Peace Parks is one of the 16 finalists of the "2020 Beyond Sport Global Awards". The South African foundation was selected by the global organisation Beyond Sport in the category Sport for Peace and Social Justice. Since 1997, Peace Parks has been helping to bring communities together and conserve African ecosystems through sport. The name of the winning organisation will be announced on December 15th, 2020 at the end of an expedition trip.
Beyond Sport, a global organisation that promotes sport in creating sustainable social change, has just published the list of finalists for the 2020 Beyond Sport Global Awards. The document presents 16 finalist organisations from 36 countries around the world, including Peace Parks in South Africa.
The South African organisation was selected following a call for applications launched in June 2020 by Beyond Sport. Peace Parks was selected in the Sport for Peace and Social Justice category “because of its unique approach to supporting communities and its approach to a wide range of issues at the intersection of health, peacebuilding and conservation”, says Beyond Sport. For example, the foundation contributes to building and maintaining peaceful relations within and between communities in the Limpopo National Park in Mozambique, a country that is still recovering from the civil war that ended in 1992 and destroyed wildlife.
Peace Parks also participates in the HlawulaVutomi programme with the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. The aim of the initiative is to change communities’ perception of wildlife and its value in improving their living conditions. HlawulaVutomi also contributes to mitigating the negative effects of wildlife crime in the region and reducing the associated conflicts.
The winner of the 12th edition of the Beyond Sport Global Awards will be announced on December 15th, 2020 at the end of an expedition trip. The winning organisation will receive more than 10,000 dollars in grants. It will also benefit from “Free online fundraising support, in partnership with the GivenGain Foundation; free monitoring and evaluation support, in partnership with Upshot; free legal assistance and permanent expert advice, in partnership with Trust Law”, says Beyond Sport.
Anne-Gaëlle David (intern)
