Building connection in a historically divided landscape →

– Dr. David Kimiti, Director of Research and Impact, Grevy’s Zebra Trust, Kenya

“Amidst all the global turmoil, local unrest, and upheaval this year, one would be forgiven for sinking into despair or even worse, indifference. For me, several things kept me afloat, not least the hard work and steady resilience of the Grevy’s Zebra Trust team.

At a global level, many leaders across different countries seem to be using differences to divide people. However, locally in northern Kenya, where we work, one of the things that gives me hope is seeing our team and the communities we work with choose to bridge cultural and tribal differences for the greater good. Our work relies on strong relationships with communities because GZT’s model is rooted in community stewardship, ownership, and shared decision-making. Therefore, conserving the endangered Grevy’s zebra depends on trust, inclusion and collaboration, and conflict makes this delicate work far harder to achieve.

The Elbarta area of Samburu is known for inter-tribal conflict, particularly between the Samburu and Turkana communities. For our team in this area, strife is a part of daily life, yet they never falter or give up. This year, we’ve welcomed Benjamin, who joined us from the Turkana tribe and has brought a fresh perspective. Having him join a team that is mostly Samburu has already provided new insights and improved conversations between Samburu and Turkana groups in his home area.

Where there has been conflict in the past, having Benjamin work alongside our Elbarta Regional Coordinator, Joel, has brought real value. I am optimistic that small steps like these are the kind of steady progress that will move us toward a landscape where communities coexist peacefully with each other and with the wildlife they share the land with.”

When your stakeholders become your biggest champions →

– Ololotu Munka, Executive Director, KopeLion, Tanzania

“We work in a landscape that is challenging, for many reasons, such as human-wildlife conflict. What keeps us going is the deep trust we continue to have with local communities through our Ilchukuti (meaning “guardians”) model. This model revolves around hiring and training local Maasai warriors, to serve as frontline ambassadors for human-lion coexistence in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA) and surrounding regions where we work as KopeLion.

The encouragement from our communities, which many of us are from, comes in many forms: a text message, a moment under a tree with elders, or even just a nod of encouragement. Every message of hope that we get reminds me that we cannot afford to give up; there is a whole group of people rallying behind us.

Our donors have also continued to trust us, believe in us, and be more than donors. We have long-term relationships with funders such as the Lion Recovery Fund, and others. They continue to support us even in uncertainty. Whenever we see that these partners – including Maliasili, tour operators, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority, and so many others – are still believing in us, it gives us hope that we are still relevant. That people see the value of our efforts. That we should keep pushing forward with the work we are doing for lions, people, and this home we all dearly love. Most of our partners are not just funders; they are our friends walking with us in this difficult but important journey.

The spirit of our team is also really strong. They are still deeply passionate, even in what has been one of our toughest years. All this keeps me going.”

Ending the year with good news and renewal →

– Monicah Mbiba, Southern Africa Senior Portfolio Manager, Maliasili

“For me, the highlight of my year has been working with the Environmental Rural Solutions (ERS). ERS is a community-based organization in South Africa that works to restore wetlands, protect water sources, and strengthen climate resilience for rural communities. They support local people to manage natural resources, improve livelihoods, and build stronger, more sustainable landscapes.

When the year began, things were not great for the ERS team. As we know in conservation, raising funding for operations, including salaries, vehicles, etc, isn’t easy to do. Despite their great work, the ERS team did not know how they would secure salaries or fund their operations for the coming months. As someone supporting their organizational development, I deeply felt the pressure they were under.

But the team is resilient, and they’re incredibly strong. So together, we created a plan and committed to it. We decided to deeply focus on raising their visibility and fundraising. They never gave up. I stayed close, and I didn’t give up either.

Now, as the year ends, their fortunes have changed. They have raised significant new funding for their operations. They can breathe again.

ERS was also nominated for two awards and won both: Gold for Water Conservation from Rand Water, and the best NGO in the Drakensberg strategic water source area, sponsored by DBSA at the IAIA SA annual awards. This reinforced what we already knew: that their work is incredibly powerful and impactful, and deserves visibility and support!

Seeing this transformation energized me. I feel so proud of what they achieved this year.”

Seeing the results of your efforts →

– Thierry Aimable Inzirayinez, National Coordinator, Associação Floresta de Esperança, Rwanda

“Our work at Forest of Hope focuses on conserving and restoring the Gishwati National Park in western Rwanda. A moment that stayed with me this year was seeing chimpanzees regularly using a part of the park we started restoring not long ago. Watching them move through an area that was once degraded reminded me why our work matters.

Sometimes it takes a long time to see the results of your efforts, but you have to keep trying. I was so glad to see the chimps there; it showed that our efforts are taking hold already and improving the habitat for the wildlife that depends on it.

This area was completely cut before we began restoring it by planting trees and supporting its natural recovery. Seeing the primates return felt like more than a reward.”

Pride in a partner’s journey →

– Joana Trindade, Southern Africa Senior Portfolio Manager, Maliasili

“Our workshop with ACADIR earlier this year was emotional for many of us. It marked the closing of one phase of our partnership and the beginning of a new one. Because the Maliasili partnership model evolves as organizations strengthen, we were not sure when we would next meet in person for a workshop of this kind. They had also lost some critical USAID funding, which was putting a lot of pressure on the team.

