Newsletter - May 2026

From wildlife conservation and education projects in Zimbabwe to new volunteering opportunities and discussions around artificial intelligence within the non-profit sector, May has brought a wide range of developments across the initiatives supported by the Indigo Earth Foundation.

In this edition, we look back at four years of community rhino conservation in Zimbabwe following the reintroduction of Thuza and Kusasa onto communal land surrounding Hwange National Park. We also reflect on Endangered Species Day and highlight several organisations working directly for the protection of threatened wildlife across Africa and beyond.

We also introduce a new AI-assisted grant writing support service for conservation initiatives, provide an update on the completed solar installation project at Mlevu Primary School, and announce the future expansion of volunteering opportunities through the Foundation’s website.

Thank you for following and supporting the organisations, communities, and conservation efforts featured throughout these updates.

Community Rhino Conservation in Hwange, Four Years Later

This past 22nd of May marked four years since Thuza and Kusasa arrived in Tsholotsho District, becoming the first white rhinos reintroduced onto communal land in the Hwange landscape in more than a century.

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Their arrival represented far more than a wildlife translocation. It formed part of a wider long-term initiative developed by the Community Rhino Conservation Initiative and Imvelo Safari Lodges, linking conservation, tourism, and local development across communities neighbouring Hwange National Park.

Since 2022, the project has continued to expand. Additional rhinos have since joined the sanctuary, community wildlife scouts are employed locally, and tourism linked to the rhino programme contributes to projects connected to education, healthcare, water access, and food security.

Earlier this month, we published a detailed article exploring the wider context behind the project, including the environmental pressures facing the region, the history of the initiative, the role of community-led conservation, and the long-term plans for expanding the rhino sanctuaries around Hwange.

We encourage you to read the full article here:
​Indigo Earth Foundation article on four years of white rhino conservation​

The anniversary also coincides with the International Day for Biological Diversity, whose 2026 theme, “Acting locally for global impact”, reflects the purpose of the conservation and safari journeys organised by the Foundation.

Participants are invited to experience how rhino conservation operates on communal land surrounding Hwange National Park, working alongside local communities and conservation teams. Beyond the experience in the field itself, these journeys help bring wider visibility to the realities of conservation in the region, encouraging participants to share these stories and contribute to broader awareness around wildlife protection and community-led conservation.

As part of this year’s International Day for Biological Diversity, we invite you to join us in the field and discover how conservation, wildlife, and community development connect in practice.

→ View the detailed itineraries:

July 2026: https://wetu.com/ItineraryOutputs/Discovery/429380ae-d6b5-4c16-bdd9-abdafa28e888​

October 2027: https://wetu.com/ItineraryOutputs/Discovery/7bf6f2e3-c140-4050-9e24-38ce03321edb​

Launching an AI-Assisted Grant Writing Support Service

Over the past few months, Indigo Earth Foundation has been assessing an AI-assisted grant writing platform designed to support the initiatives and organisations we work with in their fundraising efforts.

Grant applications often require extensive administrative work, research, and repeated adaptation of project information across multiple funding opportunities. For smaller field-based organisations, this process can become particularly time-consuming alongside day-to-day conservation and community responsibilities.

Following a successful testing phase, the Foundation has now subscribed to the platform and is officially launching this support service for the initiatives we work with.

The system helps prepare structured first drafts of grant applications using existing organisational materials, previous proposals, annual reports, project information, and publicly available data. The intention is not to replace the organisations themselves in the application process, but rather to reduce part of the administrative workload involved in preparing submissions and responding to funding opportunities more efficiently.

The responses received so far have been varied and, in many ways, reflective of the wider discussions currently taking place around artificial intelligence within the conservation and non-profit sector.

Some organisations have shown strong interest in the approach and have already started using the service for upcoming grant applications, particularly where limited administrative capacity makes fundraising difficult to manage internally. Others explained that they already operate their own AI-assisted systems for proposal preparation and grant management.

At the same time, several partners shared more cautious perspectives regarding the use of AI within fundraising and communications. Concerns raised included the environmental impact associated with large-scale AI systems, the growing number of funders restricting AI-generated applications, and the increasing shift towards video-based submissions designed to encourage more direct and personal responses from applicants.

A number of organisations also highlighted the importance of maintaining a highly personal approach to grant writing, particularly when communicating long-term field experience, community relationships, and local realities that can be difficult to capture through automated drafting systems.

These conversations have been extremely valuable and reflect the rapidly evolving role artificial intelligence may play within the conservation sector over the coming years.

