingsley Holgate Foundation’s Wildlife Art campaign for kids, where 400 local children and teens took part in an art competition. The top 20 were invited to join on the day, where the top 3 would be awarded for their artworks.
Each of the children and teens was honoured with a certificate and got to shake hands with Kingsley, being cheered and praised by the larger crowd. Their pride in the work they had done, the giant smiles on their faces, and the chance to win produced such infectious energy that when the winners were finally announced, cheers were so loud and jubilant that the brand-new roof may have quivered, but thankfully, it stood the test of such joy!
All in all, being present for the re-opening was a wonderful way to see what really happens on the ground when organisations unite to make a difference. I felt hope, not just from within my own heart but radiating from everyone around me.
The day ended when the ribbon was cut, declaring Koru Camp officially open. What a treasure this space is, a gift that will be enjoyed long after the children who attend have grown up. This is where the future rangers will come from, where biologists, conservationists and many other scientists who aim to save our planet will be inspired to take action.
Halala Koru Camp, Halala.
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