This Wonderful post came up this week celebrating Benson Kanyembo of the
Conservation South Luangwa. This is the charity I support with the sales of my
African Wildlife Prints.
Meet our Board Member Benson Kanyembo
Benson joined our board in 2019 and is the Law Enforcement
Advisor for one of the conservation organizations Africa Hope Fund has
supported for many years. He leads all Conservation South Luangwa
anti-poaching law enforcement and wildlife rescue operations both in the field
and from his control room in collaboration with Department of National Parks of
Zambia.
Benson’s passion for conservation took root at the age of 10 when he
witnessed the devastating effects of poaching firsthand. Motivated by this
experience, he made a solemn vow to advocate for these vulnerable animals and
take tangible action to safeguard their future.
He has devoted 30 years of his working life fighting for and protecting
Zambia’s endangered wildlife. His career started in 1994 at the North Luangwa
Conservation Project – Zambia, and he has worked for multiple organizations
holding positions including a Porter, Village Scout, Community Scout, Wildlife
Police Officer, Senior Instructor and Senior Wildlife Police Officer. Between
2003 and 2018 Benson helped train close to 1000 rangers in Zambia,
Malawi, and Zimbabwe. He joined Conservation South Luangwa as Operations
Manager in 2009, and in 2018 was promoted as Law Enforcement Advisor; leading
all CSL anti-poaching law enforcement and wildlife rescue operations.
His efforts have been recognized as the winner of the 2019 TUSK Wildlife
Ranger Awards, the 2020 Paradise International Foundation’s African Ranger
Awards, and 1st runner up for the Best Game Ranger in the 2020 Rhino
Conservation Awards. He is currently the Southern African Region
representative of the Game Ranger Association of Africa.
Sadly, Benson’s wife died over a year ago. He is now an active single dad to
his 4 year old son, and his commitment to conservation is second only to his
commitment to raising his son to be a confident and loving young man.
Thank you for being on our board Benson. You are a vital part of our
mission.
Sincerely,
Carol Van Bruggen CEO
Africa Hope Fund
