The Plight of the Rhino, 2012

Another incredibly moving short film put together by Ogilvy to highlight the plight of the rhino in 2012. This is definitely something to make you think... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6xTvmp9V0Y

Port Elizabeth Coffee Crawl: The Donkin Coffee Shop

Wow! We're blown away by this fantastic feedback from the "coffee crawlers'" visit to the Donkin Coffee Shop!

Port Elizabeth Coffee Crawl: The Donkin Coffee Shop: On Thursday, November 17, 2011 the PE Coffee Crawlers visited Conyngham Coffee Shop. On that day we...

Simphiwe Ngubane - a Conservation Academy Success Story

Simphiwe Ngubane (25), Umzi 2

Born in Johannesburg, Simphiwe Ngubane (25) never even dreamed of visiting the ocean, but at just 25 years old, he has built himself a successful career in marine coastal management at Addo Elephant Park.
After moving to the Eastern Cape and graduating from high school, Simphiwe didn’t know what career to go into. He approached his economics teacher for advice, and was referred to the Umzi Wethu programme. “I didn’t know anything about the programme, and I had no interest in nature at that time, but I’m very glad that I went for the interview,” says Simphiwe.

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“In a few years time SA might not be known as the country that hosted the 2010 Soccer World Cup, but the country that allowed its rhino to become extinct through lack of action.”

Wilderness Foundation addresses parliament on rhino poaching:

Director of the Wilderness Foundation, Andrew Muir, addressed the portfolio committee on the topic of rhino poaching on Thursday, 26 January 2012. Together with a number of other environmental and wildlife organisations, the Wilderness Foundation offered advice and insight into the way forward to help curb poaching in 2012.
South Africa is the stronghold of free ranging rhino and is caretaker of over 80% of the world’s current rhino population. In 2010, a record number of 330 animals were poached. An alarming increase in poaching efforts in 2011 saw 434 rhino killed. In the first fifteen days of 2012, twenty two rhino were poached. “It can be safely said that South Africa is losing rhino at the rate of at least one per day,” says Muir.

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Lwazi - an inspriational Umzi Wethu Success Story

Abandoned at birth, Lwazi Xinwa (24) spent his first five years growing up in a children’s home in Uitenhage in the Eastern Cape. Adopted by loving parents, Lwazi spent the next eight years thriving in a stable household. However, at age 13 his life turned upside down once again. His father was diagnosed with a terminal illness, and Lwazi’s parents revealed to him that he had been adopted. “I was so angry, so many mixed feelings,” says Lwazi. “I was so upset that my father was sick but I felt angry at the same time.”
Following the death of his father and mentor, Lwazi became a rebellious teenager, but his mother continued to encourage him and guide him through life. At age 18, Lwazi’s mother became very ill and couldn’t work anymore. “I graduated matric and had to find a job immediately so that I could support my family,” says Lwazi who ended up doing packaging for R20 a day. “I just kept praying that there was something else out there for me. I needed to find some hope,” says Lwazi. “My life was really a mess after school. I even thought about joining a gang and robbing people. I got mixed up in the wrong crowd and I am just grateful that the opportunity for Umzi came along when it did, because all of my former friends joined a gang and most of them are now dead.”

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