Other Projects
Alongside the main journey stops, I was fortunate to connect with a number of additional projects and individuals carrying out important work in conservation and community engagement.
Coaching Conservation – Botswana
Through Sandra Rubins we met Patty Isaacs,the Program Facilitator and female lead for the Coaching Conservation Program powered by Wild Entrust which inspires kids to care about themselves, each other and the natural world around them.
I was lucky to be able to see the kids during one of their ‘coaching’ days which takes the form of a morning’s interaction with elephants at Elephant Sands followed by a game of footy in which all partake. Essentially, through play and interactive lessons, children are invited to embark on a journey of learning to understand the importance of the wildlife and nature, which reveals the interconnectedness of all living and non-living entities.
They are moulding a new generation where every child is empowered to make a positive difference in the environment, and their methods are improving co-existence between communities and their wildlife neighbours.
Nkashi BW – Okavango Delta.
The vision for Nkashi started in 2018 as a mokoro race and has expanded into a movement. The motto, ‘Propelling us Forward’ stems from the use of the Nkashi pole which is used to propel mekoro over the shallow waters of the Okavango Delta.
Nkashi honours the contribution of traditional and local knowledge to science, conservation, and alternative enterprise opportunities. As their expand, the Nkashi Brand will encompass Nkashi Knowledge Centres, the Nkashi Bus taking education on the road, Nkashi Enterprises and Nkashi Trails. All of these initiatives have a focus to catalyse and support the sustainable development of a conservation-based economy in the Delta.
I had the fortune to meet two members of the Nkashi Botswana Team, Koketso S Mookodi ‘Koki’ and Charles Mpoful, as detailed below.
Photographs by kind permission of Nkashi BW.
Koketso S.Mookodi -Natgeo Explorer
Another introduction from Sandra Rubins led me to Koketso S. Mookodi (“Koki”), who leads the Educator Expeditions program, which is implemented by Nkashi under the National Geographic Okavango Wilderness Project.
Koki, a dynamic and deeply committed force in the Okavango through her work as a National Geographic Explorer and conservation leader spearheads “backyard expeditions,” taking local educators into the Delta to experience the wilderness firsthand, building a lasting commitment to conservation and empowering them to inspire future generations.
Through the NGOWP and Nkash BW, she connects conservation with real community benefit, ensuring local people are equipped to protect their environment.
She is part of a team that documents and celebrates Okavango traditions, including Mokoro culture, now marked by an annual Mokoro regatta with men’s, women’s and mixed races.
If this wasn’t enough, she also supports a growing women’s craft group and, as Botswana Country Director, helped implement hydrometeorological monitoring and community-led conservation initiatives.
In 2022, Koki was featured by National Geographic for her dedication to education and conservation.
Photographs by kind permission of Nkashi BW.
Wattled Crane Conservation – Okavango Delta.
Quite by chance I met Charles Mpofu, whilst having the lettering ‘Conservation & Community’ added to Hari’s body, by his nephew working out of a container in Maun.
Charles is another NatGeo explorer and research officer with the Botswana Wild Bird Trust (part of the Okavango Wilderness Project/Nkashi umbrella), leading the tracking and research efforts on the Wattled Cranes in the Okavango Delta.
These cranes are believed to be potentially endangered. Not much is known about their movements and on hearing I was soon to go to Khwai again, with KT our guide when volunteering,
Charles suggested we might like to get an up close and personal look at his work, as he’d been told there were some wattled cranes in the Khwai area recently. We were briefed on how to ‘behave’ if and when we got close to the birds.
Whilst we did indeed find and observe them, Charles wasn’t able to get close enough to tag them this time. I now also follow his research closely on the Nkashi BW Facebook page.
Photographs by kind permission of Nkashi BW.
Rebataki Heritage Resources - Maun, Botswana
Onika Lekuntwane was another chance meeting out shopping with Sandra one day. Onika is the Founder of Rebataki Heritage Resources, a Botswana-based initiative dedicated to documenting, preserving, and promoting the country's rich cultural heritage through art, craft, and design.
The focus is on storytelling, promoting indigenous knowledge, and empowering local artisans by way of a published booklet and workshops titled “Crafting Our Heritage” to document artisans stories and their traditional crafting techniques. I was lucky enough to be invited to their first workshop on my first visit to Botswana in 2024.
ReBataki serves as a bridge between traditional skills holders and a wider audience, promoting the economic value of local crafts while ensuring the preservation of Botswana's heritage for future generations.
Wild is Life - Vic Falls
One of the guys who helped us when Hari’s starter motor died, in Vic Falls in November 2024, was Thulani Masukume, Doubt for short. Whilst Hari was being fixed, Doubt told me of the great work of this organisation carries out, rescuing, rehabilitating and where possible rewilding elephants, antelope, owls, genets and many more African animals that have been abandoned, injured and orphaned.
There was an event taking place just after we left Vic Falls where Wild is Life, alongside The Forestry Commission, partnered with the Lubangwe Sanctuary for a massive tree-planting event, (The 6060 Cycle for Wildlife Challenge, donating 1,000 trees to restore the local ecosystem which has been ravaged by deforestation and coal production in Zimbabwe.
David Shakiwa Nkube a 69 year old amputee, with 4 others, cyled 65 kilometres from Vic Falls to the Lubangwe Sactuary to raise awareness of this catastrophy. David’s testament to his compassion and commitment to empowering indiciduals to make a difference is commendable. We can all help make a difference!