Investing in Youth Sport & Music to Save Rhinos
Donation protected
Currently, 2 rhinos are poached each day across Africa to feed a growing demand for the use of their horns in Asia. Conventional rhino protection often focus on top-down military-style law enforcement to combat poachers - with mixed results. Yet, lasting success will likely require a mix of law enforcement with bottom-up community-led approaches that seek to improve the value local people attach to saving rhinos.
Namibia has long been a global leader in pioneering community-based conservation strategies. One particular approach, called the Rhino Pride Campaign, seeks to engage and empower rural youth (often vulnerable targets for poachers) in rhino protection by providing positive rhino messaging and motivation by directly supporting two highly-sought after youth activities: Sport and Music.
Since 2017, the Rhino Pride Campaign has hosted annual Rhino Friends Forever Sports tournament - including soccer for men and netball for women (see photo above) - combined with peaceful marches through town, information sharing and performances by locally-respected musicians who have created tailor-made rhino songs. The events attract thousands of rural youth securing a critical local support base for pro-rhino behavior. Indeed, since we began conducting such events in September 2017 (World Rhino Day) no rhinos have been poached although dozens of poaching attempts have been prevented by voluntary information provided by anonymous community members (click on the link below to see our latest book for more details: https://issuu.com/travelnewsnamibia/docs/srt_booklit_final_issuu .
This year, we plan to continue what has become a highly anticipated event to celebrate World Rhino Day and the Rangers who protect them. Funds generating from this GoFundMe campaign will be channeled straight to the frontlines in Namibia were they will be used to provide promotional materials for both players (see Rhino Friend Forever sweatband photo) and observers, sound and staging for musical performances by local artists, prizes and some logistics.
We firmly believe that engaging and empowering local people is not only useful but essential to secure a future for the world's wild rhinos. Please join us in paving a new people-centered path to achieve a world were both rhinos and people thrive!
Namibia has long been a global leader in pioneering community-based conservation strategies. One particular approach, called the Rhino Pride Campaign, seeks to engage and empower rural youth (often vulnerable targets for poachers) in rhino protection by providing positive rhino messaging and motivation by directly supporting two highly-sought after youth activities: Sport and Music.
Since 2017, the Rhino Pride Campaign has hosted annual Rhino Friends Forever Sports tournament - including soccer for men and netball for women (see photo above) - combined with peaceful marches through town, information sharing and performances by locally-respected musicians who have created tailor-made rhino songs. The events attract thousands of rural youth securing a critical local support base for pro-rhino behavior. Indeed, since we began conducting such events in September 2017 (World Rhino Day) no rhinos have been poached although dozens of poaching attempts have been prevented by voluntary information provided by anonymous community members (click on the link below to see our latest book for more details: https://issuu.com/travelnewsnamibia/docs/srt_booklit_final_issuu .
This year, we plan to continue what has become a highly anticipated event to celebrate World Rhino Day and the Rangers who protect them. Funds generating from this GoFundMe campaign will be channeled straight to the frontlines in Namibia were they will be used to provide promotional materials for both players (see Rhino Friend Forever sweatband photo) and observers, sound and staging for musical performances by local artists, prizes and some logistics.
We firmly believe that engaging and empowering local people is not only useful but essential to secure a future for the world's wild rhinos. Please join us in paving a new people-centered path to achieve a world were both rhinos and people thrive!
Organiser
Jeff Muntifering
Organiser
Sartell, MN