Footprints of Hope: Saving the rhino, one step at a time

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This is one of the Africa Foundation’s initiatives – and I just love the project so much – had to post it for you here too

Born of a desire to create awareness and make a real difference in the struggle to save the rhino from the ever-increasing danger of poaching, &Beyond is partnering with the Africa Foundation and professional soccer star Gordon Gilbert for an innovative initiative known as Footprints of Hope.

The threat of rhino poaching has moved into the western corridor of the Kruger National Park, where several &Beyond lodges are situated. In response to this heightened danger, &Beyond rangers Mark Shaw, Lennox Mathebula and Lyson Ngwenya, along with &Beyond Conservation Manager Les Carlisle and Black Aces soccer stalwart Gordon Gilbert will set out on foot into the communities surrounding these lodges on an 11-day awareness walk. The message they spread is one of the very tenets that &Beyond is founded on — the fragile and yet completely interdependent relationship that exists between Africa’s wildlife populations and the people that live side by side with them. At every step of the way, the campaign will spread awareness about the significance of the rhino, the benefits that it and other wildlife bring to the communities and the role that those communities can play in its preservation.

While poaching syndicates are motivated by greed, the actual poachers who hunt down the animals are often driven by sheer desperation and the need to survive. At &Beyond, we believe that the only way to address these issues is through education and development of the communities. For this reason, the Footprints of Hope campaign will also focus on raising funds for the Africa Foundation’s education and development projects in the communities of Huntington, Justicia, Lillydale, Dumphries, Hluvukani, Tlhavekisa and Welverdiend. They will also spread the message of &Beyond’s Life Skills programme, developed to empower people to help themselves. This is underpinned by our belief that the only way to change behaviour to benefit the environment is to foster a shift in people’s values.

The Footprints of Hope walk will begin at &Beyond Kirkman’s Kamp on Thursday, 29 December, and will move through the nearby communities, where it will stop for educational visits and three Goal is Life events. The walkers will sleep at the &Beyond lodges or in the communities themselves. When they reach &Beyond Ngala Private Game Reserve in the Kruger they will walk through Big Five territory and sleep out in the bush.

For more information, please click here to join our blog. Or you can visit our Facebook and Twitter pages to monitor the progress that our walkers are making and wish them well in this exceptional attempt. If you would like to make a pledge, no matter how big or small, towards the projects that the Footprints of Hope campaign is raising funds for, please click here to make your donation.