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The Kalahari bushmen are considered to be the oldest living culture on Earth. Gradually their old way of life has been eroded with land being fenced off, bought by private companies and used for farms or mining. These free people have found themselves pushed further and further from their food supply into the arid grasslands of the Kalahari. These days they are housed in settlements from where they fight to maintain their old culture and traditions, while at the same time realising that in order to survive they must also embrace important elements of modern culture such as education and farming.
The !Gubis family is a small and tight-knit family headed by !Gubis and his wife Oma, together with their children, husbands, wives and grandchildren they number 43.
Like so many of their forbears they are in danger of losing everything – land, way of life, means of survival.
Beata is determined that this shall not happen to this group which is why she launched the the appeal for the Bushmen of the Kalahari. Her aim is to buy a farm of approximately 4000 hectares and stock it with 400-500 sheep, plus springbok, oryx and smaller game. The former will provide food and income while the latter will help maintain their natural hunting skills as well as providing food. In this way they can be self-sufficient and not dependent on government hand-outs for a meagre livelihood nor on stronger tribes for protection.
The plan is for the farm to be the family’s private property and to be in trust for them ad infinitum, while the income generated will help provide security for them and education for the next generation. They know they can only survive and progress through education.
To this end THEY NEED YOUR HELP – £300,000 has to be raised – a small sum to help protect and ensure the survival of these extraordinary people.
PLEASE BE GENEROUS!
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