Many travellers arrive in Africa with wildlife at the top of their wish list. Yet long after the dust has settled and the journey home is complete, it is often the people they remember most clearly. At Natural Selection, conservation does not stand alone — it is inseparable from the communities who live alongside the landscapes we protect. One of the people who embodies this philosophy is our Namibian Community Outreach Officer, widely known as Ketji.
“My full name is Jermain Ketji,” he explains with a smile, “but everyone calls me Ketji.” He was born in Grootfontein, a relatively young Namibian town that serves as a commercial hub for both communal and commercial farming communities across the region.
From the beginning, community shaped Ketji’s worldview. He grew up immersed in rural traditions that were common at the time. “Parents working in town would often send their children to live with grandparents in the village until they were old enough for school,” he recalls. Living this way taught children responsibility early, grounding them in shared effort and collective care.
Ketji was particularly drawn to herding goats. “It gave me time in the bush,” he says, “where I could explore and appreciate the small gifts nature offers.” Alongside the work came knowledge — passed down by elders skilled in traditional herding and bushcraft.
“I was fascinated by their ability to read the land and use indigenous plants to treat illness,” he says. “They were like pharmacists, providing remedies day after day.” Even while attending school, Ketji returned to the village whenever he could. “Every weekend and every holiday, I went back and picked up my chores again.”
That sense of belonging — to both people and place — has never left him. “Those early experiences tied my spirit to the natural world,” Ketji reflects. “I’ve always felt drawn to remote, rural places.” Over time, this connection evolved into a career rooted in conservation and tourism, fields he believes can genuinely empower communities when done responsibly.
Now based in Windhoek, Ketji travels extensively as part of his work. Before joining Natural Selection three years ago, he had already built 16 years of experience across tourism and community development, including guiding, lodge and concession management, and serving on lodge and NGO boards.
As Namibia’s Community Outreach Officer, Ketji works to ensure that local communities are meaningful beneficiaries of Natural Selection’s ecotourism initiatives — not observers on the sidelines.
“I care deeply about people and how they coexist with nature,” he says. “I’ve seen extraordinary transformation in both landscapes and lives through sustainable ecotourism. When it’s people-centred, community outreach becomes one of the most effective forms of development. It must be done by the people, for the people, with real passion and commitment.”
Much of Ketji’s work focuses on education as a long-term driver of impact. “We’re currently sponsoring 20 learners from two secondary schools to help improve their access to tertiary education,” he explains. “We’ve also recently built a kindergarten for a rural community within the Otjikondavirongo Conservancy in the Sesfontein area.”
Through his work, Ketji stands as a bridge — between conservation and community, between tradition and opportunity — ensuring that conservation success is shared, sustained, and deeply rooted in the people who call these landscapes home.