Africa Foundation (USA)

Africa Foundation has a scholarship program called Community Leaders Education Fund (CLEF). Launched in 1995, the CLEF Scholarship Program offers partial funding to students from rural communities bordering conservation areas. The broad objective of the CLEF Program is to develop natural leadership potential by offering deserving students the opportunity to improve their career opportunities by studying at college or university level. Students are required to give back to their communities during their holidays by conducting an activity that involves and uplifts the community, for example, career guidance at high schools, community clean-up campaigns or helping at local clinics. Through CLEF, more than 387 students have received assistance to enable them to attend college or university.

With rhino poaching at an all-time high in South Africa, Africa Foundation is supporting andBeyond and Great Plains Conservation in a project to safely translocate up to 100 rhinos from South Africa to the safe haven of Botswana, which has an excellent security system in place to protect these critically endangered animals and will be a safe haven for the relocated rhinos. To learn more about Rhinos Without Borders, please go to www.andbeyond.com/conservation-community/rhinos-without-borders and the attached PDF.

In remote rural communities, schools are often overlooked and chronically under resourced. Africa Foundation has made school construction and improvement a priority since the organization was founded. The education program consists of infrastructure assistance through construction of classrooms and provision of equipment; construction of sanitary facilities, daycare centers, kitchens, administration rooms and media centers; provision of fencing and security; development of vegetable gardens; and support in career guidance courses for secondary school students.

Africa Foundation has assisted community members in selling crafts, both at partner organization andBeyond lodges and also at newly built crafts markets adjacent to highways traveled by tourists.

Unemployment in rural communities can be tackled by identifying and empowering entrepreneurs, whose small, emerging enterprises can be an effective means of job creation. Africa Foundation identifies opportunities and helps start-ups. In particular, Africa Foundation stimulates the potential for income generation through a highly successful skills training program and access to technology.

Agricultural projects such as provision of water and assistance with vegetable gardens have reduced malnutrition and encouraged entrepreneurial farming. In many instances, the projects have not only provided communities with food but have produced extra income.

Africa Foundation sponsors conservation lessons for students and teachers from disadvantaged schools. Surprisingly, most local school children have never been inside their neighboring conservation area and have never seen an elephant or a lion. Many students report that their lives were changed when they realized what was on the other side of the game fence. Over the years, Africa Foundation has learned that this exposure is essential to building relationships between rural communities and their natural, wild neighborhood so that the communities understand the tangible and intangible benefits of conserving this precious resource.