PRACTICAL SUPPORT FOR AFRICAN WILDLIFE
ABOUT WWA
Our mission and story
OUR MISSION
We support projects that research, monitor and conserve African wildlife; cultivating respect and understanding between people, animals and the environment.
OUR STORY
Stella Grgic, Peter Neville, Andrew Rae and Rodney Steyn are all passionate about African wildlife. Working in conservation, they realised the need for small project funding and the impact that "quick" wins could have.
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Founded in 2021, WWA was registered in South Africa as a non profit organisation and initially financially endowed with $38,000 by Peter and Stella to fund office establishment, IT and social media development as well as administration costs for three years. With admin covered, ALL funding raised is used to sponsor individual projects, thereby expanding our reach and impact. 100% of all funds donated go to the specified project.
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Today Worth Wild Africa brings together those who hold the destiny of Africa’s wildlife in their hands: the leaders, the fighters, the thinkers and the healers. With each small step we take, we come a little closer to conserving our beloved continent and the wondrous creatures we share it with.
MANAGEMENT TEAM
Passion Meets Opportunity
Stella Grgic, Peter Neville, Andrew Rae and Rodney Steyn - the initial four founders - are joined on the senior management team by Dr. Kelly George of the Dept of Animal Sciences at Ohio State University, USA and veterinarian Dr. Don Klingborg (USA).
Stella Grgic, MA
A Finn (in Croatia)
A keen traveler, Stella had not visited Africa until joining partner Peter in 2017 on a safari to South Africa. She was instantly amazed by the scenery, people, food & wine, and most of all, so many magical firsts in her encounters with wildlife. On a hands-on safari in Namibia a year later, she became completely entranced by the charismatic African Wild Dog, not surprisingly since she works with pet dogs back home in Finland. That new-found passion drove her to help form WWA and cement her commitment to African wildlife conservation. Stella currently lives in Croatia.
Rodney Steyn
South Africa
Two of my passions since childhood have been photography and practical conservation. I've lived both out wherever possible, spending many hours with SANCCOB washing oil soiled birds and getting hands on over the years. I started my professional life working in design and manufacturing in the clothing industry before fulfilling my dream of making a life change to live in nature among the astonishing wildlife of Africa. Running the Jamala Royal Lodge in Madikwe, Northern Province, South Africa, has given me the opportunity to help carry the conservation message across the globe with our amazing clients, all keen to participate in efforts to help critically endangered and injured animals.
Prof. Peter Neville
A Brit (in Croatia)
Peter first became infected with the incurable Africa passion on his very first visit in 1980, returning countless times to run safaris and climb Mts Kilimanjaro and Kenya. His passion for African wildlife prompted him to join with partner Stella and Rae Safaris colleague Andrew to form and fund WWA under the fundamental tenet that 100% of all donations are spent exclusively on the cause. Peter has written/co-written 19 books on animal behaviour, including Memoirs of a Safari Guide in 2022 with Andrew and cartoonist Russell Jones. Peter now lives in Croatia.
Dr. Kelly George
USA
Dr Kelly George, formerly of the Dept of Animal Sciences at the Ohio State University, is currently Executive Director of Zoological Association of America and a Partner in the Kuzo Group, LLC. She recounts how her love of Africa first arose: 'As I readied for my first trip to Africa, my husband stated he would not lose his wife to Africa. Well, guess what? He lost (but actually, we gained)! Now more than a decade later I continue to return as often as I am able. The landscapes, the sunrises and sunsets, the fantastic peoples and of course, the amazing animals have stolen my heart. I am forever grateful for my African experiences and do all that I can to help keep Africa and all its beauty available for generations to come.'
Andrew Rae
South Africa
Andrew is a South African by birth and a safari guide by profession. His obsession with wilderness frontiers and remote regions has him regularly guiding and hosting private safaris in some of the world's most exotic locations. Out of this passion has grown a desire to contribute to the growing list of conservation needs in Africa and beyond. Discovering this shared love of conservation in colleagues Peter Neville, Stella Grgic and Kelly George (among others) prompted Andrew's involvement in co-founding WWA.
Dr. Don Klingborg
USA
I first came to Africa in the late 1980's as part of an agriculture/political fellowship including visits to Egypt, Kenya, Zimbabwe and South Africa. I returned over a decade later and since 2001, my wife Bev and I have enabled/escorted multiple trips for over 300 veterinarians and their families, and our kids/grandkids to Botswana, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. As a veterinarian, my primary interest is in developing programs and systems designed to keep domestic animals healthy rather than treating them if they were sick. The African ecosystems - shared between wildlife, domestic animals and humans - provide significant challenges in meeting the needs of these often competing groups. My interest is in the research and education needed to find a balance that enhances the lives of all three groups and promotes a better future for all.
W W A - A R E G I S T E R E D N O T - F O R - P R O F I T C O M P A N Y
I N S O U T H A F R I C A, U N I T E D S T A T E S O F A M E R I C A
& U N I T E D K I N G D O M
Meet our South African team - WWA
Meet our UK team - WWA UK
I N T E R N A T I O N A L E X P E R T S
Our Advisory and Funding Review Panel
Wildlife Conservation, Professional guiding, Photography, Videography & IT
Bruce Jones (South Africa)
Goodluck Godson Kombe (Tanzania)
James Hargreaves Videography (UK)
Sean Hensman (South Africa)
Olvert Ngomane (South Africa)
Rosie Peace (UK)
John Power, MA (South Africa)
Andrew Rae (South Africa)
Angela Rae (South Africa)
Mike Rae (South Africa)​
Jay Roode (South Africa)
Previous Tsvigu (Namibia)
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Veterinary
Dr Nick Buys (Namibia)
Dr Kafula Darlingtone-Kangwa (Zambia)
Dr Yasutsugu Miwa (Japan)
Dr Maeve Moorcroft (Ireland)
Dr Slaven Reljic (Croatia)
Dr Shou Sato (Japan)
Dr Ulf Tubbesing (Namibia)
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Ethology, Geology & Research
Dr Peter Apps (Botswana)
Mariska Bijsterbosch MSc BSc (Netherlands/Namibia)
Wendy Collinson, MSc (South Africa)
Pumla Dlamini MSc (South Africa)
Dr Kelly George (USA)
Dr Joy Pate (USA)
Dr Bruce Scherf (USA)
Christelle van der Merwe (South Africa)
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Education, Sociology & Anthropology
Stella Grgic (Finland)
Lazarus Kgasi (South Africa)
Prof Peter Neville (UK)
Liz O'Brien (Zambia)