BROADCASTS.com

\u201cYou're seeing young men going to prison or getting buried in the ground because they're out there poaching rhinos. And, it just drove a bigger wedge between conservation efforts and the communities. There\u2019s only so many times you can look into the eyes of a woman who\u2019s lost a brother or a husband or a father or an uncle and expect that we\u2019re going to have some sort of relationship with that community.\xa0

It was the same as Iraq, you've got an occupying force there, which is what we were as a conservation body, and there were no hearts and minds. So, we started doing a lot of research into, what was the most effective tool in community development in Africa. And what we found was an overwhelming body of evidence that said empowering women was the single greatest force for positive change, not only in Africa but across the world.\u201d - Damien Mander\xa0

\xa0\xa0

Damien Mander is the founder and CEO of Akashinga, an organization that is changing everything we ever thought we knew about how conservation works. Formerly known as the International Anti-Poaching Foundation (IAPF), Akashinga is a nature conservation organization that creates resilient ecosystems where nature, wildlife and communities will thrive together for years to come.

\xa0

Akashinga Rangers are Africa's first plant-based all women anti-poaching unit, and they are revolutionizing the ways that animals are protected, the communities are supported and that wilderness landscapes are restored and safeguarded.

\xa0

Damien is an Iraq war veteran who served as a Naval clearance\xa0diver and special operations sniper for the Australian Defense Force. In 2009 he founded the IAPF which later became Akashinga.

\xa0

Damien is the winner of the 2019 Winsome Constance Kindness Gold Medal. He was featured in the James Cameron documentaries \u201cThe Game Changers\u201d and National Geographic\u2019s \u201cAkashinga \u2013 The Brave One\u2019s\u2019\u201d about his work with the women of Akashinga.\xa0

\xa0

LINKS:\xa0

AKASHINGA.org

https://www.instagram.com/weareakashinga/

https://twitter.com/weareakashinga

https://www.facebook.com/weareakashinga