It all started with a trip to Africa.
Artist and conservationist, Alex Beard, founded The Watering Hole Foundation in 2012 to help preserve endangered elephants in Northern Kenya.
The WHF is dedicated to saving endangered wildlife and preserving the Earth's remaining wilderness though community-based conservation efforts locally and abroad.
The WHF's first major initiative was to support the construction of an anti-poaching elephant outpost in Northern Kenya's UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Ngare Ndare Forest. By raising funds, WHF was able to facilitate the construction of the outpost, which helps to protect wild African Elephants along their migration route.
Founded in 2012 by artist and conservationist, Alex Beard, The Watering Hole Foundation is dedicated to saving endangered wildlife and preserving the Earth’s remaining wilderness. Their diverse programs support, foster, and raise awareness of conservation efforts at home and abroad.
The funds raised through Screens for Good will be put toward further anti-poaching efforts in the Ngare Ndare Forest. Funds will be earmarked for two purposes: 1) the acquisition of a new Land Cruiser, to be used by the anti-poaching staff, and 2) a large-scale tree planting initiative designed to protect the forest.
A fundraising goal of $2,000 would enable the acquisition and planting of a large number of trees purchased from local farmers to sustain the forest. In addition to supporting the immediate community, this exchange would also lessen local need to chop down standing trees for construction and fuel.
A stretch goal of $5,000 would enable The WHF's ability to partially support the acquisition of a Land Cruiser, which local game monitors will use to conduct anti-poaching efforts.
It is our hope that through partnerships such as Screens for Good, the WHF will be recognized locally, nationally, and abroad as a leading supporter of community-based conservation efforts. In addition to having completed the expansion of the outpost and its anti-poaching efforts, the WHF hopes to establish a revolving grant program for conservation initiatives and to continue to identify other causes - in coastal Louisiana and abroad - in which to invest resources.
To follow them online and stay informed as to their work visit www.wateringholefoundation.org, follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
Ana for Elephants was founded in September 2015 as a conservation effort of the Watering Hole Foundation. Ana Finger, a then twelve-year-old girl from Newman School in New Orleans, was preparing for her bat mitzvah, and chose the Watering Hole Foundation and the plight of the African elephant for her community service, or "Mitzvah" project.
Ana has spread her word through speaking appearances, film screenings, and active engagement in social media to increase awareness of the plight of the African elephant. Together with Alex Beard, Jacques Dufforqc, and the rest of the team from the Watering Hole Foundation, Ana also helped to build a life-sized African elephant just steps outside of the iconic New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. The elephant was built using cardboard and papier mache, using 35,000 strips of paper to represent the number of African elephants that have been killed in the past year by illegal poachers. Passers-by were invited to join in the building of the elephant by adding strips of paper, and learning about the poaching crisis by talking to Ana.
To support the efforts of Ana and her project Ana for Elephants visit www.anaforelephants.com and follow her on Facebook and Instagram.
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