and elusive “Big Five” (lions, elephants, buffalos, leopards,
and rhinoceroses). Thus, when Wilson opted to build her
conservationist game lodge, Izingwe—Zulu for “leopard”
—in the nearby and equally beautiful Welgevonden Private
Game Reserve, she looked upon it as a place “to become
refreshed and inspired.” However, while the adjacent
Vaalwater region is scenically spectacular, it is also a locus of
horrific disease and poverty. Thus, Wilson determined that
a portion of the proceeds from the lodge should go towards
The Wilson Foundation which had been set up to fund both
the Waterberg Welfare Society and the development of the
Waterberg Academy, both of which greatly benefit the region
by addressing its massive need for medical care and education.
Wilson becomes emotional while speaking about what
could be called her “second home.” She beams when she talks
about Moses, a little boy whose schooling her foundation
paid for. “He became a champion in an archery competition
for the whole region. Not just the little town, for the whole
region!” Wilson is every bit as enthusiastic about Moses as
a birth parent would be. She sits and flicks through image
after image on her iPhone and says, “Look, look! Aren’t they
just adorable?” And they are. She then relates a story about
July Letsebe who was ravaged by AIDS but, thanks to the
foundation’s gift of antiretroviral medication, is now well
and helps his community by coordinating aid for the ill and
infirm.
An entire generation of orphans has been created by the
toll of AIDS and tuberculosis, and the already appalling rate
of disease continues to climb. Wilson observes, “People see
the situation and simply find it to be too huge to confront.
It seems far too overwhelming and hopeless and, so, many
times they do nothing.” This is utterly contrary to a bit of
verbiage that has become a mantra for Wilson. For years
she has kept a plaque next to her desk; it simply reads: “It
CAN be done.” Indeed, it can. Wilson has proven again and
again that she thrives in conditions that would spell defeat
for most people. In fact, she seems to be to be nothing less
than a force of nature. When it became clear that building
medical facilities and schools in South Africa was a daunting
endeavor, Wilson simply bypassed governmental authorities
and made tremendous progress by utilizing NGO’s (
nongovernmental offices). This proved to be a smart move and,
Alfred Ntuli, Zulu Master Weaver from Durban, South Africa and Trisha Wilson, 2012 International Folk Art Market, Santa Fe, NM; Photographer: David Arment
