Former student Kate Moore (1996) returned to school and gave an inspirational assembly last week, and also talked to students in lessons, gave a careers chat at lunch and made a very generous offer to students encouraging them to volunteer with the charity.
“I left Dixie in 1996 and studied Psychology at Sheffield University, followed by eight years working in advertising in London for brands like Coke and Nestle. My boyfriend then persuaded me to take a year out in Africa, and we never came back! We have now lived in Malawi for nine years, we have a growing family (a son and another baby on the way shortly) and run a charity called Lilongwe Wildlife Trust.
The original focus for the Trust was wildlife rescue and rehabilitation but in recent years our work has expanded to combat serious wildlife crime, primarily ivory trafficking, including investigations and the prosecution of wildlife crime cases. In addition to overseeing the charity’s day-to-day operations, I am also responsible for our campaigns and lobbying, in particular parliamentary and international relations, to ensure ongoing support for these illegal wildlife trade initiatives.
It wasn’t until my late twenties that I discovered that conservation was my ‘calling’ and it was an honour to come back to Dixie and speak to the students about career opportunities in our field of work. Dixie gave me a great start in life so I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to renew that relationship once again, and hopefully welcome some of the teachers and pupils to visit or volunteer with us in the future.
Website: www.lilongwewildlife.org . Email: kate@lilongwewildlife.org.
