Building Forever – A Water Wonderland

Episode Eight: A Water Wonderland

In this episode, we tell the story of our partnership with National Geographic – Okavango Eternal – which aims to tackle one of the biggest conservation challenges in Africa: preserving the source waters of the delta and the lives they support.

We speak to Otsile Mabeo, our Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Government Relations in Botswana, about how – through the partnership – we’re protecting, supporting and amplifying the remarkable story of a water wonderland: the Okavango Delta.

Ethical practice, thriving communities, equal opportunity and the natural world are topics teeming with questions – and if you’ve got one for us, we’d love to hear from you. So, if there’s something you think we should discuss in a future episode, do get in touch with us at debeersgroupcommunications@debeersgroup.com.

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Today, you’ll learn about:

• How the delta is under threat – and the challenges those in the region are facing. 01:40
• The shared ambitions that are fuelling our partnership with National Geographic. 04:45
• How the partnership is boosting the region’s economic prospects. 07:12
• The impact the partnership is having locally – and on neighbouring regions, too. 08:24
• How we’re amplifying the story of the delta and its people. 10:10
• What lies ahead. 11:38
• Discussing poling, the mokoro and National Geographic’s documentary ‘Nkashi: Race for the Okavango’. 13:50
• Recognising those crucial to the partnership’s success – and final thoughts. 16:37

Resources

Learn more about how we’re partnering for thriving communities through programmes such as Okavango Eternal; a combined effort with National Geographic to tackle one of the biggest conservation challenges in Africa.

Transcript

Click here to access a full transcript of this episode.