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This month we celebrate the 200th Wild Shots Outreach wildlife photography course! This means that more than 1700 young people have seen wildlife for the very first time, connecting and engaging with their natural history heritage, through photography.
Wild Shots Outreach has come a long way from the very first pilot programme nearly 10 years ago, with a box of eight second hand cameras, all with completely different settings! We now have two parallel sets of mirrorless cameras, thanks to Canon, and a programme team of five, headed up by the inspirational Rifumo Mathebula.
The impact of our work has been recognised by numerous national and international awards, has been the subject of a PhD research project with the University of Johannesburg, and WSO has been invited to deliver its wildlife photography workshop programme in a number of other African countries.
In addition, WSO is supporting young people from local communities by funding training, further studies and employment through its Bursary Programme. To date, nearly 50 bursary students have benefited with almost 100% of these young people now in employment or running self-sustaining businesses.
What a journey it’s been!
Programme Highlights this last quarter include:
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WSO returned to Botswana for the 5th year running, working with Natural Selection’s portfolio of lodges. For the first time, WSO’s Karabo Magakane lead the programmes. She dodged severe flooding to deliver workshops for 25 young job seekers from three local communities, bordering Protected Areas. Four of these students are now employed by the lodges.
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“I now love the elephant because I now know it brings tourists and that creates jobs and income for our country”. Lefika Thobogang
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Collaborative Partnerships
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Wild Shots Outreach continues to collaborate and build partnerships with other NGOs in the Greater Kruger Area. We are proud to be working with (i) the Timbavati Foundation, running conservation photography workshops for their Environmental & Community Facilitators and (ii) the Royal Portfolio Foundation, who kindly hosted a residential workshop at their world class Royal Malewane Conservation Research Centre, for a group of young female job seekers.
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“You really gave me and the other girls a lifetime experience and memories that will forever remain precious in our hearts. This was one of the most fun-filled learning experiences I have ever had. We were a group of empowered women, we supported each other from day one till the last day”. Faith Ngwenya
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Bursary Student Success Stories
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Terryan Sithole is one of six young women who, through the Wild Shots Outreach Bursary Fund, have gone on to become qualified safari guides. Terryann is a facilitator with our partners at Timbavati Foundation.
”Thank you, Wild Shots Outreach for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to walk this path. Because of your support, today I stand as a qualified Field Guide a milestone that has not only changed my life but completely shifted the way I see and understand the natural world. This journey has stirred something deep within me. Nature has become more than just a place, it’s a living, breathing story that I now get to interpret, protect, and share with others. I’ve learned to listen to the land, to respect every lifeform, and to truly feel part of something greater. …
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… Here’s to more women rising, more voices guiding, and more wild spaces protected.
Thank you Wild Shots Outreach for lighting this fire.”
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Hlanhla Calvin Ndlhovu has recently graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Biodiversity and Conservation Biology. Calvin took part in a Wild Shots Outreach course as a high school student on Selati Game Reserve in 2019. Now, together with the Selati Wilderness Foundation , the Wild Shots Outreach Bursary Fund is supporting him in studying for his Honours Degree at the University of the Western Cape.
"Thank you investing in my potential and for continuing to support my academic journey as I pursue my Honours degree. Your generosity and dedication are changing lives, and I am deeply honoured to be a part of the Wild Shots Outreach family. Your commitment to conservation education and youth development has not only shaped my passion but has been a guiding light throughout my studies.”
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WSO Programme Director Rifumo Mathebula was invited to spend a day with the Endangered Wildlife Trust’s vulture researchers who were ringing vultures.
Rifumo posted his photos and video on social media, writing about how important these Critically Endangered birds are, and the devastating impacts of the mass poisonings that are happening in the Greater Kruger Area (200+ birds killed in the last two months by poachers). His post has gone viral, with more than 1.6 million views! Visual storytelling is such a powerful way to reach huge new audiences.
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Professional Skills Development
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To help our Bursary students prepare for work, we deliver various personal and professional skills training opportunities. A very big thank you to (i) Mike Lawrie for mentoring a group of Wild Shots Outreach graduates who all have or are starting their own businesses, teaching them website development, analytics and SEO (ii) Renee Lighton for hosting an uplifting workshop with the theme “How to Shine at Work and Unlock Your Potential - mastering professional etiquette and what it really means to be work ready” and (iii) our supporters who donated six laptops. These are such valuable assets for our Bursary students, many of whom are struggling to complete job applications on their phones. Any additional laptops, second-hand or new, gratefully received!
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WSO was invited to speak at the Wildscreen Botswana international wildlife film festival in June in Maun. Four team members attended (together with two of our former WSO Botswana students), with Mike and Rifumo speaking about the power of visual storytelling to inspire conservation, spark connections and open doors to new career pathways.
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A huge thank you to all our sponsors and supporters for making WSO’s work possible. If you can help with financial support, donation of second-hand camera gear or laptops, or offers of work experience, please contact: +27 (0)722 813 157 / info@wildshotsoutreach.org
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