Originating as a small wildlife sanctuary nestled in the Namibian bush, the N/a’an ku sê Foundation Wildlife Sanctuary has grown into a world-famous conservation organisation. We provide a safe haven and second chance for countless injured, orphaned and conflict animals. Whenever possible our goal is to release animals back into the wild – only those animals too ill, abused or habituated remain at the sanctuary.
We care for a wide variety of species from lions, leopards and cheetahs to African wild dogs, meerkats and mongooses. We are always in need of funding to provide food, enrichment, enclosures and medical care for the numerous animals that call N/a’an ku sê home.
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In 2003, Dr Rudie van Vuuren and Marlice van Vuuren (right) set their sights on establishing a clinic in response to the tragic and unnecessary death of a San baby. As a result, the Lifeline Clinic was established in the remote village of Epukiro, Namibia to
provide free healthcare to the local San Bushman population.
In 2005 along with partners, the van Vuuren’s bought Farm Frauenstein on the outskirts of Windhoek and transformed the farm into a wildlife sanctuary and built a lodge on the property. The main aim of the lodge was to create jobs for the very people whom the Lifeline Clinic serves; the San Bushman. The property was named N/a’an ku sê which means “God will protect us” in the San Bushman language.
The N/a’an ku sê Foundation was established in 2006 with the aim of conserving the land, cultures and wildlife of Namibia.
In 2007 the N/a’an ku sê Charity Lodge & Wildlife Sanctuary opened, and a year later the Rapid Response Unit was established to help keep Namibia’s large carnivores in the wild.
In 2012 we purchased Neuras Wine and Wildlife Estate in southern Namibia with the aim of making quality wine while conserving land and wildlife. Within the same year we also started the Namibia African Wild Dog Project (NAWDP) with other NGOs to assess human-African wild dog conflict.
In 2014 Kanaan Desert Retreat, located in the south of Namibia, was purchased with the support of investors. Kanaan is located on 33,000 hectares of unspoiled land and focuses on spotted hyena and leopard conservation.
In 2016 we received permission from the government of Namibia to begin researching human-African wild dog and African elephant conflict mitigation in Mangetti, north-east Namibia.
In 2017, with the help of long-time supporter Angelina Jolie, we opened the Shiloh Wildlife Sanctuary to rehabilitate elephants and rhinos injured or orphaned by poaching.
VOLUNTEERING OPPORTUNITIES WITH N/A’AN KU SE
Volunteers are critical to enabling us to continue caring for the animals at N/a’an ku sê. From helping to prepare the food, to cleaning enclosures, and providing enrichment, we simply would not be able to continue our work without the hard work and dedication of the volunteers. By volunteering or donating to the N/a’an ku sê Wildlife Sanctuary, you will directly contribute to rehabilitating injured or orphaned animals with the aim of future release, or ensuring the long-term welfare of animals that are unable to be released.
N/a’an ku sê provides two week – three month opportunities for volunteers from around the world to have a life changing experience through our various volunteering programmes.
Wildlife Sanctuary and Equine Volunteering
Based at the N/a’an ku sê Foundation Wildlife Sanctuary volunteers focus on caring for animals in rehabilitation or permanent captivity. Daily activities could include: preparing food and feeding the animals; cleaning enclosures; providing enrichment; caring for juvenile wildlife; physical labour such as building new facilities; research (including monitoring free-roaming carnivores, analysing camera traps and GPS data); and game counts in the bush.
N/a’an ku sê Research Volunteering
Assist with large carnivore research at Neuras and Kanaan research sites in south west Namibia, or on African wild dog and elephant research at Mangetti in the north-east. You could get involved in: Setting up camera traps; GPS monitoring; VHF telemetry tracking; spoor (footprint) tracking; conflict assessment; community outreach; game counts;
mapping the terrain; maintenance and security on the reserve; cheetah feeding;
night drives and sleep-outs.
Clever cubs School Volunteering
Help to break the cycle of poverty for the San Bushman and volunteer at our Clever Cubs School. Activities could include: assisting the teacher with lesson preparations; creating teaching aids; assisting in the playground; taking part in school projects; helping with homework and student school projects; and having fun with the children!
Lifeline Clinic Medical Volunteering
Medical volunteers are the lifeblood of the Lifeline Clinic. You will be fully immersed
in the culture of Epukiro, home to the San Bushman. You will experience day-to-day
life and the common struggles faced by the community. Activities include: helping within the clinic to treat endemic issues like TB; providing food and care to the community; and going on outreach to bring high quality healthcare to those who need it most.
You do not need medical skills. IT, DIY, painting or anything an isolated clinic can
use are highly valued.
DONATING FOR THE FUTURE OF N/A’AN KU SE
Any donation, big or small, makes a huge difference to our work. Without regular donors, we simply could not continue our important work. You can make a one off or monthly donation via our website: http://www.naankuse.com/donations
Every little helps us to make a positive impact in Namibia:
One off and monthly donations
Adopt an animal or sponsor a child
Pay as You Earn Scheme (PAYE)
Partnering with schools
We are very keen to partner with schools – both primary and secondary schools around the world. We also welcome student groups from around the world to come and join our volunteering programme. Partnering with schools could involve fundraising through school events and fairs, or creating an e-mail exchange programme with our Clever Cubs. If you work in a school or are able to connect us to your local school, we would be very interested to hear more.
Some companies have payroll giving schemes whereby a small donation is taken from your salary before tax and is donated to a charity of your choice. In the UK, for example, this is called Pay As You Earn. Some workplaces even match your donation. Find out more about PAYE schemes from your HR or Finance department. Universities, schools and companies often support chosen charities throughout the year. Find out if your university, school or workplace has a charity of the year scheme, and if so, why not nominate N/a’an ku sê? If such a scheme doesn’t exist, you could approach your HR or Finance department to find out about setting one up.
Nominate N/a’an ku sê as charity of the year
Adopting one of N/a’an ku sê’s beloved animals or sponsoring one of our Clever Cubs is a great way to support N/a’an ku sê. We couldn’t continue to take care of so many animals and children without the support of our adoptive parents / sponsors. We will send you a personalised certificate and an update during the year on your adopted animal or sponsored Clever Cub. If not for yourself, why not adopt an animal or a sponsor a child as a gift for a friend or family member?
• £8 could pay for personal items (blanket, soap, toothbrush, etc.) for a TB patient’s stay in hospital
• £23 could feed the pack of 12 wild dogs for one week
• £55 could pay for a baby baboon’s milk for six months
• £100 could pay for a camera trap for our crucial research to protect Namibia’s wildlife
• £120 could pay for a daily meals for a Clever Cub for an entire year
• £234 could pay for a month of outreach sessions to provide remote San Bushman communities with
• free primary healthcare
• £484 could pay to feed a cheetah for an entire year
• £808 could pay for a San Bushman child to attend the Clever Cubs School every day for a year (including meals).
• £2,507 could pay for a GPS collar to ensure a carnivore stays exactly where it belongs, in the wild.
Did you know a GPS collar for an elephant way 17KG !!
The Wildlife Volunteer 