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Dear Friends, Family, and Neighbors, 


Our names are Madeleine Shimkus, Miriam Soifer, and Jessica Cohen. We were all connected to each other through an online internship with Global Leadership Adventures (GLA). Passionate about the conservation and protection of wildlife, we decided to start this fundraiser. 


This summer during our internship with GLA, we chose to focus on Wildlife and Marine Conservation. Through this internship, we have learned many valuable work skills, such as networking, researching, and how to be an effective leader. We are putting all of these skills into practice in this fundraiser. 


Throughout the internship, we were connected to and have been working alongside WILDTRUST, an organization based in South Africa. WILDTRUST aims to conserve the unique ecosystem and culture of South Africa. In the execution of this goal, WILDTRUST created WILDLANDS, WILDOCEANS, and WILDENTERPRISE.


WILDLANDS co-manages Somkhanda, a wildlife and game reserve in South Africa. However, Somkhanda has been heavily impacted by COVID-19, resulting in a significant loss of income for the reserve. Due to this, many of their conservation projects have been halted from lost funding. 


We decided to create this fundraiser to help fund a few of the conservation projects for the rhinos living on the reserve. Conservation projects include the monitoring, security, and dehorning of rhinos, which greatly impact the survival of the species in Somkhanda. Dehorning rhinos is especially important, because by filing down their horn, poachers do not have anything to take. Dehorning is not painful for rhinos, the process is similar to a person filing or cutting their fingernails, since both rhino horns and fingernails are made of the same material. In fact, since Somkhanda began dehorning the rhinos, poaching went down by 90%. However, dehorning is extremely expensive and happens every few years (horns grow back!), requiring rangers, experienced vets, and trackers to dehorn. The money raised from this fundraiser will go directly to Somkhanda and its efforts in rhino conservation. 


We aim to raise about $1,500 (which is equal to about 25,000 South African rands), but it would be incredible if we raised more than that! So will you join us in supporting rhino conservation in Somkhanda? 


Any donation is accepted and highly appreciated!


Thank you in advance for your support,

Madeleine, Miriam, and Jessica :)