A message from Crista
It is an exciting time for Tofauti which is gathering great momentum on the back of the strong operating foundations which we established in 2019. Since Tofauti’s launch in 2018, we are proud to have completed five projects in Africa and have a strong current pipeline in place.
The conservation space is crowded and that is why we believe that Tofauti must continue to work and engage differently if we are to succeed. It is therefore so important that we hold true to our name which in Swahili means “different”. I firmly believe that by taking this approach we will make the lasting impact which we all truly desire.
If you get the chance to meet our team, you’ll feel the passion which oozes through them. Sport created a sense of team ownership within me and I am so humbled that we have managed to build such a great group of people, and that they all give their time and expertise voluntarily to support Tofauti.
I am acutely aware of the challenges that working in Africa brings and operating in this continent is not for the faint-hearted. However, I do believe that we can make a difference and therefore while 2019 was an incredible year, it is just the beginning. There is so much more we can and want to do.
Thank you for all your amazing support. We wouldn’t be where we are now without you.
Crista Cullen MBE | Founder
Why we’re here
Our objective
We’re here to bring people together to make a difference for Africa’s wildlife and communities.
Our guiding principle
We think the best way we can help is by building resilience, not reliance, among Africa’s people and animals. We think the only way to a lasting solution is to make them part of the solution.
So, we do this by building teams of passionate supporters, expert partners and local people who together can make a difference.
Since we started in February 2018 we have…
Raised just over £215,000 through our two Conservation Balls at the Hurlingham Club. At the time, we said we would allocate these funds to projects on-the-ground, and that is what we are doing.
Partnered with Rhino Ark to support the installation of electric fencing to protect water catchment areas in Kenya’s mountain forest regions. Mt. Kenya which was designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1997 plays a critical role in water catchment for the entire country. Water is an increasingly important commodity with the ever-growing human population.
Purchased the Tofauti tractor to help the Galana Wildlife Conservancy make crucial infrastructure repairs and enhancements which enables their scouts to better patrol the area. 2018 was one of the most challenging episodes in the history of this Conservancy with catastrophic floods destroying its HQ.
Provided funding to start the construction of an HQ for ISAP – Intelligence Support Against Poaching – which is a Namibian NGO. Regrettably the promised funding from the other local partners for phase 2 never materialised and therefore the HQ remains unfinished.
Supplied 277 kgs of raw whey protein to the Reteti Elephant Sanctuary in Kenya which will help to feed orphaned elephants for a year. Poaching and orphaned elephants, through drought or injury, continue to be a significant challenge for the whole of Africa.
Built Tofauti’s six strong Leadership Team who all believe in the power of collective energy and our shared beliefs. Together we realise that tough challenges require bold cognitive thinking.
Set up Tofauti as a fund under the auspices of C Hoare & Co’s Master Charitable Trust. This gives us our charitable status and provides an established governance framework.
Partnered with an aspirational cycling team called Tofauti Everyone Active as their title charity partner. Tofauti is all about achieving things together, and being a part of this team will do exactly that.
Put in place essential foundations like our website, branding, social media presence and our Salesforce CRM system. We will continue to invest in these core building blocks.
Our work
This is what we want to achieve
A reduction in human-wildlife conflict;
Better local access to environmental education;
Protection of wildlife;
Protection of natural habitats.
This is where we want to do it
Primarily in Kenya, as this is where we have our heritage and the strongest connections. However, we are ambitious and are looking to have an Africa-wide portfolio. We are currently evaluating projects in other African countries.
This is how we are going to do it
Human-wildlife co-existence - We believe that working with the local people is the only way to help humans and animals find ways to co-exist and thrive together.
Environmental education - We support the local people by helping them to sustain a way of life that leverages, rather than compromises their relationship with the natural world they live in.
Wildlife protection - At the heart of Tofauti’s DNA is the protection of wildlife. We appreciate that every area faces its own challenges and we don’t believe in one-size-fits-all fixes. Each geographical area is unique and complex, so we look to use partner expertise in order to create bespoke, long-term solutions.
