Administration Manager, ResourceAfrica
Although her family is from South Africa, Ursula grew up in Zimbabwe, where she started her own company to supply wildlife tapes to the tourism industry. With the economic decline in that country over the past few years, the number of tourists decreased and she had to close down the business.
‘After a stint in the film industry in Cape Town, a friend of mine suggested I take over her position at ResourceAfrica in Jo’burg,” she says. ‘I’m responsible for finances and office administration.”
Projects run by ResourceAfrica centre on community-based natural resource management and educating communities about the impact policies and research will have on their livelihoods, and how they can make input.
‘We act as the ‘voice of the voiceless’,” Ursula says. ‘I have been revamping the office systems and facilitating workshops, but I hope to become involved in projects in a more hands-on way, so I can understand how what I do at the office affects projects on the ground.”
Part of her work is to facilitate training and skills transfer, in partnership with appropriate organisations. ‘This is not a nine-to-five job; it takes a lot of time and commitment, but it is rewarding when you are able to see the difference your hard work makes in people’s lives.”