A lot has happened since the December 2019 Donor Report, all of it incredibly good. Here’s the summary.

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We launched our Tusker Club membership as the calendar flipped into 2020 with a goal of having 60 members by the end of the year. We are thrilled to let you know that, with your help, we currently have 52 members, all fully paid for the year. Indeed, some donors gave more than the $100 minimum required for admission to this Club and some paid for all five years at once. Even so, there are 44 members committed to the $100 donation for the next four years. Thus, even if we stand still (which we won’t), we’ll have a minimum of $4400 each and every year through 2024 to spend on antipoaching activities.

    

We were blessed to have one member who not only donated well above the minimum, but who submitted our cause to a foundation that tripled her donation. This brought in over $8,000, all dedicated to education of antipoaching rangers. This donor knows who she is. Thank you.

 

We are pursuing leads to nail down the final eight memberships, but we have no intention of resting on our laurels. Our goal is a 20% increase year-over-year, but there is no ceiling. We’d love to have 70 or 80 members in our base year of 2020. You can help. If you know someone who you think would be interested, share our information, provide contact information to us, or make an introduction for us. 

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Linda recently made a presentation to middle school students and some of them are now writing a prominent philanthropist on Operation Pachamama’s behalf. These students demonstrated intense interest in the subject and, to a person, feel the plight of the hunted animals in Africa. So, in addition to our educational function in South Africa, we’re doing a little education at home.

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Collecting your donations is only half the equation, of course. We also need to spend it wisely. As described in our earlier donor report, we have been working with a private game reserve to help improve the quality of its APU (antipoaching unit). The reserve has a special breeding program in mind for one of the most endangered animals in Africa. In order to acquire the requisite permits, the quality and effectiveness of the APU had to be improved. An antipoaching dog proved to be the key ingredient, so Operation Pachamama provided $6000 for the dog, its equipment, and its training. You will find photographs of Dutchie and her trainer/handler on our Facebook page and our website. We know it sounds trite, but here is living proof that you and your donations are making a real difference on the ground.

 

Operation Pachamama also recently sent another $9000 to the Tracker Academy to sponsor/scholarship/subsidize six additional students through antipoaching ranger school, including one woman. These students are in class right now, learning the skills necessary to protect and preserve the animals we all love so much. We hope to have photographs of some of these students on Facebook and the website soon.

 

We’re also happy to report that all four students Operation Pachamama previously sponsored have graduated and found employment in the antipoaching field. Again, there are more boots on the ground right now, fighting the fight, because of you and your generosity. 

 

One of our Tusker Club members volunteered to build a website for us and has been busy doing just that ever since. We’ve acquired the domain name opmama.org. The site should be fully loaded and accessible soon.

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Finally, Operation Pachamama is delighted to announce, on the fun side, that our trip to South Africa is fully booked, with eleven Tusker Club members joining Tom and Linda in a two-week tour in November 2021. Many more donors expressed interest than just these eleven, so we decided to plan another trip for November 2023. This gives everyone who couldn’t go this year an opportunity to look ahead, plan ahead, and make the decision to go on the trip of a lifetime. We know it’s a long time from now, but please don’t hesitate to ask questions, seek additional information, or make a commitment.

 

All in all, it has been a tremendous start to 2020, and Linda and Tom can’t thank you enough for caring, for giving, and for making a difference. Operation Pachamama is special because you are special.

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