As we reflect on the last quarter, we realise just how much has been accomplished since the start of the year.
Perhaps most importantly was the news we’ve all been eagerly awaiting: the much-anticipated accreditation of our three-year Diploma submission! As such, we are delighted to announce that the Council on Higher Education, following a decision by the Higher Education Quality Committee (HEQC), has approved our Diploma in Applied Natural Resource Management (NQF Level 6, 360 credits, Blended/Hybrid mode, H/PR044/AR003CAN) without conditions. Although we still need to complete the necessary registration with the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) following accreditation, we’re taking a moment to celebrate this incredible win as we now move full steam ahead to ensure the rollout of the Diploma in 2025. Once the required SAQA Registration is in place, we will advise on the 2025 rollout on the SAWC website as well as on our other communication platforms. It is currently envisaged that our Year 1 students will have the opportunity to commence their online studies towards the middle of next year.
In other exciting news, our phenomenal CEO, Theresa Sowry, was nominated as one of 14 inspirational women in conservation across Africa by Getaway magazine. In their announcement, Getaway said, “Women all across the world are doing incredible work for the conservation of wildlife and the environment. We want to celebrate, elevate and support these women who have dedicated their lives to saving the planet and its inhabitants.” Theresa is undoubtedly a shining example of this; we couldn’t be prouder.
Theresa also had the privilege of attending the United for Wildlife Global Summit, held from 5 to 8 November in Cape Town, which brought great news for rangers and nature protectors across Africa. As part of this summit, the Royal Foundation of the Prince and Princess of Wales announced a partnership between United for Wildlife and the SAWC to support a leadership development and capacity-building initiative for 170 nature protectors across South Africa. Below is an excerpt from the announcement:
To ensure Rangers also have access to the right resources to develop as leaders, United for Wildlife is supporting a leadership development and capacity-building initiative for 170 nature protectors across South Africa, delivered in close partnership with the Southern African Wildlife College.
United for Wildlife will also support leadership training for 60 nature protectors that will take place over the next two years in Kruger National Park and plans to broaden the reach of these initiatives in the coming years to serve people working on the frontline of conservation globally.
We are proud to be a part of such an important endeavour.
And there’s more! Whilst down in Cape Town, Theresa also attended the Earthshot Prize event. The Earthshot Prize, an international environmental award, aims to incentivise change and help repair the planet by recognising individuals, businesses, and organisations working towards solutions to the world’s most pressing environmental issues. Theresa’s presence at this prestigious event, which for the first time was hosted on African soil, was made even more special with Christoph Weber and Bettina Weber from Friends of African Wildlife, our proactive donors, attending the event For more information on how this year’s Earthshot Prize went, check out their website.