The Bush Buddies project seeks to connect and bring together within the ecological sphere of the reserve, young South Africans from socially and culturally diverse backgrounds. This interaction engenders an appreciation of our common values as South Africans and has proven to promote understanding and to foster friendships across these divides.  

Founded in 2016, the Bush Buddies initiative brings secondary school learners from disparate communities together for a year-long programme of learning and interaction, coalescing around a series of wilderness weekends on the Reserve. The inaugural programme involved six learners from a leading Nelspruit independent school, Penryn College – also the home of Penreach, one of Africa’s largest education outreach initiatives – and six learners from Zivuko Secondary School in rural Nkowankowa, Limpopo. During the course of the year, the learners discover the principles of conservation and sustainability, with the aim of triggering a sense of personal investment and ownership in the wellbeing of this ecosystem.

The Selati Wilderness Foundation aims to involve corporates to help fund and sponsor these projects as well as other community projects that would lead to the furthering of local awareness of wildlife areas.