Not so long ago, conservationists were carrying out critical work to protect wildlife and their habitats in complete isolation from the rest of the world. This may sound rather idyllic for those of us sat in an office, but work out in the field can be very difficult, extremely dangerous, and incredibly frustrating when working on a shoestring.

On the other side of life, there is a movement of people who want to be actively involved in conservation efforts regardless of their day jobs, and so WildlifeDirect was founded and chaired by Dr Richard Leakey to help bridge this gap by using the internet, and especially blogging, to connect and empower like minded people.

WildlifeDirect is also set up to transfer donated funds from all around the world, quickly and efficiently, to where they are intended in their entirety �net only of bank fees. To do this we are separately registered as charities in the US, UK and in Kenya, and our commitment to conservationists and donors is total transparency.

We believe in good conservation that can be trusted, and so when you donate money to help pay for the rations of rangers on patrol in Congo, we want you to know that this is a good use of money and that it is exactly where your money has gone.*

*we are currently working on improvements to our site so that updates on donations will happen in real time.
To empower individuals and organizations to help save the worlds wild species
 
  Make a monthly donation  
  Or make a single donation  
  Donate  
 
How we began back
The last four years has seen the massive growth of social networking on the internet. This is now a global phenomenon that is transforming the way people conduct their working and personal lives.

In 2004, a group of committed conservationists, led by Dr Richard Leakey, became convinced that the current developments on the internet provided the best opportunity for securing a future for wildlife: an approach that could harness the collective energy of countless good conservationists and combine it with millions of individuals around the world who have a genuine concern for the future of the planets wildlife and unique habitats. These people would connect through the internet to create a movement powerful enough to produce a virtual endowment capable of reversing the catastrophic loss of habitats and species.

WildlifeDirect was conceived as a non-profit conservation organization based in Kenya along the lines of an internet startup company. The organization was built to avoid the pitfalls of bureaucracy and crippling procedures of the public sector, to secure efficient conservation management in parks and reserves througout the world.
Who's who back
•  The Board
  Dr. Richard Leakey
Chairman
Internationally reknowned paleontologist and conservationist. Formerly Director of the National Museums of Kenya and the Kenya Wildlife Service, Secretary to the Cabinet and Head of Public Service, Kenya. Kenyan, residing in Nairobi.
  Dr Emmanuel de Merode
CEO
Dr. Emmanuel de Merode, Executive Director. Anthropologist and conservationist with 14 years park management experience in central and eastern Africa. Belgian, residing in Nairobi.
  Bill Cleary
Marketing specialist, founder of CKS, instrumental in launch of leading web brands
including Amazon.com, Yahoo and eBay. US citizen, residing in California.
  Francois-Xavier de Donnea
Parliamentarian and Minister of State. Former Belgian Minister of Defence, Minister for International Cooperation, Mayor of Brussels and President of the Brussels Region. Belgian, residing in Brussels.
  Craig Hatkoff
Philanthropist from New York City, he has co-founded the Tribeca Film Festival and the Tribeca Film Institute in 2002. He has also authored multiple children's books including Owen & Mzee: The True Story Of A Remarkable Friendship which describes the friendship between a tortoise and an orphaned hippopotamus in Kenya after the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake.
  Richard de Mayo
Former Chief Executive of leading law firm and supporter of wildlife conservation in Africa. US citizen, based in Atlanta.
  Sami Mankoto Ma Mbaelele
Conservationist, Director of the UNESCO Man and Biosphere Programme, Former Director of the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN). Secretary General of the Great Apes Survival Programme (GRASP), and President of the Central African Network of Protected Areas (RAPAC). Congolese, residing in Paris.
  Jan Bonde Nielsen
Former Chairman of FARM Africa and leading international entrepreneur. Founder of Laro, a successful wildlife reserve in Kenya. Danish, residing in London / Kenya.
  Harold Wackman
Secretary / Treasurer
Various senior roles in Africa with international donors,
including World Bank Country Director, Kenya. Canadian, residing Washington, DC.
  Jussi Westergren
Physicist, international investor, leading innovator in materials and
technology. Finnish, residing in UK.
•  The team
Emmanuel de Merode

CEO

.
Emmanuel is in charge... more
 
Paula Kahumbu

Head of Conservation, Policy & Partnerships

.
Paula is in charge of... more
 
Mary Muthomi

Senior Finance Officer

.
Mary looks after Finance... more
 

 

 

Emmanuel de Merode

CEO

.
Emmanuel is in charge. A husband, father, pilot, anthropologist, conservationist, author. He spent many years tackling the bushmeat trade in Central Africa, focusing on the protection of Gorillas in Gabon and the Democratic Republic of Congo. When he is not in the field, he enjoys looking for insects with his two young daughters.
 
Paula Kahumbu

Head of Conservation, Policy & Partnerships

.
Paula is in charge of developing conservation partnerships and establishing new blogs. She makes sure that all our projects address important conservation concerns in an appropriate way. Paula is an ecologist and a passionate tree hugger. She spent many years studying monkeys and elephants in Kenya and worked for the Kenya Wildlife Service on wildlife policy, trade and park management issues and later managed a quarry restoration company. She is passionate about Africa and conservation, saving wild species and wild places – all for a purely selfish reason, so that she can enjoy them. Her life goal is to revert the people of the world to loving nature, starting with Joshua her son.
 
