Staff Reporter
WINDHOEK, December 6 — The Legal Assistance Centre (LAC) has unveiled the victors of its 2023 Wildlife Crime Comic Competition, a campaign designed to instil awareness of environmental protection among Namibian schoolchildren.
Ontana Combined School in the Oshikoto Region claimed the top spot with their comic, “Water Smuggling: The Borehole Water Business Councillor,” crafted by Naftal Amupolo. The school was awarded an impressive grand prize of N$30,000 in kind.
Onguti Senior Secondary School, also hailing from the Oshikoto Region, secured second place with their comic titled “Illegal Fishing,” skillfully produced by Edward David and Johannes Jonas. They earned a commendable N$15,000 in kind.
Delta Secondary School Windhoek, representing the Khomas Region, clinched the third spot as their EcoClub presented a comic entitled “Save the Pangolins.” The school was granted N$5,000 in kind.
Expressing her delight, LAC Director Ms. Toni Hancox praised the exceptional quality of the entries, highlighting a substantial improvement from the previous year. She commended the participating schools and expressed optimism for the continuation of the competition in the future.
This year, the LAC actively encouraged schools nationwide to join the competition, resulting in a total of 53 submissions from 28 schools spanning 10 regions. The comics addressed a diverse array of environmental issues, including poaching, illegal wildlife trade, illegal fishing, pollution, and deforestation.
Winning entries were meticulously chosen based on criteria such as originality, artistic merit, character development, storyline, and the incorporation of legal elements. The public can view the captivating comics on the LAC’s website at www.lac.org.na.
The LAC extends sincere gratitude to Bread for the World (BfdW) for their funding support for the competition and expresses appreciation to the participating schools for cultivating a passion for environmental protection among their students.
