An elephant bull walks toward the camera beside a muddy waterhole, with more elephants drinking behind him

About us

Omogolo Wildlife Trust

Supporting Wildlife Conservation and Animal Welfare

100% of each donation goes to your chosen project. We work for the foundation on an unpaid basis and cover bank charges and other overhead costs out of our own pockets.

Why we exist

We have been directly involved in various conservation projects, and have experienced the dependency on well-willing individuals, companies and organisations that have supported these projects and made them a success.

We wish to continue our support to those projects that have found a place in our hearts, and to others that do similar work for the conservation and welfare of animals that need our help.

This is the reason why we established Omogolo Wildlife Trust. We form a link between the donors and the projects, assuring a smooth, 100% transfer of funds to those projects that need it, or are explicitly chosen by the donor.

A woman bends under a tree while a young chimpanzee climbs onto her back

A woman crouches beside a sedated white rhino with a cloth over its eyes, taking a sample

Two people in green vests kneel beside a sedated elephant lying in dry bush, with an open equipment case nearby

Europe and Africa

We are based in the Netherlands and work mostly in Africa and Europe. We are in constant contact with the projects we support so that we can share their feedback with our donors via our website and social media.

100% of each donation goes to the chosen projects. We work for the foundation on an unpaid basis and cover bank charges and other overhead costs out of our own pockets.

How we keep that promise

The board

The board consists of three members: Yvonne Verkaik, chairman; Sabine van der Spek, secretary; and Chantal Klootwijk, treasurer.

Black and white portrait of Yvonne Verkaik, a woman with light hair, photographed in soft focus

Yvonne Verkaik Founder and Chairman

Yvonne has been involved in a number of wildlife projects. In Uganda, on Ngamba Island in Lake Victoria, she took care of a few orphaned baby Chimpanzees and continued to lead the project during the one-year absence of the project director.

In the meantime she revived Rhino Fund Uganda and spent the next six years establishing a 7700 ha Rhino breeding sanctuary: raising the necessary funding, constructing the electric fence, selecting a team of rangers and bringing in Rhinos from Kenya.

She took part in a number of aerial wildlife counts in remote areas in Uganda and Rwanda, was the Africa representative for a German NGO supporting mountain gorilla projects in DRC Congo, Rwanda and Uganda and kept in touch with our projects in Botswana while living there.

Black and white portrait of Chantal Klootwijk, a smiling woman with long straight hair

Chantal Klootwijk Treasurer

Chantal loves being surrounded by animals and has provided a loving home for quite a number of them! She is the lady that manages the finance within Omogolo Wildlife Trust.

In her daily life she is Office Manager at a real estate consultancy firm in The Hague.

High contrast black and white portrait of Sabine van der Spek, a smiling woman with curly blonde hair

Sabine van der Spek Board Secretary

Sabine, retired insurance consultant, has a big heart for wildlife and has been on several safaris in South Africa and Botswana.

Her current day job is running a family with three kids and overseeing the construction of their new home.

What's in the name?

Omogolo

Setswana

An elephant bull stands in shallow water among trees in the Botswana bush

Omogolo is a Setswana word and is used to address an older (usually male) person in a respectful way.

We used the name for an old Elephant bull that regularly visited our camp in the Botswana bush. The name stuck, the Elephant became our mascot and Omogolo Wildlife Trust had its name!

Support a project that needs our help

100% of each donation goes to your chosen project.

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