​It is with sadness that we announce the passing of one of our dedicated Livestock Guarding Dogs (LGDs), Gift. After a difficult period of working to restore his health, Gift – who Farming for Conservation (FFC) Senior Officer, Balekanye Mbinda praised as one of the best LGDs we have ever had at CCB's demonstration farm – was humanely laid to rest in December after a decade of service. At the point of deciding to lay Gift down, age-related illness was affecting him – he was struggling to eat, had difficulty walking, and had lost considerable body condition, following a significant decline in his weight.
 
Gift was a cornerstone of our demonstration farm, yet his impact reached far beyond its borders. What made his service unlike LGDs before him is that Gift was deployed as a rapid-response guardian to farms experiencing conflict. He provided protection for livestock he was new to, while simultaneously training new LGD puppies on site. CCB’s lending him out to farmers was an act based in trust and affirmation of his skills, and it ensured a smooth transition of guardianship, from Gift to the puppy that would continue working after his return. As testament to his skills, he was also placed at the former President’s farm in 2020 to assist with livestock depredation. By the time Gift returned to the demo farm from this prestigious assignment, he had left behind a protected herd and a fully trained successor.
 
Over his 10-year career, he helped train many puppies; many of whom are being monitored by the FFC team as they work on farms today, helping prevent livestock predation. Gift’s work was a lived example of CCB’s mission to promote coexistence, and increase livestock viability through reduced conflict while safeguarding cheetah populations.
 
Given Gift’s decline in health, a puppy from the group trained and placed last quarter was assigned as his successor, ensuring continuity in livestock protection and allowing the demonstration farm to continue serving as a model for best practices in LGD management. Gift’s dedication proves that one devoted guardian can create a ripple effect of coexistence. The CCB family would like to appreciate Gift’s service and diligence. Much more than this, we want to celebrate one of the most outstanding working dogs, his example will continue to be the standard we work to attain.

​Jubilation filled the air as proud parents and Mamas turned out for the combined graduation and five-year anniversary celebration of the Kacgae Community Playgroup. On this day, six children received their certificates, marking their readiness for primary school.
 
Since opening its doors in 2020, the playgroup has enrolled 201 children between the ages of 2 to 4 and a half in this remote village of the Ghanzi District. Each child who has graduated represents a young life touched by early childhood education, a family introduced to the importance of those crucial preschool years, and an opportunity to build the foundation for future success. At the programme's core are three full-time facilitators known as ‘Mamas’, who are women who’ve been identified by their own community for their traits as suitable carers.
 
What made this celebration extra special was who took the lead. This time, the people of Kacgae organised and coordinated almost everything themselves. “It was more of a community thing than a CCB-led thing”, reflects Refilwe Baatweng, Senior Communities for Conservation Officer – Development.
 
The notion of introducing a playgroup was sparked during participatory community meetings facilitated by CCB in 2017. Kacgae residents identified that many of their young children lacked access to early childhood education, and this was a growing concern – understanding, as research confirms, that the early years can determine how children perform later in life. As such, in line with our collaborative approach to solving development challenges through involving reliable partners, CCB teamed up with Learn-to-Play (the technical leads) to establish the necessary bridge for the children of Kacgae.
 
“As a driver to poverty, you can point to lack of education”, explains CCB’s Development Manager, Nidhi Ramsden. “Our partner communities struggle with high school dropouts and teenage pregnancies; that links directly back to early childhood education”, she shares, continuing with the pertinent question: “Are all kids launching off the same launchpad?”
 
19 children have now graduated to primary school studies. 2025 was a stand-out year with the highest number of graduates to date. Each graduation represents a child who might have slipped through the cracks, and a family whose engagement has deepened – evident through packed attendance at termly meetings, and pride of the parents at the ceremony.
 
However, as with most things in development work, the journey to this point hasn’t been without obstacles; for example, cultural norms around discipline and nutrition required patient navigation. On the dietary front, we further consulted dieticians working in the Ghanzi district to establish high-reward, low impact feeding strategies, and arranged benchmarking trips and trainings that helped broaden the Mamas’ worldviews and practical skills.
 
Five years since inception, enrolment has grown from 10 children to the permissible government limit of 30 – testament to the community’s positive perception of the programme. The notable changes in the enrolled children’s confidence might have fuelled this shift. Ramsden shares: "to see the kids flourish… that’s why we are all doing this”, adding: “it gives incentive to parents, and it gives motivation to the Mamas”. In that simple truth lies the playgroup’s enduring power. When children thrive and families engage, the community builds its future together.