The Foundation will continue offering the service throughout the next year while assessing both its practical value and its limitations. Our objective is not simply to adopt modern technology for its own sake, but to better understand where these tools can genuinely support conservation organisations without losing the authenticity and human dimension that remain central to their work.

Endangered Species Day

Earlier this month, on 15 May, Endangered Species Day highlighted the growing pressure facing wildlife populations across the world and the importance of protecting threatened species and the ecosystems they depend on.

According to the IUCN Red List, more than 48,000 species are currently threatened with extinction, largely due to habitat loss, human population growth, pollution, overfishing, climate change, and increasing pressure on natural ecosystems.

Behind these figures are species many people associate with Africa’s landscapes and oceans, elephants, rhinos, cheetahs, sharks, sea turtles, and countless others whose future now depends heavily on long-term conservation efforts and public awareness.

Throughout the month, we encouraged our community to support and engage with organisations working directly on the ground for the protection of endangered species and their habitats:

• ​Mara Elephant Project in Kenya, helping reduce conflict between local communities and elephants across the Greater Mara Ecosystem.
• ​EHRA Namibia, supporting the protection of desert-dwelling elephants and community coexistence initiatives.
• ​Ashia Cheetah Conservation in South Africa, contributing to cheetah conservation and genetic preservation efforts.
• ​Oceans Forward for sea turtle and coral reef protection initiatives.
• ​Lissenung Island Resort Conservation Programme in Papua New Guinea, protecting sea turtle nesting sites from poaching.
• ​Bite-Back Shark & Marine Conservation and their work protecting sharks and marine ecosystems.

The organisations mentioned above represent only a small part of the wider conservation work taking place across the regions we support.

We invite our readers and community to explore the broader network of initiatives supported by Indigo Earth Foundation here:
​Indigo Earth Foundation partner organisations​

Expanding Volunteering Opportunities Across Our Partner Network

Over the coming months, Indigo Earth Foundation will also be expanding the volunteering section currently under development on our website.

Many of the organisations we support regularly seek volunteers to assist with a wide variety of activities, ranging from conservation support and environmental education to teaching, community engagement, and English-language assistance within local schools and programmes.

The objective of this new section will be to help connect members of our community with meaningful long-term and short-term volunteering opportunities across the different initiatives supported by the Foundation.

One of these organisations is Ashia Cheetah Conservation in South Africa.

Founded in 2016, Ashia was created with the objective of contributing to the long-term survival of cheetahs through ethical conservation, genetic preservation, rehabilitation, and public education. The organisation works closely on issues connected to cheetah genetics and the management of populations within protected environments, while also raising awareness around the wider conservation challenges affecting the species.

Volunteers contribute to different aspects of the programme and gain direct exposure to the realities of cheetah conservation work in South Africa.

We will soon be sharing more detailed information about Ashia, the volunteering opportunities available, and the broader conservation work conducted by the organisation.

We are also currently developing additional volunteering partnerships with organisations including EHRA Namibia, which collaborates with local communities for the protection of desert-adapted elephants in Namibia.

Stay tuned, as we will be introducing further volunteering opportunities and partner organisations through the website in the coming months.

Solar Power Installation Completed at Mlevu Primary School, Zimbabwe

Earlier this year, we shared updates regarding the solar installation project at Mlevu Primary School in the Tsholotsho district of Zimbabwe. We are pleased to announce that the installation has now been successfully completed, bringing light and solar electricity to the school’s teachers’ accommodation.

Located close to the boundary of Hwange National Park, Mlevu Primary School serves children from surrounding rural villages, many of whom walk long distances each day through areas where wildlife presence is part of daily life. The school operates in a particularly remote and under-resourced environment, where access to reliable infrastructure remains extremely limited.

The project was coordinated locally by Imvelo Safari Lodges and Community Rhino Conservation Initiative, with funding support contributing to the installation of solar power across the school facilities.

Through this collaboration, Indigo Earth Foundation supported:

• Community garden equipment for Mlevu
• Repairs to leaking roofs within the teachers’ accommodation block
• Solar power installation for the teachers’ cottages

Improving living conditions for teachers in remote areas plays an important role in supporting long-term access to education within these communities. The installation of reliable lighting and electricity also represents an important improvement for day-to-day life at the school.

As the Foundation continues expanding its partnerships and activities, we remain grateful to everyone following, supporting, volunteering with, travelling alongside, or contributing to the initiatives featured throughout these newsletters.

Over the coming weeks, we will also be travelling to Angola to discover and learn more about conservation initiatives and organisations working on the ground in this country. We look forward to sharing these experiences, landscapes, and projects with our community in future updates.

Thank you for being part of this growing community.

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Indigo Earth Foundation