The Brave Ones

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Petronella Chigumbura 30 years old woman ranger

Phundundu Willdlife Area, Zimbabwe, June 2018: Specially selected women from an all female. conservation ranger force undergo concealment and fire and movement training in the bush to curb poaching. Akashinga (meaning the ‘Brave Ones’ in local dialect) is a community-driven conservation model, empowering disadvantaged women to restore and manage a network of wilderness areas as an alternative to trophy hunting. Many current western-conceived solutions to conserve wilderness areas struggle to gain traction across the African continent. Predominately male forces are hampered by ongoing corruption, nepotism, drunkenness, aggressiveness towards local communities and a sense of entitlement. The I.A.P.F, the International Anti-Poaching Foundation. Picture by Brent Stirton http://www.brentstirton.com/