Kemelo joined the Children in the Wilderness (CITW) Eco-Club programme in 2006 when he was in Standard 4 at Tubu Primary School in the Okavango Region of Botswana. He attended a CITW camp as a camper at Jacana Camp in 2008 and again in Kaporota in 2009.
Kemelo is born and raised in Tubu village, which is in the North-west District of Botswana. Tubu is located close to two Botswana’s pristine tourism attractions – Tsodilo Hills and the Okavango Delta. As such, Kemelo was exposed to the tourism industry from a young age.
He often encountered different wild animals when he was young. He liked to sit where the animals would normally pass to go and drink water and learn their behavior. He found it interesting to see how the elephants walk with their young ones and how they drink water. Kemelo was instilled with a love for the environment from a young age.
Kemelo’s aspiration has always been to become a professional guide. He attended the Southern African Wildlife College in 2017 for a bridging course, and had six months of exposure thereafter at Wilderness Camps, learning different lodge roles. In August 2018, Kemelo received a sponsorship for a guide training course with Nature Guide Training for 42 days. In October 2018, he completed his Professional Guides License Examination with Botswana Wildlife Training Institute, which he passed with 80%! He will become a ‘Full Professional Guide’ after practicing for two years.
In January 2019 Kemelo responded to an advert by Wilderness Safaris Training Facility, where he was accepted for Guides Training. After two intensive interviews, and both theoretical and practical tests, he spent the month of February completing a practical component in the bush, that finished with a Level 3 First Aid Course.
Kemelo is now headed for more training with Wilderness Safaris, on both mokoro canoes and motor boating at Linyanti Camp. His training will continue for the rest of the year where he will be attached to different camps for exposure to different Botswana geographical set up.
We are so proud of you, Kemelo!
