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Proposed Mission:
To support the National Park System in Namibia through volunteer efforts, financial support, and an increase in awareness about the needs of Namibia’s unique environment.
Concept:
The Friends of Parks Society will be made up of institutional, corporate, and personal members from throughout Namibia and perhaps even the rest of the world. The Society will be an organization of concerned citizens who want to and are able to support the national protected area network in Namibia. Members will have the opportunity and the outlet through which to volunteer their time in order to help secure the long-term success of the parks in any way possible. Possibilities for involvement include: in kind donation of special skills (for instance a carpenter could volunteer to help build or rebuild a lodge in a park), volunteers to help create and run environmental and cultural education programs, volunteers to help with routine maintenance in parks (especially in terms of maintaining walking trail), and, of course, financial donations.
Benefits:
The benefits to the park system of this kind of civic involvement would be two fold. First, it would allow for a voluntary maintenance or perhaps even upgrade to the national PA network without cost to MET and at the hands of skilled professionals and people passionate about environmental conservation. By creating an organization totally focused on supporting the parks, the Friends of Parks Society will provide people who are passionate about environmental conservation with an outlet to pursue their passion that will also serve to strengthen the protected area system. Second, it will help to heighten the profile of national parks and environmental conservation in Namibia. Ideally, this will help to induce civic pride, helping the parks to truly be a focal point of national pride and Namibian identity.
Possible Set-Up:
There are three legal options for the Friends of Parks Society—a Section 21 (not for gain) Company, a Trust, and a Voluntary Organization. In addition to promoting volunteer activities, the Friends of Parks Society can help to raise funds for the parks. Fundraising activities can include both membership dues and external grant applications for specific park related projects. Ideally, the Society will be a volunteer driven organization with a voluntary or staff person in charge. This person will ensure that all membership roles are kept current, benefits are dispersed, and all finances are accounted for. He or she will also play the coordinating role in organizing Society activities, organizing volunteer opportunities, liasing with MET, keeping up with general communication to members of the Society, etc. Finally, he or she will be in charge of procurement and dispersement of internally and externally generated funds. The exact mechanism for this dispersal will need to be clearly defined in the Society’s charter and the Board’s wishes.
Membership benefits could include free access to all or a select number of parks (through some sort of annual pass, should MET decide to use one), quarterly newsletter, opportunities to participate in Society activities like guided walks and special talks, opportunities to volunteer, and a specific number of free guest passes. Corporate Membership benefits could include a specific number of free entry passes to Namibia’s National Parks, advertising in some number of Quarterly Newsletters per year, official thanks and recognition in the form of a public event, etc. Membership costs would vary depending on the benefits, number of people, types of membership, etc.
The relationship between MET and Friends of Parks will have to be clearly enumerated in the charter for the organization. Particular consideration must be paid to the fundraising arm of Friends of Parks. In addition, the role, mission, membership structure, etc. will need to be clarified.
Way Forward:
Generate interests among potential individuals and corporate “drivers” for the FoPs and start certain activities as a voluntary organization. Such activities can include compilation of a national parks guidebook and organization of some volunteer events in parks. As support for the society grows and the foundation becomes more solid, the FoPs can be transformed into a section 21 company.
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