Hey, fellow Rewildologists! I hope you all are ready to get inspired.
In this episode I’m chatting with Judith Wanda, who is the International Relations Director and an Assistant Professor at St Augustine University of Tanzania. She has been through more than you can imagine. She was orphaned at a young age after losing both of her parents, and her and her brother found strength through education. Her surviving family members encouraged her to work as hard as she could through her studies to become more than just a village girl. And that is exactly what she did. She studied internationally and lived abroad for a decade before returning to East Africa to make a greater impact in young women’s lives. She explains the importance of including local women in conservation initiatives and what tourists can do to both impact themselves and local communities.
Here is my convo with Judith:
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Show Notes
- Tell us about your childhood. What’s your story? [1:45]
- Where do you think that powerful mindset was instilled in you? [6:55]
- When you went to Malaysia was, was that your first experience out of your home country? [11:25]
- What made you decide to come back to Tanzania versus Kenya? [14:45]
- (Judith) “It’s so difficult for women in the village to relate to people who are from different countries, especially the developed world, but when they look at me, who looks just like them, they are like wow, we also want to be like you.” [20:45]
- (Brooke) “When I was there, you shared some incredible stories of how you’ve actually brought in some young people into your home and really empowered them to make something of themselves and gave them a different path. Would you want to share a couple of those stories?” [21:15]
- What exactly do you review with your students? So what are like some of the big takeaways? [26:04]
- (Brooke) I would love if you could speak from firsthand experience what women’s role is in conservation in Tanzania. [32:30]
- What is the best way to get conservation on the ground and involve women? [37:10]
- What advice or knowledge do you want to share with any tourists that are coming to the area? [43:30]
- Is there any advice that you want to give to anybody listening or any final thoughts that you really want to make sure that anyone listening really internalizes? [47:30]
- Parting thoughts. [52:11]
Download the full transcript below.
Links
- Women in Conservation documentary from our trip in Tanzania: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpYfX4F1s4E
- Tanzania project initiatives through the Katie Adamson Conservation Fund. https://www.katieadamsonconservationfund.org/project-initiatives
- Checkout Episode 2 with Dave Johnson to learn more about how this partnership came to be! Ep. 2 Show Notes | Finding Your Path with Dave Johnson
Check out other Rewildology episodes.
Ep. 7 Show Notes | Conservation & Congress with Hailey Hawkins
Ep. 6 Show Notes | Sustain the Stoke with Arthur Lefo
Ep. 5 Show Notes | Bugs, Cameras, Ecotourism, Oh My! with Court Whelan, PhD
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