When the Future Rangers Program was established in 2017, we faced a stark reality: 4 out of 5 youth living near Kruger Park had never seen wildlife. Through key partnerships (including the Southern African Wildlife College, the Timbavati Foundation, Wild Impact and Koru Camp) we’ve reached over 15,000 students who live within 10km of Kruger National Park. We’ve ensured every student in our 6 focus schools has experienced wildlife through game drives, field trips, classroom lessons, and mentoring – a fundamental foundation aimed at inspiring the next generation of conservation leaders.

Now we face a new challenge: Over 55% of youth in our regions, especially females, cannot find employment or further education after graduation.

If the students we’ve collectively inspired, trained and motivated cannot find employment and benefit from wildlife, we will not have achieved the ultimate goal of developing the next generation of local leadership in conservation. Therefore, this moment is particularly critical as our first cohort of Grade 12 students, whom we’ve nurtured since 2017, prepare to graduate. For seven years, we’ve watched these young conservationists grow from curious children into passionate wildlife advocates. To support their successful transition from high school towards gainful employment, we’re launching the Graduates program in 2025 – an after-school program for top performers. We’ve selected 15 outstanding Grade 12 students across our 3 High Schools and will provide them with dedicated coaching and mentoring to secure internships, higher education placement (university or trade school), and employment opportunities in 2026.

Our vision is to build an empathetic, professional, local workforce to become wildlife’s greatest advocates and protectors. By identifying and nurturing exceptional talent from within communities bordering Kruger Park, we’re creating a pipeline of passionate conservation leaders who will shape the future of African wildlife protection. 2025 marks the year when our long-term investment in these young minds begins to transform into real-world impact for African conservation.

To add to the vehicle’s capabilities, the Lumsden Family kindly donated specific funds to cover an engine upgrade, improved air conditioning, and the vital necessity of comprehensive insurance. On the ground, a massive thank you to Trophy Toyota Tzaneen for giving us a generous discount and funding the costs of a fully branded vehicle with the talented TZN Print Co. With this new set of wheels, we’re no longer limited by transportation challenges. We can visit schools more frequently, provide hands-on conservation experiences to more students, and ensure that every Future Ranger has access to the programs that inspire them to protect our planet.

This is a major step forward for GCC, and we’re excited to see where the road takes us next!

We were thrilled to host GCC Board Members Ellie Milano and Steph Welsh in South Africa last month. Their visit provided a comprehensive view into our various programs, partnerships, and to connect with our incredible GCC staff. Throughout the week, we met with various partners from Koru Camp, the Timbavati Private Nature Reserve, Southern African Wildlife College and Nourish.

Most importantly, this trip gave Steph and Ellie the opportunity to meet with our students in the Future Rangers Program. We were able to visit both Primary and High schools, with the week ending in a trip to Koru Camp for our top 12 high school learners from 2024. On safari with the students, we had some incredible lion, leopard, and elephant sightings in the bush, witnessing firsthand the power of youth connecting with the natural world. Ellie and Steph concluded their trip with recommendations, insights, and key takeaways which will be presented to the greater board and used to improve GCC’s long-term strategic plans.

We’re so grateful to Steph and Ellie for coming all this way from Denver and Boston, respectively. It’s always so rewarding to see the power of different backgrounds, nationalities, and perspectives coming together for something bigger than ourselves.

If you’re interested in experiencing a behind-the-scenes adventure like Ellie and Steph, reach out to [email protected] for more information on our Wildlife Guardians travel program.

This holiday season, GCC and our partner organizations are giving local students the chance to see wildlife up close and in person for the very first time. And you can be a part of it! By donating $15 this Giving Tuesday, you can join us in sending children on holiday game drives within the greater Kruger Park Ecosystem, home to some of Africa’s most iconic and beautiful animals. And, as a supporter, you will get exclusive video access to “ride along” with our students and experience the magic of African wildlife through their eyes.

GCC is honored to welcome Ernest Hlati, longstanding principal of Dayimani High School, to the team as an advisor to its Board of Directors.

Having Hlati on the GCC team is a huge honor for us, as GCC Founder Matt Lindenberg explains: “Mr. Hlati brings over three decades of professional experience from the education sector to the GCC mission. His commitment to excellence, authentic community involvement, and his goal to create an equitable future for all South Africans makes Mr. Hlati’s appointment a massive milestone for the GCC team. We have truly found a man of the people in Mr. Hlati, and we are incredibly excited to see what great impact we can achieve together.”

Meet MR. HLATI

GCC’s Matt Lindenberg chats with field ranger trainee – Sifiso Surprise Lukhele – about his love for animal conservation, why he wanted to become a field ranger, and how coming from a poor family should never stop you from dreaming.

Read Sifiso’s Story Here

Expertise: Social media marketing
GCC Position: Marketing Associate
Favorite animal: “Aside from my dog, my favorite animal is the sloth.”

