Unveiling the power of partnership and dreams
With their conservation partners, WWF is building a Community Conservation and Inspiration Hub in Windhoek. Located near the Namibia University of Science and Technology, the Hub is envisioned as a place where young people can come and learn about conservation, with access to information sources and first-hand knowledge from experts in the field.
The Community Conservation and Inspiration Hub is a new collaborative working space for NACSO members and WWF designed to strengthen sharing, capacity building and collaboration across the conservation community of practice. It will also be home to elements of a new Community Conservation Learning Academy. Conservation partners (IRNDC, NACSO and NNF) are the owners of the space, representing a major milestone for community conservation. COmON has decided to financially support WWF Namibia in the construction of the Community Conservation and Inspiration Hub in Windhoek, Namibia.
Dreams do come true. It’s not a Christmas myth, but for us and our partners it is built on bricks and mortar, and strong partnerships that turned a dream into a reality with the Community Conservation and Inspiration Hub (CCI Hub). After two years of negotiating, designing, and renovating, at the end of December and into January, we have moved to the Hub, a place designed for inspiration, collaboration, learning and sharing. The Hub is owned by our conservation partners, the Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO), Integrated Rural Development and Nature Conservation (IRNDC), and the Namibia Nature Foundation (NNF). WWF Namibia will share the offices, and there are hotspots for conservationists from the field to join in the working space, and large boardrooms that are envisioned as learning places for the Community Conservation Academy, which is in development.
A huge thank you to the COmON Foundation and John Loudon for the financial support that allowed us to complete this project. Final handover of the space is scheduled for mid-February, and while we are planning to host events and lectures on site, we also invite you to stop by 7 Rossini Street in Windhoek West, near the Namibian University of Science and Technology (NUST) and check out our new space!
