All About the “Rise of the Matriarch” Expedition
The wait is finally over! I’m off to Southern Africa to join Rise of the Matriarch, an ambitious women-only overland expedition supporting wildlife conservation. Here are all the details:
What’s this all about?
Rise of the Matriarch is an expedition organized by Blue Sky Society, a non-profit organization based South Africa. When I (Emily) stumbled across the adventure they were planning, I immediately knew I wanted to be a part of it.
This 12-woman crew will spend 50 days driving 9,000 kilometers across 4 countries with one goal: to visit local conservation leaders and help sustain their work. I’m incredibly excited to share a Land Rover with this team of badass women (and I’m glad I got plenty of practice this summer living out of a rooftop tent)! They’ve been on the road for almost a month now, and I can’t wait to meet up with them for the final leg of the journey.
Along the way, we’ll stop at conservation-focused non-profits that are addressing ever-present threats to Africa’s wildlife. Our focus is on peaceful coexistence between humans and wildlife, empowerment of women in rural communities, and educating youth around conservation.
I’m joining the final two weeks of the expedition to road trip through Namibia, Botswana, and South Africa. I can’t wait to share our adventures with you as we travel by Land Rover and camp in the bush, listen to the stories of the inspiring locals doing this work, and shine a spotlight on some outstanding organizations!
Why am I doing this?
As human populations and wildlife habitats encroach on each other, our most beloved creatures are disappearing. Africa loses 30,000 elephants every year – that’s one every 20 minutes. Just last month, ninety elephants were found killed for their tusks in Botswana. And five rare white rhinos have been poached in the last three months.
As a traveler with a passion for Africa’s wildlife and also a deep respect for the continent’s people, I can’t wait to learn how local experts are finding ways for humans and animals to coexist – and I’m honored to have the chance to share their stories.
The idea behind the Rise of the Matriarch expedition is to bring women together to travel through Africa to learn from local conservation leaders and empower their efforts along the way. We’ll do this by:
» Visiting conservation groups and seeing the work they are doing with human-wildlife conflict mitigation projects
» Meeting with schools and communities to hear their stories and learn the challenges they face
» Handing out human-wildlife conflict educational booklets to children who live close to wildlife habitats
» Meeting anti-poaching units, and the men and women that put their lives on the line every single day to protect their animals.
How can you follow along?
I’ll post updates to our Instagram account whenever I get cell service, so follow us there for the newest photos and stories!
While you’re there, you can also follow Blue Sky Society to make sure you don’t miss anything. The fabulous Jennifer Palmer, founder of Women for Wildlife, will also be on my leg of the journey – you can follow them on Facebook and Instagram as well (She got there ahead of me and her pictures have been making me jealous!). Here’s a taste of what we’ll be up to, from last year’s expedition:
How can you help?
In addition to raising awareness, our team hopes to deliver much-needed financial support to the wildlife conservation projects that we visit. Please donate to my fundraiser on GivenGain if you feel inspired by our journey!
Every little bit counts, and I deeply appreciate any amount that you’re able to contribute. Here are the organizations we’re supporting (AKA, where your money goes):
» Elephants Alive – South Africa
http://elephantsalive.org
» Rare and Endangered Species Trust – Namibia
http://restnamibia.org
» EcoExist Project – Botswana
http://www.ecoexistproject.org
» Soft Foot Alliance Trust – Zimbabwe
https://softfootalliance.org/
Heartfelt thanks to the many supportive folks who have donated and wished us luck already. I can’t wait to see where this journey takes me and to share with you along the way!
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