WOMEN IN CONSERVATION CAREER DAY: AN INSPIRING DAY FOR ZULU GIRLS
Our first annual Women in Conservation Career Workshop, held at the Wild Tomorrow Conservation Center, was a beautiful success! On September 18th, 80 local Zulu female high school students gathered at the Conservation Center to hear from three inspiring Zulu women scientists who have built careers in different areas of conservation.
These inspiring role models showed the girls what is possible, opening their hearts and minds to the possibility of a future career in conservation. Read more about this impactful day in our latest blog below.
Many Zulu girls living close to our Greater Ukuwela Nature Reserve in rural KwaZulu-Natal South Africa have not had the opportunity to see the regions’ incredible wildlife behind fenced reserves, or to meet women role models who look like them who work in science and conservation. Meeting women working in conservation can make unfamiliar career paths feel possible—and show them that their voices, knowledge and leadership belong in protecting nature.
At Wild Tomorrow, empowering women is part of creating a wilder tomorrow for wildlife and people. Our first Women in Conservation Careers Day on September 18th brought that commitment to life with 80 local Zulu female high-school students converging on Wild Tomorrow’s Conservation Center. The day was led by our Community Conservation Manager, Aphiwe Notshaya. She grew up without any exposure to wildlife reserves or conservation until a fateful first trip to a wildlife reserve during high school and an inspiring geography teacher changed her life. Rather than studying accounting, she changed course to completed her Bachelors degree in Environmental Management and a career in wildlife conservation and social impact. Now she leads community development and education programs at Wild Tomorrow!
The workshop was a high-energy day of discovery—beginning with a joyful Zulu dance-off! The workshop introduced the 80 Grade 9 girls from Makhasa High School and Mduku High School to a variety of conservation career pathways at the pivotal moment when they begin choosing subjects that can shape their futures. The students explored careers spanning scientific research, marine and terrestrial conservation, and the role of scientific educators.
Our inspiring Zulu women guest speakers this year were:
🌟 Dr Buthelezi- Entomologist, Lecturer and program coordinator at CPUT.
Dr. N.M. Buthelezi is a Lecturer and Programme Coordinator in the Department of Agriculture at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT). She holds a PhD in Entomology from the University of KwaZulu-Natal and has over 20 years of experience in learning and teaching, research, postgraduate supervision, academic leadership, and community engagement. Her research focuses on insect bio-ecology, insect genomics, Integrated Pest Management (IPM), and sustainable agriculture. Throughout her studies and career, Dr. Buthelezi has developed professional relationships and partnership with may environmental research organizations and foundations from all over the world.
🌟 Simangele Myeni- Graduate Researcher: Giraffe Behaviour, University of KwaZulu-Natal.
Simangele Myeni is from the small rural town of Nongoma and is a Master of Science (MSc) student in Ecological Sciences at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), Pietermaritzburg Campus, South Africa. Her research, supported by our friends at the Anne Innis Dagg Foundation, focuses on the foraging ecology of Southern African giraffes at three sites in KwaZulu-Natal, including Wild Tomorrow’s Greater Ukuwela Nature Reserve, with an emphasis on diet selection and seasonal feeding patterns to support wildlife conservation and management. She is passionate about field ecology, biodiversity conservation, and applying ecological research to inform evidence-based conservation practices.
🌟 Nomfundo Buthelezi- Marine Educator, South African Association for Marine Biological Research.
Nomfundo Buthelezi was born and raised in Mfekayi area, Mtubatuba, KwaZulu-Natal. She currently works as a Marine Educator and Course Coordinator at uShaka Sea World Education, a division of the South African Association for Marine Biological Research (SAAMBR).
She Graduated with an Advanced Diploma in Nature Conservation from Mangosuthu University of Technology with over 10 years of experience in the environmental education sector. Nomfundo is passionate about marine conservation and community outreach, using education and effective communication to simplify environmental concepts to inspire responsible behavior, and promote environmental stewardship, particularly in underserved rural communities.
Six regional NGOs and Universities also partnered with Wild Tomorrow for the event, joining us with tables full of information and activities, giving students the opportunity to talk directly about career paths in science and conservation at Bhejane Nature Training (whose training center borders Wild Tomorrow’s reserve!), the South African Association for Marine Biological Research, the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Wild Kids Books for those creatively inspired to share stories of science and nature, the University of Zululand, and Hluhluwe Creative Council a local NGO providing career planning support and mentorship.
The event was supported by our 1% for the Planet partner, Violette_FR, a sustainable ethical cosmetics company based in Brooklyn, and locally by Indabushe Tours who sponsored airport transfers for our guest speakers.
The impact of the workshop is the seeds of conservation career pathways that have been planted in these young minds. By meeting inspiring Zulu women working across conservation, these high school students were able to see that a career in conservation is within their reach, with many different and exciting careers available from research to education and tourism, to conservation.
Here’s to the next generation of women conservationists! 💚 We can’t wait for next year’s Women in Conservation day!
