Board members join us on Pride trail!

From Left: Nomlindo (Umzi 8), Ed Posey (Gaia Foundation), Lihle Mbokazi (Wilderness Foundation), Lifa (Umzi 8), Lincoln Meyer (Wilderness Foundation), Sharon Oliver (Oliver Foundation)

Last week we had the privilege of hosting a few of our overseas board members who had travelled to SA for the annual Wilderness Foundation board meeting. Two of the board members (Ed Posey and Sharon Oliver) arrived a few days early so that they could take part in a Wilderness Trail in Woody Cape.

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Wilderness Foundation winners of prestigious Ernst & Young Award

From left, Abigail Noble, Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship regional Head for Latin America and Africa congratulates Wilderness Foundation director, Andrew Muir on his award. Together with them is Ajen Sita, CEO for Africa at Ernst & Young.

The Wilderness Foundation was announced as the winner in the Social Entrepreneur category for the 2011 Ernst and Young World Entrepreneur Awards Programme at the ceremony held last night, 17 November 2011.
Wilderness Foundation director, Andrew Muir was one of four finalists selected for the 2011 Ernst and Young World Entrepreneur Awards Programme in the Social entrepreneur category. He was at the ceremony to receive the award.
“This award will help us to build on what has already been established with regards to the Umzi Wethu programme as well as our other social investment programmes. We will have access to the Schwab Foundation’s global network, providing unprecedented opportunities to engage global decision makers,” says Muir.
“I believe that our main strength as a foundation is the integration of social intervention and environmental sustainability. We are not just a conservation-oriented organisation. The Wilderness Foundation recognises that the sustainability of South Africa’s wild lands and wilderness is intrinsically dependant on its social and economic sustainability.”
According to Ajen Sita, CEO for Africa at Ernst and Young, the company has been recognising successful entrepreneurs through the programme for the past 14 years. “We are humbled to be associated with and award these individuals who are making a remarkable difference to our economy and the societies which we operate and live in. We congratulate all finalists for their exceptional performance.”


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Umzi Wethu Success Stories - Harry Nkosinkulu

“I have learned that we never stop learning in life, and that we are all an integral part of nature, and nature is an integral part of us.”
Growing up in Grahamstown, South Africa Harry Nkosinkulu did not have much exposure to nature and never thought about pursuing conservation as a career until the Umzi Wethu academy made a presentation to the youth in his town.

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Wilderness Foundation's Rhino Protection Successes

The Wilderness Foundation launched the Forever Wild – Rhino Protection Initiative in May, 2011.
The Campaign aims to gather support from the public and various stakeholders to help fight against rhino poaching in South Africa and save the rhino from extinction in the wild. As an organisation, the Wilderness Foundation is involved in rhino protection activities on two main levels:

Save the Rhino Petition:

Firstly, it is gathering signatures on a petition through http://wildernessfoundation.co.za/savetherhinos/ which will be delivered to the US congress in early January in order to bring the situation to the attention of international governments. Without the intervention of government and the public, the rhino may be extinct in the next ten years. This petition has already received over 12,000 signatures!

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Major corporate support for award-winning Umzi Wethu programme

Above from Left: CEO of the Wilderness Foundation, Andrew Muir, Umzi Wethu student, Thabisile Nomatshila, eneral manager for environmental management in the Eastern Cape Department of Economic Development and Environmental Affairs, Albert Mfenyana and Absa CSI Representative, Andy de la Mare.

A total of 50 underprivileged youth is being given an opportunity to obtain jobs in the hospitality and conservation industries thanks to Absa’s R500 000 sponsorship of the Umzi Wethu programme, headed up by the Wilderness Foundation.
The international award-winning Umzi Wethu programme was founded in 2006 by Andrew Muir, CEO of the Wilderness Foundation, and is one of the foundation’s flagship social intervention projects.
There are two Umzi Wethu academies in the Eastern Cape. The hospitality academy is based in Port Elizabeth, and students are trained for hospitality jobs in urban and rural establishments. They gain valuable practical experience at the on-site Conynghams Coffee Shop and Ray Mhlaba Conference Centre.

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Umzi Wethu replicated in Stellenbosch

The highly successful Umzi Wethu social investment project has been replicated in Stellenbosch under the leadership of the Sustainability Institute at the Lynedoch Eco Village. The Umzi Wethu concept was initially developed by the Wilderness Foundation, and its accomplishments were officially recognised with a prestigious international Rolex Award in 2008.
Umzi Wethu is a one year, social development and intervention programme for displaced and socially vulnerable youth. The project offers them the opportunity to become skilled and highly employable young adults with secure, well-paying jobs in the eco-tourism industry.

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Shamwari Game Reserve hit by rhino poachers

One of the Wilderness Foundation’s Indalo members, Shamwari Game Reserve was hit by rhino poachers yesterday morning (Monday, November 7, 2011). Management at the reserve are unable to divulge specific details, but The Herald reported that two rhino were targeted in the attack – a mother and her two year old calf.
Both rhinos were darted, and horns removed. Even the tiny horns of the youngster were hacked off. According to reports, the mother’s face was mutilated by the poachers who tried to remove as much of the horn as possible before escaping.

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Wilderness Foundation nominated for Ernst & Young Award

Wilderness Foundation nominated as a finalist in the Social Entrepreneur category for the 2011 Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur Awards Programme.
Wilderness Foundation director, Andrew Muir has been selected as one of the four finalists for the 2011 Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur Awards Programme in the Social entrepreneur category.

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