Community
Part IV of the Rhino Survival Trust’s unique, win-win solution.
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Community
By increasing local capacity building and employment opportunities, eco-tourism is an effective vehicle for empowering local communities around the world to fight against poverty and to achieve sustainable development. The Rhino Survival Trust recognises that The Ark project cannot exist in isolation of the local socio economic environment and the support of local communities will be vital to its success.
In order to gain the support of local communities, they need to derive socio economic benefits from The Ark. In addition to providing employment and training to employees of the Rhino Survival Trust, the following facilities will be constructed and managed on The Ark property.
- A primary school (Project Siyafunda) will be constructed and teachers will be employed, in partnership with the Ministry of Basic Education, to provide schooling for both children of the employees of the Rhino Survival Trust and for children from the local communities.
- A rural health clinic (Project Band Aid) will be constructed and nurses and doctors will be employed, in partnership with the Ministry of Health, to provide medical services to all the employees of the Rhino Survival trust and their families, as well as to the residents of the local community.
- An annual bursary (Operation Empower) will be granted to selected school leavers to attend university to study and obtain a degree in the fields of veterinary science, zoology or nature conservation.