Yet I arrived in Angola feeling proud of ACADIR. They’re a community-based organization that works to conserve forests, restore degraded landscapes, and strengthen natural resource management in rural areas. They support local communities to secure land rights, improve livelihoods, and steward the landscapes they depend on. Their work is so vital, and the loss of USAID funding was a blow. Despite this, they found ways to retain their entire team. They put people first. That decision alone spoke volumes about their values, and their commitment to not only their team but the communities they serve. The workshop quickly became a celebration of ACADIR: their strength, their diversity, and their deep connection to the people they work with.

I’ve been supporting their organizational development for several years now, and I felt such pride seeing how much the team has grown, and the privilege of walking this journey with them. They continue to achieve more, and earn the recognition their work deserves. ACADIR has carved out its role in very challenging circumstances in Angola – a country still rebuilding after years of conflict – and they continue to stand firm in their mission. Their journey gives me tremendous hope.”

Sharing leadership skills and lessons with those we work to serve →

– Mohammed Kamuna, CEO of Community Wildlife Management Areas Consortium (CWMAC), Tanzania

“Andrew Mariki, our Head of Programs, and I are both participants in the Rede Africana de Liderança em Conservação (ACLN), a leadership program by Maliasili and The Nature Conservancy. ACLN has been a game-changer for us. Recently, while in Kenya for the in-person ACLN gathering, Andrew and I sat thinking about how we could transfer and share some of the learning and knowledge we gained with the leaders of the Wildlife Management Areas, which CWMAC supports as the national umbrella body. We found the sessions so valuable and realised how transformative they would be if WMA leaders could also access this kind of leadership development.

As CWMAC, we are representatives of a large community and a nationwide context. So an idea came to us: to establish a leadership program that helps WMA leaders across the country become even more effective. The possibility of sharing even a fraction of what we have learned through ACLN with WMA leaders, and imagining how it could strengthen their leadership, gives me tremendous hope!

We have started discussing this idea with partners such as Honeyguide and Maliasili, and it is encouraging to see everyone excited about it. We want to share these key lessons with leaders who are working so hard for their community areas. Today, we are holding our Annual General Meeting, and we will be discussing how to implement this with the leaders. I cannot wait to hear what they say.”

A founder no longer leading alone →

– Josiah Razafindramanana, Madagascar Senior Portfolio Manager, Maliasili 

“As I thought about hope, I found myself thinking about GERP Madagascar, which recently recruited a senior management team, including a new Executive Director. For me, this is a real source of positive and very welcome change.

GERP’s co-founder and President, Dr. Jonah Ratsimbazafy, is a renowned Malagasy primatologist (he’s even been honored on a national stamp!). He is a longstanding leader, a trailblazer, and an icon in Malagasy conservation. He has achieved a lot, leading GERP since it was founded in 1994 with passion and strong commitment. But for any organization to thrive over the long term, it needs a strong group of leaders working together. It also needs a clear path for the next generation to take over when the founder steps back.

Having ⁠Hanitra Rakotojaona recently step in as the new Executive Director gives me real confidence in GERP’s future. She is capable and enthusiastic about GERP’s critical work in the conservation of lemurs and their habitats, and the community engagement that continues to make the work possible.

Jonah now has the support he deserves, and the organization is building a leadership team that can share the weight and continue building on the foundation he created. Seeing this fresh and energetic team come together makes me excited for what comes next for GERP.”

Small acts that show community ownership of wildlife →

– Dr. Olivier Nsengimana, Founder and Executive Director, Rwanda Wildlife Conservation Association (RWCA)

“For me, hope comes when communities take ownership of wildlife. This year, one of our community champions shared a story that may seem small, but its meaning is powerful to me. They had been working with fishermen and speaking to them about wildlife stewardship. One day, a fisherman on the lake saw a young blue monkey separated from its family, floating away on a papyrus branch they love to jump on, drifting toward Burundi. The monkey was distressed and trying to get back to its family. Wanting to help, the fisherman steered his boat toward it. The monkey then held onto the boat until he reached the shoreline, where its family was waiting, and they were reunited.

This story touched me because we have worked so hard to build the community’s sense of ownership of wildlife. That instinct the fisherman felt the need to help the monkey is exactly what we hope to inspire. In conservation, the real power lies with communities taking charge and feeling that responsibility.

We also recently celebrated our 10th anniversary. When I founded this organization as a young man, I could not have imagined what it would become. At our event, I was brought to tears seeing what we have achieved together. It humbled me and gave me the energy I needed to keep going.”

Celebrating decades of hard work and the power of steady, grounded leadership →

 – Cathy Nchimbi, East African Portfolio Manager, Maliasili

“It has been a very difficult year for many of us, but last week we received news that lifted my heart. Rahima Njaidi, the leader of MJUMITA, Tanzania’s national network for Community-Based Forest Management, won the Tusk award for conservation in Africa!

Rahima was honored for her “transformative leadership in community-based forest management, her tireless advocacy for land rights and gender equality, and her pioneering work to secure the future of Tanzania’s forests through people-led conservation.”

I couldn’t agree more. I’ve worked with Rahima and the MJUMITA team for the past three years, and I’ve come to deeply respect Rahima’s leadership style. She is strategic, grounded, and deeply empathetic. Her recognition is more than a personal milestone. It’s also a recognition of her team’s work and years of effort, and affirms the strength of community-led forest stewardship. It is a beacon of possibility for Tanzania.

This achievement inspires hope for our forests, and for the women conservationists across the country who are stepping forward, claiming space, and shaping the future.

As a portfolio manager and as a Tanzanian who needed a moment of hope, I felt deeply encouraged by this recognition of Rahima and MJUMITA.”