A wonderful list of circumstances led Bea to GCC. It all started when she went back to college to improve her knowledge of social media, but the class was full, so she ended up taking a sociology class instead. This course opened her eyes to so many things and led to her quitting her job in real estate marketing, moving to the countryside, embracing a more sustainable lifestyle, and starting a job as Marketing Associate for GCC.

Bea is responsible for all of GCC’s social media posts and loves nothing more than researching all the weird and wonderful facts about our planet’s wildlife. GCC’s growth and engagement across social media has exploded since Bea joined the team.

Bea is committed to net-zero living and hasn’t bought a new item of clothing in three years. She goes everywhere by bicycle and buys her food from local markets. She is an inspiration to all of us.

Read our conversation with Bea

This month marks one year since the Morgridge Family Foundation (MFF) committed to investing in GCC’s transformational growth. This generous act has completely altered GCC’s trajectory, enabling it to take its programs to the next level.

Read about the Morgridge Family Foundations’ Impact Here

As the Wildlife Ranger Food Drive draws to a close, GCC looks back at the last six months and the incredible impact the initiative has had on 50 ranger families.

See the Results of Your Support Here

Future Rangers Scholar Godfrey Mlambo is from Mkhuhlu, outside of Hazyview, and was one of 16 young men and women who earned a GCC scholarship place at the Southern African Wildlife College. GCC’s founder, Matt Lindenberg, talks to him about the selection process and what becoming a field ranger means to him.

Read Godfrey’s Story Here

GCC Board Advisor Robert Ludke talks about his new book Transformative Markets and how sustainable practices don’t have to be a trade-off in terms of cost or quality.

Read Bob’s Interview Here

Donald Rakgwale is from Tickyline Ga-sekororo village next to Karongwe Game Reserve. His journey to becoming a ranger has been quite an adventure, from saving a pangolin, to learning about photography and to earning a GCC scholarship place at the Southern African Wildlife College.

Read more about Donald’s ranger journey here.

Join us this month in celebrating World Rhino Day 2020! September is Rhino Month, and we are working hard to protect the world’s rhinos from poachers and extinction threats by supporting field rangers and the communities that surround rhino habitats.

This month also marks the 5 year anniversary of the release of the original version of “RHINO MAN”, our documentary film celebrating the brave men and women who put their lives on the line everyday to protect these beautiful animals. Led by GCC’s Film Director, John Jurko, we are currently in the post-production process of completing our full-length version of “RHINO MAN”, which will be released in 2021.

Hear more from John about our progress on this project, which means so much to all of us here at GCC:

Kate Vannelli, GCC’s Program Director, has been a big lover of animals, big cats in particular, since she was a child. In fact, when she was young, she drew pictures of cheetahs and made collages out of Nat Geo magazine cut-outs.

At present, Kate is in charge of the Future Rangers Program. She has been instrumental in creating the curriculum and developing the accompanying app that collects and measures the progress of the children within the program.

Learn more about Kate and her passion for wildlife life here.

GCC unveiled its new Future Rangers Scholarship Fund this June, announcing the opportunity for a new cohort of students to join the Southern African Wildlife College’s field ranger training program. Over 600 individuals submitted their applications for the scholarship, from which 36 were selected to take part in a four-day physical and mental selection test. Fifteen of these young men and women went through to receive full scholarships to train to become wildlife guardians.

All 15 of the Future Rangers Scholars have recently graduated and will now be placed between three partner reserves in the Greater Kruger National Park. GCC is so proud to have played a role in their training and new-found knowledge to work to protect South Africa’s wildlife.

Read more about the Future Ranger’s Scholar Graduation here.

We are excited to share this new infographic, developed by GCC Program Director Kate Vannelli, that outlines both the problems our planet is facing and GCC’s approach to addressing these problems. We hope this resource will help you see the importance of the impact YOU ARE MAKING through your support as well as make it easier to share GCC’s mission and vision with friends, family and others in your community.

September was a particularly busy month for the GCC. In the last few weeks, our GCC has partnered up with the Southern African Wildlife College to participate in the #wildliferangerchallenge.

From push-ups to burpees, our team in South Africa and the supporting team in Switzerland were subjected to challenges that pushed their physical capabilities to the limit! It was a difficult and fun experience, all for the benefit of Africa’s rangers who were displaced amidst the current global crisis.

The challenge is still ongoing and we cannot wait to see which team will come out on top! On Saturday, the 3rd October 2020, over 200 ranger teams from around Africa will be marching 21km with a 22kg backpack. GCC and the SA Wildlife College will be partaking in this competitive event. Join us on the 3rd of October to march, walk or run in support of rangers worldwide.

