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The challenge
While conservation efforts have long been a priority in the area, social challenges in neighbouring communities like Kurland, such as unemployment, limited access to healthcare, food insecurity, and under-resourced education, have often remained on the periphery of environmental initiatives.
Without addressing issues like unemployment, poor healthcare access, food insecurity, and underinvestment in education, environmental efforts have struggled to gain lasting traction.
The response
Conservation can’t succeed without people — and people can’t thrive without healthy ecosystems. That’s why the NVT Behavioural Change Programme reframes conservation as a deeply personal, community-powered process. Rooted in behavioural science, shaped by decades of community-based natural resource management, and guided by a co-created theory of change, the programme is building something unprecedented.
A Community Institute for Well-being and Sustainability, designed by and for the people of Kurland and Covie.
The Institute is built around three hubs:
Learning
skills development, youth support, and lifelong education.
Care
physical and mental health, safety, and well-being.
Nature
local conservation, eco-literacy, and land stewardship.
Together, they work through six holistic recovery programmes:
Over 100 girls have been taken through individual recovery programmes, each starting their journey of healing.
Individual Development Plan
Personalised growth plans guided by professionals.
Therapeutic Programme
Trauma-informed counselling and emotional support.
Individual Educational Programme
Tailored education placement and learning plans.
Life Skills Programme
Practical skills to navigate social and real-world environments.
Family Reunification Programme
Safe reconnection with family or significant others.
Spiritual Care Programme
Christian faith-based guidance and emotional grounding.
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Conservation starts with community.
At the edge of a protected reserve, a powerful shift is underway. Once overlooked in conservation efforts, the communities of Covie and Kurland are now central to the solution. The NVT Behavioural Change Programme is proving that caring for people and the planet go hand in hand — and that meaningful change begins with connection: to land, to learning and to one another.
What's next?
This is not a quick fix. It’s a generational shift. With bricks now being laid and community visions taking tangible form, the NVT Behavioural Change Programme is setting a new standard for conservation: one that is co-created, replicable, and deeply human.
"What excites us about this work is that it isn’t charity—it’s change. Real, lasting, and community-led. We’re not imposing a model; we’re co-creating one."
Dr Sandra Du Plessis
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