As the Senior Information Officer at Africa Network for Animal Welfare, Catherine Chumo generates information based on the work the organization carries out including programs, activities, and projects. She then disburses it in different channels for donors, partners, network members, communities, and stakeholders. As the information lead, she is charged with the production of the biannual Animal Welfare Magazine and leads the communications team in organizing the annual animal welfare conference. She provides communication expertise on animal welfare, environment, and wildlife conservation matters through writing and editing for all print and digital media forms.

“We have a massively great disparity in our wildlife conservation practices on the continent - a challenge I experienced little of in my career in East Africa. I have learned that as much as we may have radical, opposing, and diverse perspectives of what conservation is, we owe it to the fast-declining species to come to the table, acknowledge this, collaborate with each other, and implement effective solutions.”

Her time at ALU allowed her to contextualize issues faced locally at the continental and the global level. Through understanding the challenges, experiences, and achievements of others, she is better able to understand the magnitude of their work and learns to fill loopholes, rectify weaknesses, and strengthen what works in their own professional pursuits. “I hope to ingrain these lessons in my work. Apart from establishing NGOs to tackle the challenges, introducing, and strengthening conservation principles such as offsetting, and carbon credit initiatives by businesses in a big way will aid the process to meet the mission.”