Infrastructure and habitat - To protect wildlife the need for scout accommodation, road maintenance, electric fencing and crucial wildlife corridors is vast. We work with trusted partners on-the-ground to ensure that these essential structures are put in place.
Roan project in Ruma National Park 2020
Our impact
2019 was Tofauti’s first full year of operation. We’re a young, nimble and an ambitious organisation which is only just setting out on its journey.
We believe in sustained, deep-rooted change and not short-lived red ribbon moments. All our partnerships are based on a commitment to long-term project monitoring and evaluation. Therefore while we recognise and understand the importance of setting targets and measuring our success on-the-ground, it is simply too early for us to report in detail on the majority of our projects.
However we are pleased to report that the Tofauti tractor which is based on the Galana Conservancy has graded and cleared 25 kms of road along the eastern boundary and dug and deepened vital water catchment dams. Also the orphaned elephants at Reteti are benefitting from our whey protein and the 450 kms of fencing which circles Mt. Kenya is now complete.
We think the challenges facing Africa can only be tackled through an approach that unites. So, core to everything we do is our focus on building teams to create and sustain solutions. We’re choosy about who we work with and it takes time to find the right partners who can work alongside us to solve the myriad of complex challenges on-the-ground.
Statement of financial activities
Since our inception in February 2018, we have…
Received £95,700 in donations
Raised £214,200 in income after expenses from the 2018 and 2019 Conservation Balls
Spent £26,029 setting up our CRM system, developing our brand identity, building our website and social media channels. These expenses were funded from donations made specifically for this purpose.
Incurred operating expenses of £7,746. However this excludes a number of costs which were kindly paid for personally by members of Tofauti’s Leadership Team. In addition all members of Tofauti’s Leadership team give their time voluntarily.
Spent £45,250 on projects on-the-ground in Kenya and £9,020 on the ISAP project in Namibia.
As at the 31 December 2019, we had a cash balance of £221,855 of which £159,000 is currently earmarked for projects. We do not have any liabilities and we own the tractor which is being used in the Galana Conservancy.
Looking ahead
Following the success of the Conservation Ball in September 2019, we began planning for 2020 (and beyond). We want to stay agile and keep things as simple as possible. We intend to stay small as a Leadership Team and when appropriate bring together the right blend of supporting skills, knowledge and resources as and when we need it. We are so fortunate that every member of the Leadership Team and Advisory Committee have once again committed in 2020 to giving their time to Tofauti voluntarily.
Funding
We start 2020 in good financial shape. We are not planning a large fundraising event in 2020, but will instead focus our fundraising efforts on a number of smaller events and initiatives to encourage financial participation and engagement. We believe that in order to be successful we need a solid long-term funding base, partially funded through a founder member scheme. This will allow us to mitigate the risks of changing donor priorities and wider financial uncertainties.
Projects
We are in the fortunate position of having a strong project pipeline. We have clearly defined project funding criteria in place and a rigorous application review process. Our goal is to undertake five projects in 2020 including a water project for which £30,000 was raised at the Ball. We are currently evaluating various water provision options to gain a better understanding of their effectiveness and to avoid any unintended consequences. We will also only undertake projects with partners who are able to demonstrate that they meet our stringent criteria.
Investment
We’re ambitious and we’re in this for the long term. While we already have some strong foundations in place, in order to be successful we will need to continue to invest in our brand, marketing and tech and we have planned accordingly.
Thanks
The challenges facing Africa’s wildlife and communities are big and they are complex. We’re up for the challenge, but we couldn’t do what we want to do without your incredible support, trust and belief in us. To make a difference we will continue to think differently. We will continue to share the bad stuff as well as the good stuff and, while we will never claim to be perfect, we do promise to learn from all that we do.
Our purpose is clear, our eyes are wide open and we are completely committed to doing our level best to make an impact from all of the projects which we choose to fund.
Thank you to everyone who gave their time, expertise and financial support to Tofauti this past year. Thank you for caring. Thank you for believing. Thank you for joining us at the start of our exciting journey. We believe that together we can go further. Together we make Tofauti.