Samantha Newport

Communications Direcor

.
Mary looks after Finance, Staff and contracting. She is a Certified Public Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree in Accounting. She has over 16 years experience working in various sectors including banks, real estate and the oil industry. When she is not busy working with numbers, Mary likes to read, watch movies and documentaries, travel and visit new places and of course shopping (her major weakness). Mary has a husband Bernard and two children (Brian and Diana) and loves to experiment with making exotic dishes for them over the weekend.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Benoit Bekioman Akisanza

Mechanic

.
Benoit is our mechanic in... more
 
Ephrem Balole

Country Programme Officer

.
Economist and Conserva... more
 
Amir Bazarbacha

Programme Manager, DRC

.
When he's not dreaming ... more
 

 

 

Benoit Bekioman Akisanza

Mechanic

.
Benoit is our mechanic in DR Congo which, considering Congolese roads, is no easy task -before Benoit the steering shuddered, the brakes barked, and the horn fired off burning sparks. Benoit has a wife and three children in Beni and is a big John Wayne fan.
 
Ephrem Balole

Country Programme Officer

.
Economist and Conservationist, with 15 years experience in academia (University of Bukavu), Donor (European Union) and NGO sectors, Ephrem coordinates projects in DR Congo. He is devoted to his wife Esperance and his five children; Eddy, Eric, Elvis, Edoxy and Edith.
 
Amir Bazarbacha

Finance Officer

.
AmirWhen he's not dreaming of his hilltop house overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, Amir runs WildlifeDirect activities on the ground in DRC. He looks after operations of the Congo team and partnerships. He has worked before for several organizations in West Africa. Amir has two fantastic brothers and a wonderful sister. He likes travelling, dreaming about his travels, reading Russians writers, writing, athletics and boxing.
 

 

Joy Omulupi

Office Assistant

.
In this life Joy is a woman, with a daughter called Jamilla. In her next life, she'd like to come back as a bear. When you're a bear, you get to hibernate for six months of the year. Joy could handle that. Before you hibernate, you're supposed to eat yourself stupid. Joy could handle that too. When you're a girl bear, you give birth to children the size of walnuts while you are sleeping and wake up to partially grown, cute, cuddly cubs. Joy could definitely handle that.
 
David Njuguna

Programmer

.
An experienced API and... more
 

 

 

 

 

 

William Deed

Online Editor

.
Never far from a laptop, Will... more
 
Virginia Echavarria

Fundraising Officer

.
Virginia is based in DR... more
 
Alberto Genovese

Senior Consultant

.
Alberto is in charge of... more
 

 

 

William Deed

Online Editor

.
Never far from a laptop, Will is often sent out into the field to help train Conservationists in all things to do with blogs. Sleeping with rats and enduring earthquakes, Will has never fully recovered from being hit over the head by a bamboo wielding Silverback.
 
Virginia Echavarria

Fundraising Officer

.
Virginia is based in DR Congo, and helps fundraisers to realise campaigns and reach their targets. She has had previous experience in trade and development working for 4 years with native people in the Puna, Jujuy. Born and raised in Argentina, she has lived in London for the last 6 years, doing her BA and MA. Virginia is the only person in Eastern Congo who can turn village food into haute cuisine.
 
Alberto Genovese

Senior Consultant

.
Alberto is in charge of website and online marketing. He coordinates the coding team, conceives flows and key functionalities, and oversees strategies to increase online visibility. Based in Milan, Alberto works at eBay where he is in charge of eBay Motors for Italy. Prior to joining eBay, he spent 6 years as a business consultant, with McKinsey and then Bain. Alberto is passionate about photography and travel -having backpacked through more than 50 countries- and lives with his girlfriend Daria.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Masumi Gudka

Conservation Programmes Assistant

.
A conservation Ecologist... more
 
Robert Mukuna Musensa

Accountant

.
Robert is an Economist... more
 
Kizito Nandaka

Logistician

.
Kizito started off as a... more
 
Masumi Gudka

Conservation Programmes Assistant

.
A conservation Ecologist, Masumi seeks out prospective bloggers and then provides them with all the necessary support. Originally from Mombasa, Masumi is now based in Nairobi where she likes to shout at traffic.
 
Robert Mukuna Musensa

Accountant

.
Robert is an Economist, and is the financial manager of the Crisis Cell put together for the benefit of ICCN to help protect the mountain gorillas. Robert likes nature, science, documentaries, films, and animation. His dream is to see the social-economic growth of DR Congo.
 
Kizito Nandaka

Logistician

.
Kizito started off as a driver for WildlifeDirect but quickly moved up the ranks to help coordinate local projects in DR Congo, and manage the necessary logistics to keep things running smoothly. Kizito has a weakness for Mariah Carey.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Joy Omulupi

Office Assistant

.
In this life Joy is a... more
 

.
 
Antoine Shabani

Chef de Camp

.
Papa Antoine is the... more
 

 

 

David Njuguna

Programmer

.
An experienced API and web-developer from Nairobi, David uses his knowledge of code to help develop an ongoing number of projects. A fan of cinema, David is always keen to trade in his small laptop screen to for a larger one and a box of popcorn.
 

.
 
Antoine Shabani

Chef de Camp

.
Papa Antoine is the Chef de Camp. An integral member of our team he also teaches us Swahili, gives great advice, and has an amazing collection of stories. Antoine is married with eight children.
 

 

 

Kizungu Shabani

Camp Personnel

.
Originally from Bukavu... more
 
Jonathan Walsh

Designer

.
As well as assisting and... more
 
Code Team

 

.
Coding outsourced to a team of technical boffins
 

 

 

Kizungu Shabani

Camp Personnel

.
Originally from Bukavu, Kizungu moved to Mutsora with his father Antoine to help keep the camp in order. A freelance photographer, Kizungu has experience in capturing wildlife, weddings, family portraits and funerals.
 
Jonathan Walsh