We are pleased to announce that we have officially launched our Future Rangers Scholarship Fund. With our initial funds, provided by generous donations from GCC supporters and board members, we have been able to sponsor twelve new students from communities surrounding the Kruger National Park to train to become qualified field rangers at the Southern African Wildlife College.

Over 600 individuals submitted their applications for a scholarship, from which 36 were selected to go through a ranger selection process. This four-day selection process put candidates through a series of physical and mental tests to determine their eligibility to become wildlife guardians. From these 36 candidates, 12 have been chosen to take part in the six-week training course at the Southern African Wildlife College. This six-week course is designed to equip learners to become fully-qualified wildlife guardians.

“It is vital to GCC that the students who receive the training can be directly employed into the local economy,” shares GCC Founder and Executive Director Matt Lindenberg. “GCC is working with local reserves to ensure that all 12 graduates are placed into jobs in the region and get to use their newly acquired skills immediately.”

GCC believes that learners with the most passion, talent, and ambition to pursue conservation careers should be granted further education and learning opportunities once completing high school. The Future Rangers Scholarship Fund aims to provide opportunities for a range of career paths within the greater wildlife economy.

Read more about the Future Rangers Scholarship here, and more about this year’s awards to train new wildlife rangers here.

We are thrilled to be able to share our completed 2019 Annual Report with you, our donors and supporters. Personally, I find that the true value of an annual report is that it forces you to look back to a specific set of dates, in this case 2019. As with any business, and especially conservation (where the clock is always seemingly racing against you), you are always concerned with either the present or future; the past is very rarely reflected on or celebrated. If you likened the growth of a nonprofit to the construction of a house, the first 3 years of GCC’s journey were laying the foundations. We dug deep, we built processes, we attracted incredible talent and staff, we hustled hard. When looking at 2019, however, this was the first year that we started constructing the walls of our organization. This is where the strength of our foundations allowed us to finally grow vertically, to defy gravity, to be a defined shape above the horizon. During this year, we brought on our first full-time paid staff members, traveled to and established relationships on 4 continents, signed partnership agreements with 3 pioneering corporations, were empowered to establish an autonomous base in South Africa and most importantly, meticulously refined our conservation mission. For those of you who have been with me since the beginning, I think you will all agree that 2019 will forever be known as the year GCC found its feet. We now stand at a higher level, where the challenges increase, the stakes get higher, but the rewards and impact become closer to being realized. I’ll always remain firm in the belief that no one ever achieved anything great on their own. This year of exponential growth and success was made possible by our international group of dedicated, loyal, fierce, committed and brave individuals; the likes of which the world needs now more than ever. To our GCC team, friends and supporters, I am humbled, inspired, and grateful beyond words.

Matt Lindenberg
Executive Director – Founder
Access the 2019 Annual Report here.

I recently published Transformative Markets, a book about how we can – and must – harness the power of markets to transform how we innovate, make, market, and use goods and services every day in our lives so they are sustainable and add value to society rather than deplete our precious human, natural, and social capital.

Scaling a Small Idea into a Game-Changer

An idea that stayed with me throughout writing the book is one I discussed in Chapter 8 – the “polycentric approach” to scaling change. The premise is that the best way to scale an innovative solution into something transformative is to create a network of individuals and organizations working in partnership. As the idea becomes reality and achieves success it will grow into something bigger thereby expanding its impact and outcomes.

That is exactly what Ecosystem Entrepreneurs is all about.

The Ecosystem Entrepreneur curriculum will be taught as part of the GCC Future Rangers program and target a diverse group of students in 10th – 12th grades. Students who have a genuine interest in entrepreneurship and are passionate about wildlife conservation will be invited to participate in the curriculum. Ecosystem Entrepreneurs will be educated on how to build and operate a business that adds value to society, restores ecosystem health, and generates a profit.
The focus of the program will be in high schools near Kruger National Park – a series of ecosystems that must be protected for future generations while giving young entrepreneurs an opportunity to increase the region’s social and economic development.

Learn more about the Ecosystem Entrepreneurs curriculum here

Expertise: Geologist, business leader, and consultant
Currently working on: Connecting people and building partnerships between GCC and the private sector
Favorite animal: My border collie called Neve, and the Elephant

Michele has had an illustrious career in the private sector, holding CEO positions for luxury brands such as Girard-Perregaux, Gucci Group Watches & Jewelry, Omega and more. Looking at his resume, you would be forgiven for thinking that he had studied business studies or economics, but he is actually a professional geologist by training.

Even though Michele’s career path took him away from geology, his love for the Earth and nature has never left him. He is now combining both his expertise in business leadership with his passion for protecting the environment by connecting people from both worlds. He believes that the private sector needs to step up to the challenge and is working hard to start conversations with global companies. To date, he has brought Garmont, Swiza, and Tissot on board as GCC partners.

Read more about Michele’s story here!

July was an exciting month for GCC. Below are some of the images from the Future Rangers Scholarship Selection: