As a CAS trip we went to Savarkundla, it is a village which is based near the GIR national park in Gujarat India, this is a typical village area where people live without 24 hour electricity and other luxuries given to us in the city area. There are lot of wells which are quite deep inside the forest area for the animals to drink water from, but its depth is a major issue,as the well is quite deep there are many cases of animals falling and drowning in the well, especially Asiatic lions which are present in that area in an abundance, falling over in the well, many of these cases of lions falling into the well lead also to death of this predator . So as IBDP students we with the help of some residents in that area we attempted to cover these wells with metal frames so that either the animals just go over the well or gets trapped there, this will avoid the death of these animals which are present in this jungle.
On the 8th of September we departed from Surat and left for Savarkundla, after our arrival we then took the first day to rest and then we planned on how we will execute our task the next day. On the 9th of September which was the day we started the execution, we started with cutting and welding. After understanding and learning these techniques, we then got to do use these tools and start making the cover. On the last day we took a long trek and installed the cover, It felt so nice to complete a task you put your heart and soul into.
In my opinion, the learning outcomes we covered were LO6 and LO5. LO5 states “Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively”. We were around 40 students and so that we could coordinate and make the cover fast we made 8 groups in which all of us had particular tasks to execute.This not only made the work easier but it also made it fast .
LO6 states “Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance”, by this we addressed the issue of dying predators which particularly the lions as Asiatic Lions are mostly found in this area and by just covering some wells if we could help these animals it is something we should do. By doing this we are aiding to the food chain by helping one of the important animals of this chain, we also help the ecosystem which is a widespread issue all of the world.
I faced numerous challenges such as lifting heavy materials. The two main challenges I faced were understanding/learning how to execute the plan and living in this type of conditions.
To learn how to use a welding machine or a cutting machine the first I kept in mind was to keep myself safe from the dangers emitted from these tools. I first was very scared to even touch the welding machine as it directly threw sparks on us. I then collected my courage and tried to use this tool, I then learnt and was also appointed to look over the other people using this tool I understood this very well that I was able to help others. The second challenge was living in the village, I need the air conditioner to sleep I could adjust and sleep under a fan, but unfortunately none of these things were there in Savarkundla. It was very difficult to sleep there, to add to this issue there were so many insects too. I was ready for the second factor but I couldn’t sleep the first day till 2 am. But then I understood that each place has it uniqueness, I went down fetched a glass of cold water and tried to sleep. I slept like sleeping beauty, I understood that if I want to sleep I can if I make up my mind.
By covering the well, we joined the mission to save the Asiatic lions. This is an endangered species and is only found in the said region. Only 512 Asiatic lions are left in the whole world. I feel immensely proud and very happy to be part of this, also aiding to this worldwide issue.
