Umzi Wethu

Wilderness is the foundation upon which our society exists and the Wilderness Foundation is committed to influencing people's perception of wilderness and maximizing the benefits all communities and wildlife gain from its preservation. South Africa's history has confined most South Africans to townships or degraded rural areas and in so doing has fractured traditional South African cultures. Wilderness plays an important role in the Umzi Wethu programme as students are introduced to wilderness, allowing them to reconnect with their African roots, reconnect with themselves and derive emotional strength from the healing power of nature.

Umzi Wethu also aims to develop conservation leaders – young people who understand the importance of protecting our natural environment and are consciously making better decisions about their own impact on our natural resources. The Wilderness Foundation recognises that a true experience of wild lands and the impact of wilderness on the human spirit is the spark that motivates the individual to a higher ideal of conservation. Within both conservation and hospitality focused training programs, wilderness ethics and conservation awareness are key areas in which we seek to influence our students who in turn share these messages with family and community.

Here is what a few of our students had to say:

"My name is Lukanyo, age 25. I grew up in the city most of my life, knowing nothing about conservation and heard about global warming. I didn’t care about it, with the mentality that it was not going to affect me and my generation. Nature is what white people did to spend money, why would I pay to see animals? Once I came to Umzi Wethu, it just opened my eyes; it was like I was living in the box with no hole even to see the world. When I stepped out that car in the campus, the residence facing the Bosberg Mountain, I knew this was not a joke. I could feel the difference in the texture of the wind I was breathing. It was not the same; the climate was good to live in. Recycling was a form of life, not to make money only. I started seeing what is said about global warming. Growing as a conservationist is a great experience, knowing how the world functions I can tell you now, money does not make the world go round, the soldiers working night and day to make it go round. Conservation makes me respect myself and my soldiers (species, plants and animals), we are all at war to make this world go round."

"I am Andile, I come from a small town called Alexandria. My life has now changed, I mean the way I do things, and when it comes to nature as a whole, thanks to Umzi Wethu! I truly and honestly find the program interesting and very important because my mindset towards nature has now changed. I respect nature and love nature more than before and Umzi Wethu has boosted my zest in loving and respecting nature and in sustaining natural resources. Currently, my life has changed dramatically, and above all my dream has come true.  I also want to see myself in the future as a conservationist, sharing the powerful knowledge about nature with other people, helping them to see the way that I do now, just to open up their eyes and see the world in a better way than they do now. Knowledge is power; therefore I am keen to learn more!"

"Conservation is not a job, it is a lifestyle. I come from a small town called Cradock...then I was in the program...it was a drastic change for me as I used to vandalise and destroy nature, but here at Umzi Wethu they changed my mindset and made me see the bigger picture about nature. Nature only responds to what you make of it...What I like the most about Umzi Wethu is [that it is] a holistic program..We are not only learning for ourselves, but we are also getting the community into the mindset of conserving nature...Being in the industry of conservation one must have a passion for what you do. I used to be a professional hunter but now I’m working my way up to being a professional conservationist with the help of Umzi Wethu...Umzi Wethu created a new priority in my life and it is nature."   Umzi 6 Student