In the Nyae Nyae Conservancy, Namibia, the Ju/’hoansi have been involved as part of a larger historical Community-based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) programme for over 20 years. A crucial element of this programme has been the development of tourism to generate income. Two men have been long-standing tour guides in the Nyae Nyae Conservancy, namely Mr. Steve /Kunta and Mr. Leon Tsamkxao. They have both worked for lodges in the region (Tsumkwe Country Lodge and Nhoma Safari Camp) and collaborated extensively with a large variety of players in the Namibian tourism industry. Both Mr. /Kunta and Mr. Tsamkxao are currently working as free-lance tour guides and they are also setting up a campsite in the Nyae Nyae Conservancy, and after having worked for a large variety of bosses, they now prefer to stay independent in the tourism industry. What they need at the moment is a communication and fundraising strategy to promote their own position as free-lance tour guides and their campsite plans. The internship is focused on supporting both processes: setting up long-term communication and starting fundraising. The internship is unpaid and takes place partly in Namibia and partly in the Netherlands or elsewhere.
As an intern you:
- Support Mr. /Kunta and Mr. Tsamkxao with a long-term communication strategy, which can include, but is not limited to, developing a website, business cards and a poster for distribution in the tourism industry (predominantly in Windhoek, Namibia’s capital). The main aim is to make them more visible for independent travelers.
- Support Mr. /Kunta and Mr. Tsamkxao to map out their requirements for the campsite, including the financial needs of the project, and work this out in a development plan and a potential list of donors who they can then contact.
- Travel to the Nyae Nyae Conservancy for at least 2 months at your own costs, to discuss matters with Steve and Leon and work on promotional material by visiting all places of interest in the Nyae Nyae Conservancy and Windhoek for promotional materials and connections in the tourism industry.
- Work in the Netherlands or elsewhere on further developing the promotional materials and to contact tour operators.
- Are foolhardy and tough enough to stay in Tsumkwe (the main administrative hub for the remote Nyae Nyae Conservancy in the Eastern Kalahari) under circumstances that might not always be the most comfortable.
There is a likely chance that Mr. /Kunta and Mr. Tsamkxao can provide basic accommodation for you. Unfortunately there are no other (financial) means available. It is really the adventure that counts here and, last but not least, to be supportive of a truly bottom-up project that carries the potential to support further independence of the Ju/’hoansi as a whole.
This is an upaid internship. Due to the investments you need to make for this internship, possibilities for combining the internship with research can be discussed further.
For more information, please contact Dr. Stasja Koot from Sociology of Development and Change (SDC), who will also be your internship supervisor in case you decide to pick up this life-changing opportunity: stasja.koot@wur.nl
Sociology of Development and Change 