Our Alumni are very dear to us

Something WIS prides itself on is our connection with our students and families and that students are always happy to come back to WIS and to stay in touch many, many years after they have left WIS and often Namibia. 

Our community cares even when our students and families leave WIS. In this instance, one of our former students has been experiencing some challenges that prevent him from completing his tertiary education, and we are keen to support him as much as we can to enable him to finish his master's studies in the UK. Our students move from WIS to universities across the world and often return to Namibia later. And so we ensure that we make a difference in our country, particularly in areas where there is a really big need. 

Here is Lukene’s story: 

My name is Lukene Chauke, and I am a proud graduate of WIS, now studying Zoology at the University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom. I specialise in animal behaviour, ecology, and microbiology, driven by a deep curiosity about how animals adapt, survive, and shape the ecosystems around them.

Over the past year, I have been conducting elephant behavioural research at Naankuse Wildlife Sanctuary in Namibia. My work has contributed valuable conservation management insights to the organisation, helping inform how elephants are monitored and protected within a fenced reserve system. Being in the field, tracking and analysing movement patterns, has confirmed that this is more than a degree for me, it is a calling.

Beyond science, I am also a musician. At Naankuse, I led a music outreach initiative for indigenous children living at the sanctuary. That experience became a short film titled Voices of Light, capturing how music can restore dignity, expression, and hope. 

Last year, my family experienced a sudden and devastating loss when my father, the sole financial supporter of my studies, passed away. My mother is now carrying the weight of our family alone while trying to keep us afloat. As an international student in the UK, tuition fees and living costs are significantly higher, and financial support options are limited.

We have started a GoFundMe to help me continue my studies. So far, £10,000 has been raised, leaving £31,950 still to go. Any support means more than words can express; it means the chance to keep building the future my father believed in.

GoFundMe: My GoFundMe link