Capricorn foundation boosts rural revive with N$1.2m
The Capricorn Foundation has approved a further investment of N$1.2 million in Rural Revive, reaffirming
its long-term commitment to inclusive economic advancement, environmental stewardship, and sustainable livelihoods in rural Namibia. The funding, approved by the Foundation’s Board in May 2026, will support a 12-month consolidation phase of the Rural Revive initiative in Maltahöhe, enabling the project to strengthen the systems, infrastructure, and organisational capacity needed to secure and scale the gains already achieved.
Rural Revive, an initiative of the Wolwedans Foundation’s AridEden Vision 2050, is building a locally rooted, desert-based economy by integrating horticulture, waste management, logistics, skills development, and community participation into a single model. The Capricorn Foundation was the first local private sector corporate donor to support the initiative, investing N$1 million in 2023 and a further N$1.17 million in 2025. With this newly approved investment, the Foundation’s total support now rises to N$3.37 million, underscoring its confidence in a partnership that is demonstrating how systems-based rural development can create durable social, economic, and environmental value.
The newly approved funding will focus on consolidating and strengthening core work packages that are
already operational. These include project management and organisational development; infrastructure
upgrades for the Waste Management Facility at Marauns Garage; the establishment of the Desert Runner
Terminal for fresh produce logistics; the Andrewville Community Hub; and the expansion of the horticulture campus and seedling nursery. The investment responds directly to the recommendations of an independent external evaluation completed in March 2026, which confirmed that Rural Revive has established a functioning ecosystem of interdependent platforms and identified consolidation as the next critical phase for long-term sustainability.
Over the past funding cycle, Capricorn Foundation’s financial support helped sustain the Waste Management Facility, strengthen horticulture infrastructure, and integrate systems across production, recycling, training, and logistics. Rural Revive has since moved well beyond concept into visible implementation. More than 1,000 m² of cultivated beds have been established under drip irrigation at the Maltahöhe campus, supported by a seedling nursery with a capacity of more than 2,200 trays. More than half of these seedlings have been distributed beyond the campus to Kalkheuwel, the training farm of the Desert Academy Maltahöhe (DAMA in short), resettled farms, and community gardens, contributing to food security in the wider region.
The initiative has also collected more than 175,000 bottles from the local environment through its recycling activities, supported sustained livelihoods in waste management, horticulture, logistics, and training pathways, and welcomed the first apprentices of its 2026 Level 1 and 2 horticulture intakes. In April 2026, Rural Revive received Gold in the Regenerative Tourism category at the WTM Africa Responsible Tourism Awards 2026, a recognition that reflects the initiative’s growing significance as a practical, place-based model for regenerative development and community resilience.
“We are immensely grateful and happy to see the extension of a fruitful relationship and collaboration with the Capricorn Foundation, now entering its third year. Capricorn’s ongoing commitment has been instrumental in allowing RuralRevive to move from concept to implementation, and now into consolidation. And importantly, becoming an independent Section 21 since November 2025. In this together for the long run, the grant will be utilised to solidify and scale a number of active work packages. RuralRevive - a vision for building more sustainable and inclusive tourism and conservation economies in south-western Namibia – benefits local communities and Mother Nature. And hopefully inspire a new, regenerative way of doing business, driven by a healthy balance of people, planet and profit.
RuralRevive would not be possible without committed strategic partners like the Capricorn Foundation,
who also set a positive example for other Namibian corporates and institutions to come on board too”,
said Stephan Brückner, Chairperson RuralRevive Initiative & Wolwedans Foundation. “This latest investment aligns with the Capricorn Foundation’s Economic Advancement focus area and contributes to Sustainable Development Goal 8 on decent work and economic growth, as well as Goal 4 on skills development. By supporting Rural Revive’s consolidation phase, the Foundation is helping to anchor a resilient local economy in one of Namibia’s arid regions while reinforcing a model that holds strong potential for replication in other rural communities”, said Marlize Horn, Executive Director of the Capricorn Foundation.
