Rare Alumni Network Accelerating Local Conservation Success in Lao
Ever wonder what happens to a Pride campaign manager after they complete their two-year conservation campaigns?
95% percent of Pride campaign manager alumni surveyed report that they are still involved in conservation – many of whom continue their Pride campaigns, start new ones and/or mentor other Pride campaign managers. Such is the case in Lao, where Rare alumnus Soulisak “Sak” Vannalath mentors current campaign manager Santi “Joy” Saypanya in a Rare Pride campaign with the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Lao (WCS-Lao) Program to reduce the poaching of tiger prey in the Nam Et-Phou Louey National Protected Area. In the photo, Sak, Joy and Troy Hansel, Deputy Director for the WCS-Lao office recently met up to discuss Joy’s final drafted campaign slogan and messaging. Sak shared insights from his own experience running a 2007 Pride campaign focused on illegal hunting of bushmeat and habitat loss.
It was in fact Sak’s training of other WCS-Lao staff and partners in the Pride methodology during his own Pride campaign that contributed to WCS-Lao applying for a second Pride campaign, which would then be managed by Joy. The team at WCS-Lao is a great example of the Rare Alumni Network in action.
