Conservation Through Education

Classic Africa was founded on the mutually reinforcing principles of unrivaled service to our clients, and a contribution to nature conservation and cultural heritage in Africa. The importance of the safari industry to conservation in the region cannot be overstated - literally millions of acres of prime wildlife habitat are in the custodianship of safari camps and operators across Africa, providing employment to tens of thousands of rural Africans. An exemplary conservation record is a sine qua non in our choice of partners and portfolio properties

For our part, we firmly believe that education and knowledge are key elements in the long-term fight to save Africa's wilderness and wildlife. All of the conservation challenges facing the continent are man-made, and there’s no better way to mitigate and reverse man’s negative impact on the African wilderness than through knowledge and enlightenment.

Research Projects - Advancing Knowledge

For over a decade, Classic Africa has supported researchers studying some of the most pressing issues confronting Africa's savanna wildlife. From elephant overpopulation, to endangered species such as the African wild dog and sable antelope, to the continent’s rapidly dwindling lion population, we have targeted projects that expand the scientific knowledgebase on some of the key African conservation issues of our time. In the process, we have also helped individual Africans to advance their own educational careers, earning masters and doctoral degrees through their research. Some examples include:

Elephant Migration in Hwange National Park (Current) 

Lion Pride Dynamics in Kafue National Park (Completed)

Sable Success Factors in the Okavango Delta (Completed)

African Wild Dog Spatial Ecology in the Okavango Delta (Completed)

Education - Creating a Brighter Future

Since its inception, Classic Africa has been an enthusiastic supporter of Children in The Wilderness, a program inspired by the late Paul Newman (and based on the model of his Hole in The Wall Camps). The goal of this program is to facilitate sustainable conservation through leadership development in rural communities surrounding key wilderness areas.

Building on the foundation of Children in The Wilderness, and recruiting from its graduates, our Conservation Through Education (CTE) Scholarship is awarded to under-privileged children from rural communities who show outstanding academic and leadership potential, but would otherwise not have the resources to complete their schooling (high school is not free in many African countries).

Covering the costs for tuition fees, clothing, text books, and extra-curricular activities, the goal is to provide the necessary support to allow these young “stars” to achieve their full potential and move well beyond their impoverished circumstances. With their deep knowledge of the African wilderness, and passion for its wildlife, it is also our hope that they will become future African leaders and decision-makers with a strong conservation ethic.

Our first CTE Scholar started high school in Zimbabwe in January 2016, and our support across the continent has since grown to the point where we currently have long-term commitments to supporting seven students in Kenya, Rwanda, and Zimbabwe.

Classic Africa also supports four annual scholarships for African students to pursue post-graduate studies at Oxford University as members of Linacre College. Most of these scholars have returned to Africa and moved into key leadership roles in their home countries, merging their worldly experience, education and broadened perspective with their traditional cultural heritage to foster environmental conservation and positive social change.

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