The Namibian Community Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) programme has groomed numerous young people in various conservation fields. Three exceptional women, who have been mentored by experts in the programme, have decided to further their studies in order to take on their roles as the future leaders in conservation.
Ingelore Katjingisiua, works at World Wildlife Fund in Namibia as the Assistant Business Adviser. She will be furthering her studies for two years in Austria in the field of International Economics. WWF was her first professional job, coming in as an intern she received mentorship from the beginning up until now. “The mentorship was about improving my skills and helping me find a niche in the programme”. Ingelore has done exceptional work with contributing to CONINFO and working with conservancies.
Hilma Angula, joined the CBNRM programme as an intern through the Conservation Leadership Programme (CLP). Through the CLP and her mentorship under NACSO’s Natural Resources Working Group, she gained practical skills and was exposed to different conservation aspects. “The most important lesson I learned through CLP is that leadership is not about holding a position, but a means of making a difference in people’s lives and promoting a paradigm shift from practices that bear negative impacts to those that are beneficial for both people and the environment.”
Omagano Shooya, who was an intern at NACSO through the Conservation Leadership Programme, recently completed her Master’s degree in climate change and sustainable development at the University of Cape Town. Omagano has been selected by ASSAR Southern Africa as an awardee for the 2017 “Supporting Climate Change Leaders” grant by the International Development Research Centre. She is thrilled to take up a three-month job placement at Climate Analytics in Berlin from the 1st of October to develop her profile and abilities as a leader in the field of science-informed climate change policy in developing countries.
These young women have made great contributions to the programme through their hard work and dedication. Their presence will be missed. NACSO and the team wish them the best in all their future endeavours and may they continue to excel and be ambassadors of conservation.
