I care very deeply. About people, nature, wildlife, … and life itself. I burn many a midnight oil contemplating the intricacies of the things we do and how we do them.

New perceptions have helped me resolve deep issues, like conflicts within my marriage (learning how to hear my husband in spite of how much it hurts) and my approach towards global problems highlighted on the ‘net.

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Since its official opening in April 2009, Bushbabies Monkey Sanctuary, located on the northern slopes of the Magaliesberg in Hartbeespoort, has widened its spectrum of primates to over 70 free-released specimens.

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Three years ago I went to teach English to the locals of a remote village in the  former Transkei. I was 54 and a tad old I thought to be having a mid-life crisis which symptoms included nothing more dramatic than a restlessness, a constant shifting about in the seat of my oh-so-comfortable existence.

I lived 6 months of the year in an idyllic provençal village in France and the other 6 in another idyllic village Kommetjie, 35 minutes from Cape Town. There was no epiphanaic moment, my goals were clear and simple: I wanted to go back to teaching and where better than somewhere in Africa. Read the rest »

Whether globe trotting on a well earned break, or simply attending an important meeting it is safe to say that there are many ways to kill a cat or should the adage be adapted to read ‘Many roads to Rome?

Despite the limitations brought about by blindness there are many myths.  One of these is that blind people always travel on the arm of someone.  This is in some situations certainly the case.  However, through completing a course in mobility, that is the use of a long cane, or a guide-dog, travelling independently can be a most liberating experience for people who are blind.   Read the rest »

Recently we had the good fortune of watching Ladysmith Black Mambazo in concert at the Schouwburg Theatre in Almere. A great performance!

We are so proud of this 47-year old Music Legend … definitely one of South Africa’s best exports. But what delighted us the most, is their relaxed, authentic manner in sharing their isiZulu culture. Read the rest »

In February 2007, Janet Cuthbertson from Suni-Ridge Org. ZA (013-525 NPO) contacted us asking if we’d promote Leopard Walk Lodge in Zululand, KwaZulu Natal. At the end of the e-mail, there were a few paragraphs about how they rehabilated an old pineapple farm and gave it back to nature, forming a wildlife reserve.

Among other things, they also mentioned False Bay School, which Janet established in 1992. I was so impressed by their achievements, that I offered to build a pro-bono website for Suni-Ridge. Read the rest »

The Kawaza School Fund is a private fund started by Robin Pope Safaris in 1988 to assist in improvements at Kawaza Basic School, one of the local schools in the Nsefu Chiefdom. They sent us this article in the beginning of January 2008.

Huge improvements have been made at Kawaza since this time and the school is almost unrecognizable from the first photos that were taken. Over the past 5 years other schools have been added to the list of schools that Kawaza School Fund assists. Read the rest »

Without nature and wildlife, humans would cease to exist.

As a species, we are becoming far more aware of the affect that our lifestyle is having on the planet.

We need create a balance between the needs of humans and of nature and wildlife.

We need to take responsibility (together!) for what happens to our world, and protect it for future generations. Read the rest »

As usual, elephants are on the agenda at the 14th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP14), which will be held in The Hague, the Netherlands, from 3 to 15 June 2007. The 55th meeting of the CITES Standing Committe will be held on the 2nd of June 2007.

This is a video message asking the members to let elephants keep their ivory. Dame Daphne Sheldrick shares her views on the ivory trade and the effects of poaching. As can be read in the African Elephant facts courtesy of Wildlife Campus, you can see that South Africa is in favour of culling and utilising all the ivory collected. Read the rest »

Dr. Laurie Marker, Executive Director of the Cheetah Conservation Fund, held a talk on the 6th of May in Holland about cheetahs and what the CCF is doing to prevent these magnificent animals from becoming extinct. With her permission, I filmed the talk and made this video to promote their invaluable work. Read the rest »