In June, Southern African Wildlife College’s CEO, Theresa Sowry, and Executive Manager Marketing, Fundraising and Media Relations, Jeanné Poultney, travelled to Europe for their annual partner and donor engagement visit, which coincided with the annual Friends of African Wildlife event in Zürich. The trip provided an invaluable opportunity to strengthen long-standing relationships, explore new collaborations, and share progress on the College’s Strategy 2030.
The first stop was Malmö, Sweden, where they met with the new leadership of Aimpoint. Reflecting on a partnership that began in 2011, discussions centred on the shared values that have underpinned the relationship for more than a decade: responsible and ethical natural resource management, education and skills development, conservation leadership, and growing the nature-based economy. The meeting reaffirmed a shared commitment to delivering measurable conservation, environmental, and social impact through quality training, applied research and capacity development.
From Sweden, they travelled to Parma, Italy, where they met with Michele Sofisti and Andrea Chiesi, advisors to the College’s Fundraising and Sustainability Committee. Together, they engaged with colleagues at the University of Parma to advance the Memorandum of Understanding between the two institutions. Exciting progress was made towards the first student exchange later this year, with plans to welcome up to four students from the University of Parma to the College in 2027.
A hybrid session connected staff and students in Parma with Prof Brian Reilly and Wendy Collinson at the College, building on the strong academic relationships established during the University’s visit to South Africa earlier this year. Discussions with Prof Roberto Valentino, Associate Professor in Geotechnical Engineering, Rector’s Delegate for Relations with Africa, and Deputy Director of the University Centre for International Cooperation (CUCI), also highlighted several promising opportunities for future collaboration.
While in Parma, Theresa and Jeanné also met with the University’s Rector and Vice Rector, as well as with Dr Rosangela de Simone from the European College, and Prof Laura Helen Kramer from the Faculty of Veterinary Science to explore additional areas of collaboration. They also engaged Dr Dario Fornaro, Research Director of the Davines Group-Rodale Institute European Regenerative Organic Centre (EROC), whose forthcoming visit to South Africa will further strengthen discussions around ecosystems, regenerative landscapes, and applied environmental research.
The next stop was Amsterdam, where the team split up for an inspiring afternoon of engagement with colleagues and partners from COmON Foundation and Commonland Foundation. Productive discussions with John Loudon and Marthe Jongmans, as well as with Gabrielle Taus, Marijn Zwinkels, Grace Warner, Claire Patterson, Ashleigh Campbell, and Sibongile Tshabalala, reaffirmed the value of collaboration in delivering landscape-scale conservation and community impact.
In London, Theresa and Jeanné met with Dr Glyn Davies from the University of Kent’s Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE) to review progress on the third year of the grant supported by DICE and the Notsew Orm Sands Foundation. The programme continues to strengthen conservation law enforcement and leadership while building ranger capacity across the Kavango-Zambezi (KAZA) Transfrontier Conservation Area, helping to safeguard some of Africa’s most biodiverse landscapes.
The visit to London also included an evening with Tusk and members of its Patron’s Circle, where Theresa shared updates on the implementation of the College’s Strategy 2030 and highlighted the impact of Tusk’s longstanding support through its Keystone Grant, Collaboration Grants, the Wildlife Ranger Challenge and the Tusk Conservation Symposium.
“Tusk’s support is far more than financial investment,” said Theresa. “It is a catalyst for conservation leadership, resilience and long-term impact across Southern Africa.”
The final leg of the journey took the team to Zürich, where they met with Christoph and Bettina Weber, founder trustees of Friends of African Wildlife, to discuss the College’s long-term sustainability and future investment opportunities ahead of the annual Friends of African Wildlife event. Despite an unexpected summer storm at the start of the event, the evening was defined by generosity, friendship and an unwavering commitment to conservation and the College.
The trip concluded in Geneva, where Theresa met with Foundation Audemars-Watkins to provide an update on the College’s progress under its current grant. Meetings with other Geneva-based partners, who were attending London Climate Action Week, will take place in the coming weeks.
Reflecting on the trip, Jeanné said, “Although the itinerary required a fair amount of zigzagging across Europe to accommodate everyone’s schedules, these annual visits remain invaluable. They allow us not only to strengthen relationships with our partners and donors, but also to share the progress we are making under Strategy 2030 and the measurable impact of their investment. In helping us to advance conservation through education, applied research, capacity development and community-led regenerative practices, we are collectively creating lasting change across the region.”