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LETTER FROM NAMIBIA
FROM WATER COOLER
TOWATERING HOLE
Namibia — the land of glorious sunsets, sunrises
and stunning landscape — is now home to Dara Barrett (MBA 99)
Feeding and caring for wild animals is now
all part of a day’s work for Dara Barrett
FTER spending 20 years working in finance in Teamwork is critical here, as are flexibility and commitment.
A
Ireland and the US , I jumped at the opportunity to Everyone is so passionate and positive and we all work well together, so
take over as financial controller at the N/a'an ku sê overcoming the toughest challenges is not difficult.
wildlife charity, which provides employment and There are lots of exciting aspects to my job outside the finance
medical aid to the San tribe (bushmen), as well as office. A few months ago, I became a foster mother to two baby cara-
rescue, rehabilitation and release of various ani- cal cubs that were rescued at 10 days old after their mother had been
mals, including cheetahs and leopards. shot. It meant very little sleep for eight weeks, as I was awoken seve-
Last year, I took leave from work and spent three months as a work- ral times a night for toilet-training and feeding sessions, but it was so
ing volunteer here at the sanctuary. I’d already travelled extensively in rewarding. I also recently brought our 16 baby baboons to the film
eastern and southern Africa and had always wanted to see Namibia. set of a 3D IMAX production in which they were co-stars.
Just 40km from Windoek, N/a'an ku sê is an 8,000-acre farm, which Namibia is a stunning country – definitely a hidden treasure. It’s
was bought by Marlice and Rudie Van Vuuren and their friend and 10 times the size of Ireland, but has a population of just two million.
business partner Chris Heunis in 2006. They started a volunteer proj- You can travel along the dusty roads for hours without ever meeting
ect whereby people pay to stay and work here, doing everything from a soul. It is still relatively undiscovered, but is gaining in popularity
mending fences and building enclosures to caring for the animals. – partly due to Brad and Angelina’s recent visit.
I loved it and was delighted to be able to come back to work full- It is bordered by Botswana, Zambia, Angola and South Africa and
time earlier this year. My new home is a one-bedroom house next to has some of the largest sand dunes and canyons in the world, as well as
the lion enclosure on the farm. several famous game reserves. It gained independence from South
A typical day on N/a'an ku sê begins with a 7am management Africa in 1990 and is politically stable. However, there are big chal-
meeting. These meetings are critical because things change on the lenges, including 40pc unemployment, over 20pc of adults living with
farm on a daily basis and everyone needs to know what is going on. HIV/AIDS, and an economy still heavily reliant on South Africa.
While the basic elements of finance are the same here as in any busi- The MBA taught me to respect and work with people from all walks
ness, I have had to learn to be extremely flexible and accept the of life and from different backgrounds. Little did I know that, 10 years
African way of doing things. And I’ve learned not to take the basics on, I would be interacting with the San tribe, learning how to speak
like power and water for granted. their ‘click’ language and becoming a foster mother to cubs.
I am in charge of developing and monitoring the budgets for While there are certain aspects of Ireland that I miss, especially
our current projects, which include building a new bushman friends and family, I know this is an opportunity of a lifetime and
village, a children’s education centre and additional volunteer hope to spend another year here. Each evening, I sit on the steps of
accommodation. Funds are limited, so ensuring the money is my house watching the magnificent sunset and listening to the lions
allocated and spent wisely is an important aspect of my job. Our two roaring, and realise just how lucky I am.
main sources of income are donations and paying volunteers. My For information on volunteering and more about the project, go
current challenges include increasing the number of volunteer
www.ecotourism-namibia.com or contact Dara directly at
bookings and raising awareness of our project.
naankusewildlife@gmail.com.
40 UCD BUSINESS CONNECTIONS
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